How Ten Global Cities Take On Homelessness: Innovations That Work

Front Cover
Univ of California Press, May 11, 2021 - Social Science - 288 pages
Creative solutions for global cities addressing their urgent homeless crises.

This book takes on perhaps the most formidable issue facing metropolitan areas today: the large numbers of people experiencing homelessnes within cities. Four dedicated experts with first-hand experience profile ten cities—Bogota, Mexico City, Los Angeles, Houston, Nashville, New York City, Baltimore, Edmonton, Paris, and Athens—to explore ideas, strategies, successes, and failures. Together they bring an array of government, nonprofit, and academic perspectives to offer a truly global perspective. The authors answer essential questions about the nature and causes of homelessness and analyze how cities have used innovation and local political coordination to address this pervasive problem.
 
Ten Global Cities will be an invaluable resource not only for students of policy and social work but for municipal, regional, and national policymakers; nonprofit service providers; community advocates and activists; and all citizens who want to collaborate for real change. These authors argue that homelessness is not an insurmountable social condition, and their examples show that cities and individuals working in coordination can lead the charge for better outcomes.
 
 

Contents

The Transformation of Homeless Services
24
Engaging People on the Streets
34
Sheltering Options That Work
55
Developing an Affordable Housing Strategy
70
Supportive Housing to Target Complex Needs
86
Prevention That Works
104
SystemsLevel Thinking
119
Engaging the Community
137
ByName Lists Agency Databases and Basic Research
148
Managing in Emergencies
183
Lessons for Other CitiesIt Can Be Done
207
Appendix
213
References
241
Index
261
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About the author (2021)

Linda Gibbs is Principal for Social Services at Bloomberg Associates and is a Senior Fellow at Results for America. She served in the New York City government as the Commissioner overseeing homelessness until 2005 and then as Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services until 2013.

Jay Bainbridge  is Associate Professor of Public Administration at Marist College. He worked in New York City government on its first homeless street count and continues to consult on homeless services for national and international cities.  

Muzzy Rosenblatt is Chief Executive Officer and President of Bowery Residents’ Committee (BRC), a nonprofit organization committed to bringing stability and dignity to nearly 10,000 homeless and at-risk individuals each year in New York City. 

Tamiru Mammo is a consultant manager of Social Services at Bloomberg Associates, where he has led homeless reform efforts in US and international cities. Previously, he worked as a health advisor in New York City’s Mayor’s Office and as Chief of Staff to the President of NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation.

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