Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
This textbook examines the service needs of those experiencing, or at risk of homelessness and reviews effective policies, programs, and practices for people at risk or experiencing homelessness. It addresses a a need for a comprehensive, dedicated texbook on homelessness for the social work field. Because of the multifaceted causes and correlates of homelessness, this textbook is informed by the Restorative Integral Support (RIS) model for a whole person framework that organizes policy, program, and practice innovations presented throughout the chapters. The RIS model: (1) conceptually handles homelessness as a category that includes and transcends existing categories of child welfare, aging, health, disabilities, mental health, substance abuse, and others; (2) synthesizes research on ACEs, trauma, resilience, and recovery; and (3) offers a holistic, multi-system method that supports consumers and staff while strengthening systems within communities.
Building the homelessness knowledge base - from characteristics of the homeless population to policy and service implementation - can advance life-changing outcomes for millions who lack supports.
Synopsis
Part I: Characteristics and Service Needs of People Experiencing Homelessness.- Homelessness in America: An Overview.- Trauma and Adversity in the Lives of People Experiencing Homelessness.- Homelessness and Health Disparities: A Health Equity Lens.- Meeting the Diverse Service Needs of People Experiencing Homelessness.- Part II: Individual, Community, and System Responses to Homelessness.- Affordable Housing and Housing Policy Responses to Homelessness.- Street Talk: Homeless Discourses and the Politics of Service Provision.- Community-Based Strategies to Address Homelessness.- Homelessness in Los Angeles and New York City: A Tale of Two Cities.- The Criminalization of Homelessness.- Pay-for-Success Financing: Innovation in Funding Supportive Housing Initiatives.- Part III: Homelessness Services Delivery.- Critical Time Intervention.- Multisectoral Collaborations to Address Homelessness.- Trauma-Informed Care in Homelessness Service Settings: Challenges and Opportunities.- Homeless Street Outreach: Spark for the Journey to a Dignified Life.- Youth Homelessness: A Global and National Analysis of Emerging Interventions for a Population at Risk.- Incorporating Youth Voice into Services for Young People Experiencing Homelessness.- "If I Don't Fight for It, I Have Nothing" Supporting Students Who Experience Homelessness While Enrolled in Higher Education.- Practice Dilemmas, Successes, and Challenges in the Delivery of Homeless Services: Voices from the Frontline.
Synopsis
This important text provides a comprehensive survey of homelessness in America: its scope and causes, its diverse populations, and the array of responses at the individual, community, and systems levels. Expert contributors explore the links between trauma and homelessness, the cycle of homelessness and health/mental health problems, and barriers preventing people from accessing services. Case studies of effective programs and practices focus on science-based interventions, broad understanding of client needs, and close coordination between systems and agencies. Finally, specialized chapters discuss issues and experiences common to homeless youth and young adults, including housing instability on college campuses and empowerment-based strategies for engaging youth voice in programming .
Included in the coverage:
- Homelessness and health disparities: a health equity lens
- Affordable housing and housing policy responses to homelessness
- Street talk: homeless discourses and the politics of service provision
- Multisectoral collaborations to address homelessness
- Trauma-informed care in homelessness service settings: challenges and opportunities
- Incorporating youth voice into services for young people experiencing homelessness
Homelessness Prevention and Intervention in Social Work fills a critical gap in the social work curriculum as a main or a supplementary text. It also makes an accessible resource for clinicians and community practitioners seeking current knowledge on the topic, practical approaches to working with clients experiencing homelessness, and useful information for effective program and policy design.