How to end homelessness in America: a must-read guide to understanding housing instability, supporting our unhoused neighbors, and reclaiming our humanity.
A deeply humanizing analysis that will change the way you think about poverty and homelessness—for the socially engaged reader of Isabel Wilkerson's Caste and Matthew Desmond's Evicted.
Think about the last time that you saw or interacted with an unhoused person. What did you do? What did you say? Did you offer money or a smile, or did you avert your gaze?
When We Walk By takes an urgent look at homelessness in America, showing us what we lose—in ourselves and as a society—when we choose to walk past and ignore our neighbors in shelters, insecure housing, or on the streets. And it brilliantly shows what we stand to gain when we embrace our humanity and move toward evidence-based people-first, community-driven solutions, offering social analysis, economic and political histories, and the real stories of unhoused people.
Authors Kevin F. Adler and Donald W. Burnes, with Amanda Banh and Andrijana Bilbija, recast chronic homelessness in the U.S. as a byproduct of twin crises: our social services systems are failing, and so is our humanity. Readers will learn:
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"I've read many, many books about homelessness, and I think this is the best one I've ever read.... Well organized, well written, and easy to follow. When We Walk By gives concrete and specific suggestions for every person, regardless of how much or how little they know about the subject."
— David Miller, former president and CEO of the Denver Foundation
A compelling story of rediscovering our own humanity—and a roadmap on how we can make large-scale changes that improve everyone's way of life. Read this book to understand how being connected can save us all.
— Andrew Yang, entrepreneur and former 2020 presidential candidateCaptivating... People experiencing homelessness are humans like you and me, deserving of the same respect and dignity.... A must read!
— Ellen Bassuk, MD, Founder of C4 Innovations and the National Center on Family Homelessness and Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical SchoolWhen We Walk By reminds us of our shared humanity, our shared needs, and how we should promote a political economy of sharing, especially with our neighbors who have little or nothing. Read this, heed the call. No more just walking by!
— Dennis Culhane, Dana and Andrew Stone Professor of Social Policy, School of Social Policy & Practice, University of PennsylvaniaA masterclass in meeting folks where they are, listening first, and designing and delivering services informed by the experiences of our unhoused neighbors.
— Dr. Michael K. Hole, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Population Health, and Public Policy at Dell Medical School and the LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at AustinIn a book that explores our national failures and points to common-sense fixes, the authors challenge us to see the humanity of our neighbors, and care more deeply...[it] should guide policy makers, and quickly, as they seek a cure to what ails our nation.
— Tony Messenger, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, author of Profit and Punishment: How America Criminalizes the Poor in the Name of JusticeHighly moving and profoundly enlightening.
— Dr. Gloria Duffy, President, The Commonwealth Club of CaliforniaEssential… Heart-opening…
— Justin Baldoni, Actor and Filmmaker[Adler and Burnes] illuminate a system broken beyond repair and provide the hope that is required for all of us to shift gears, from the ground up, to solve one of the most distressing problems of our times.…if only we cared. A remarkable read.
— Heather Hay, Senior Consultant, Foundations for Social Change, creator of the New Leaf ProjectSocial connection is a key element of human survival that often gets overlooked day to day. This book offers a fresh, integrated perspective about the importance of a human response to a complex social problem.
— Benjamin Henwood, PhD, LCSW, Associate Professor at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social WorkA must-read guide for navigating and fixing the broken status quo of homelessness in America...readers of this book will no longer 'walk by' feeling helpless.
— Michael D. Tubbs, Mayor of Stockton, California, and special advisor to California Governor Gavin Newsom for Economic MobilityThe authors brilliantly examine our inequitable systems through the lens of healing our humanity and solving the problem at its root. A must read for us all!
— Tristia Bauman, Senior Attorney, The National Homelessness Law Center"This book is a compelling story of homelessness in the United States.... It underscores the necessity of support from family, communities, towns, states and the federal government. The book is terrific by every measure!
— Myles Cohen, MD, professor of surgery and internationally recognized hand surgeonAdler and Burnes, with their co-authors, offer fresh and hopeful solutions that could affect long-lasting change.
— Booklist, starred reviewIn a book that explores our national failures and points to common-sense fixes, the authors challenge us to see the humanity of our neighbors, and care more deeply...[it] should guide policy makers, and quickly, as they seek a cure to what ails our nation.
— Tony Messenger, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, author of Profit and PunishmentA must-read guide for navigating and fixing the broken status quo of homelessness in America...readers of this book will no longer 'walk by' feeling helpless.
— Michael D. Tubbs, Mayor of Stockton, CA, and special advisor to CA Governor Gavin Newsom for Economic MobilityThe authors brilliantly examine our inequitable systems through the lens of healing our humanity and solving the problem at its root. A must-read for us all!
— Tristia Bauman, Senior Attorney, The National Homelessness Law Center"A compelling story of homelessness in the United States.... The book is terrific by every measure!
— Myles Cohen, MD, professor of surgery and internationally recognized hand surgeonA compelling story of rediscovering our own humanity—and a roadmap on how we can make large-scale changes that improve everyone's way of life. Read this book to understand how being connected can save us all.
— Andrew Yang, entrepreneur and former 2020 presidential candidateAdler and Burnes, with their co-authors, offer fresh and hopeful solutions that could affect long-lasting change.
— Booklist, starred review"A must-read for anyone interested in solving the problem of homelessness.
— Publishers WeeklyThe authors brilliantly examine our inequitable systems through the lens of healing our humanity and solving the problem at its root. A must-read for us all!
— Tristia Bauman, Senior Attorney, The National Homelessness Law CenterA persuasive book about a crucial subject
— San Francisco ChronicleBooks, when properly executed, pry back the veil and show readers a shared humanity. When We Walk By is one such book.
— Shelf Awareness, starred reviewCaptivating...People experiencing homelessness are humans like you and me, deserving of the same respect and dignity.... A must read!
— Ellen Bassuk, MD, Founder of C4 Innovations and the National Center on Family Homelessness and Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical SchoolEssential...Heart-opening...
— Justin Baldoni, Actor and Filmmaker[Adler and Burnes] illuminate a system broken beyond repair and provide the hope that is required for all of us to shift gears, from the ground up, to solve one of the most distressing problems of our times...if only we cared. A remarkable read.
— Heather Hay, Senior Consultant, Foundations for Social Change, creator of the New Leaf ProjectWell organized, well written, and easy to follow. When We Walk By gives concrete and specific suggestions for every person, regardless of how much or how little they know about the subject.
— David Miller, former president and CEO of the Denver FoundationA very accessible, yet powerful read. I highly recommend it. I was moved and touched while reading this book. My copy is filled with notes and dog-eared pages for future reference. This book is a lovely and much-needed contribution.
— Gregg Colburn, associate professor at the University of Washington and coauthor of Homelessness Is a Housing ProblemBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!