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Crossing the Border: Encounters between Homeless People and Outreach Workers
The relationship between the homeless and the social service community marks a border where the disenfranchised meet the mainstream of society. Crossing the Border , the first book-length study of outreach work to the mentally ill homeless, uses ethnographic tools to examine encounters at this border. Michael Rowe provides a rich picture not only of a particular group of homeless people, but also of the complicated interactions between the marginalized and those who try to help them. As it examines both the dilemmas and opportunities of outreach work to the mentally ill homeless, this compelling study asks us to consider the broader questions about how we relate to the poor and other marginal persons at the border of society.
The author's personal encounters with the homeless as Director of the New Haven ACCESS outreach project, his interviews with fifty homeless persons for this study, and his numerous interviews with outreach staff, provide an invaluable personal perspective. In this study, Rowe draws a collective portrait of the homeless whom he interviewed and observed, discusses the outreach workers in depth, examines transactions from the perspective of each party, and finally, places these encounters within the social and institutional contexts that shape them.
Rowe's writing is accessible and punctuated with many vivid anecdotes. As Crossing the Border shows, encounters between the homeless and outreach workers represent a measure of where we will set our social boundaries and what standard of living we will accept for those who live at that boundary.
The author's personal encounters with the homeless as Director of the New Haven ACCESS outreach project, his interviews with fifty homeless persons for this study, and his numerous interviews with outreach staff, provide an invaluable personal perspective. In this study, Rowe draws a collective portrait of the homeless whom he interviewed and observed, discusses the outreach workers in depth, examines transactions from the perspective of each party, and finally, places these encounters within the social and institutional contexts that shape them.
Rowe's writing is accessible and punctuated with many vivid anecdotes. As Crossing the Border shows, encounters between the homeless and outreach workers represent a measure of where we will set our social boundaries and what standard of living we will accept for those who live at that boundary.
206 pages, Paperback
First published September 2, 1999
17 people want to read
About the author
Michael Rowe
5 books9 followersMichael Rowe is Associate Clinical Professor at Yale School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Co-Director, Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 28, 2017
Living in downtown Seattle, it can feel like you encounter the homeless on nearly every city block. Lately I've been wanting a better understanding of homeless issues. When I saw Crossing the Border at my local used bookstore, I picked it up without reading any Goodreads reviews beforehand (is this ever a good idea?)
For my interests, this was the wrong book. It's written by the director of a homeless outreach clinic. The book touches on the lives of the homeless, but it's primarily interested in how the homeless and outreach workers interact, and how outreach work fits into the larger public welfare system.
There were some interesting ideas. The author suggests that "homeless" and "housed" don't represent the full spectrum of society: even if a homeless person is able to get an apartment with the help of outreach workers, their experience as a homeless person and their lack of job skills (at least initially) can make them feel like "second class citizens" according to Rowe. Obtaining housing can actually isolate the formerly homeless even more from society without further assistance from welfare workers.
Shortly after finishing the book I had lunch with a friend who works as a psychiatrist for the formerly homeless. Through our conversation I realized I'd absorbed a decent amount of information about the social welfare system and how it works with homeless individuals, particularly the mentally ill.
If you want to understand more about the homeless and the issues they face, look elsewhere. If you're looking to understand encounters between homeless people and outreach workers, this book is a decent primer despite its age and academic tone.
For my interests, this was the wrong book. It's written by the director of a homeless outreach clinic. The book touches on the lives of the homeless, but it's primarily interested in how the homeless and outreach workers interact, and how outreach work fits into the larger public welfare system.
There were some interesting ideas. The author suggests that "homeless" and "housed" don't represent the full spectrum of society: even if a homeless person is able to get an apartment with the help of outreach workers, their experience as a homeless person and their lack of job skills (at least initially) can make them feel like "second class citizens" according to Rowe. Obtaining housing can actually isolate the formerly homeless even more from society without further assistance from welfare workers.
Shortly after finishing the book I had lunch with a friend who works as a psychiatrist for the formerly homeless. Through our conversation I realized I'd absorbed a decent amount of information about the social welfare system and how it works with homeless individuals, particularly the mentally ill.
If you want to understand more about the homeless and the issues they face, look elsewhere. If you're looking to understand encounters between homeless people and outreach workers, this book is a decent primer despite its age and academic tone.
Displaying 1 of 1 review