Preface: The Function of Myth
Introduction: Anita
CHAPTER 1: A BRIEF HISTORY OF HOMELESSNESS
MYTH 1:
“Homelessness Is Inevitable and Intrinsically Unsolvable”
CHAPTER 2: THE ROOTS OF AMERICAN HOMELESSNESS
MYTH 2:
“Homelessness in America Is a Relatively New Phenomenon”
MYTH 3:
“Helping the ‘Worthy’ Poor Is the Best Way to End Poverty and Homelessness”
CHAPTER 3: HOMELESSNESS IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
MYTH 4:
“Ronald Reagan Created Modern Homelessness”
MYTH 5:
“Most Homeless People Are Mentally Ill and Dangerous”
CHAPTER 4: OFFERING AID CREATES MORE NEED
MYTH 6:
“If You Build It, They Will Come”
MYTH 7:
“There Is No Shortage of Help Available for the Homeless—They Just Need to Access It”
MYTH 8:
“Handouts Create Homelessness”
MYTH 9:
“Homeless People Just Need to ‘Get a Job’ to Lift Themselves Out of Homelessness”
MYTH 10:
“Homeless People Just Need to Learn to Save”
CHAPTER 5: WHO WE THINK OF WHEN WE THINK OF THE HOMELESS
MYTH 11:
“Runaways Really Aren’t Homeless”
MYTH 12:
“Homeless People Are Single Adults Living on City Streets”
CHAPTER 6: BARRIERS AND SOLUTIONS
MYTH 13:
“People Need to Prove That They’re Worthy of and Ready for Assistance”
MYTH 14:
“Investments in Social Housing Have Proven to Be Failures”
CHAPTER 7: RESISTANCE VS. REVOLUTION
MYTH 15:
“There’s Really Nothing I Can Do to Make a Meaningful Difference”
Acknowledgments
Notes

“Readers will come away infuriated, with a greater understanding of the systemic causes of homelessness, and with more compassion for their homeless neighbors. Essential reading for any community affected by homelessness (which is all of them).”
—Booklist, Starred Review
For readers of Andrea Elliott and Matthew Desmond, the former CEO of the Coalition for the Homeless breaks through the highly destructive misinformation surrounding our homeless neighbors
Conservative think tanks like the Manhattan Institute disseminate anti-homeless myths in the media, legislatures, and the larger culture, claiming that our homeless neighbors cause their own predicament and that the best we can do is manage the problem.
Drawing on her deep legal knowledge, policy expertise, and decades of frontline service, Mary Brosnahan cuts through the misinformation to deliver two important messages: that homelessness ultimately stems from a lack of investment in affordable housing; and that the greatest myth of all is that we should have no hope. In fact, the proven solutions are well documented, and the ability to enact them depends on us all.
Brosnahan takes a nationwide look from New York to Detroit, Philly to L.A., and from rural areas such as Cumberland County, Pennsylvania to debunk 15 widespread misconceptions, including:

• that the problem is inevitable (in fact, Housing First approaches have shown great success)
• that “handouts” cause homelessness (in fact, the primary causes are flat wages and high rent)
• that homeless people need to prove that they’re “ready” to receive aid (in fact, enforcing hurdles is far more expensive and less effective than Housing First).