The Homeless

by Christopher Jencks

How widespread is homelessness, how did it happen, and what can be done about it? These are the questions explored by Christopher Jencks, America’s foremost analyst of social problems. Jencks examines the standard explanations and finds that the deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill, the invention of crack cocaine, rising joblessness among men, declining marriage rates, cuts in welfare benefits, and the destruction of skid row have all played a role. Changes in the housing market have had less impact than many claim, however, and real federal housing subsidies actually doubled during the 1980s. Not confining his mission to studying the homeless, Jencks proposes several practical approaches to helping the homeless.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sociology, Cities, Social Justice

176 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1994

About the author

Christopher Sandy Jencks was an American social scientist.

Reviews

[Terri Lynn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have volunteered with the homeless since I was a child and my parents not only did volunteer with the homeless but often took some of them, especially elderly and handicapped ones, in. Naturally I try to read about homelessness and learn as much as I can so to be as effective as I can in helping our local homeless community.

Unfortunately when it comes to this book about the homeless, it doesn't get much more boring than this. There are no individual case studies to liven up the book and make it more personal. Also, I was frustrated by the fact that the author continually says that there is no proof or evidence of this or that but makes assumptions based on what he thinks might be the case. For example, he admits that at the time of writing, the Census Bureau did not count people living in abandoned buildings, in tent camps, under bridges, in cars, in doorways, in parks, on beaches, and in city subway areas yet takes the count of homeless people as being lower than it is when this is a glaring omission. So, these people are not homeless just because they were not counted? I have news for him, there are many more homeless people than those sleeping in a shelter on a given night!

All though the book, the author will offer a suggestion people have given for why people are homeless then shoot it down with no real evidence that really applies to the case. He makes presumptions that are not true. This book was completely useless to a longtime homeless activist and volunteer like myself.

[Adamson Bryant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Old book but still useful for thinking about this issue and interesting to see how the thinking has changed over time

[Cyndie Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like to believe most of us want to make a difference in the world. One of the things I have always wanted to understand more about, so that perhaps I can do something more to help is homelessness. As new veterinarians become more debt laden, I also get concerned about the financial instability of people in my profession.

I have several relevant books on my list, but this was an excellent place to start to better understand many of the different facets to homelessness and especially what has led to a rise in homelessness in the past couple decades. Has definitely got me thinking and helped me see what I still struggle to understand and some simple ways I might start to help.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading for urban policy issues. Decent to understand the concept of homelessness back in 1994.

Homelessness is poorly counted, so Jencks criticizes the homelessness advocates who say there's 1+ million homeless people to get more funding.

His thesis is that homelessness rose in the 80s to become a national and visible issue because: 1. Elimination of involuntary commitment to mental institutions 2. Eviction of mental hospital patients who had nowhere to go 3. Crack epidemic 4. Increased joblessness 5. The destruction of cheap housing like skid row.

Single motherhood also rose, which led to more homelessness among single mothers. Welfare didn't keep up with rising costs of rent.

He's less convinced by the idea that 1. less family members or close ties are housing people who'd otherwise be homeless 2. changes to the housing market were the cause because many cheap rentals were vacant even as homelessness rose 3. the budget cuts to HUD (there were actually more homes built while homelessness went up) 4. Rent control, because NYC had rent control for 30 years before the homelessness became a problem (I think this is now partly proved that rent control will decrease housing supply).

I want to know more about the modern day homelessness situation and how this book was right and wrong in retrospect.

[B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this today in 2019. The book was published in 1994. I wonder what has changed in that span of time.

The Jones vs. The City of Los Angeles verdict in 2006 expanded the rights of the homeless. Apparently, that was an historic case that basically noted you cannot criminalize a person for sleeping on the streets when there are no available beds.

Jencks solutions include re-creating cubicle hotels, today known as capsule hotels. Apparently, the homeless once were given these small spaces no bigger than a bed, but they were torn down after the 1970s.

Lately I have been on a binge learning about homesteading,tiny houses, minimalism, full-time RV life, and not using more than you need. Somehow my research led me to reading about the homeless, which is not the same thing, but still important.

The take away from this book is that everyone should have a private and safe space for their belongings, then we can work on other things like jobs and mental health.

Can anyone recommend an up-to-date book on the same subject?

[Boris Tizenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great social commentary on homelessness that includes invaluable history. It includes invaluable information about mental health, economics, and sociology.

An informative read for anyone that lives, works, or drives through a city.

[Daniel Polansky]

An attempt to make sense of the data leading up to the first explosion of modern American homelessness in the late 80s. As always, the longer you stare at the data the more perplexing it becomes, but Jencks is honest and thoughtful and comes to some interesting conclusions.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only read the first 150 pages or so, it is an old book and the final sections are about policy recommendations for solving homelessness (I assume thinking has changed in the last 20 years).

I stinging rebuke of our society's decision to leave the most desperate to scrape along in the shadows, the history and explanation of how the homelessness crisis started was fascinating. I was amazed to learn that homelessness more or less started in the late 70s for a variety of factors.

Only 3 stars because it is likely a bit dated.

[Tommy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written and well-argued, Jencks's "The Homeless" is a sober and nuanced--often non-partisan--analysis of homelessness. Using both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, Jencks skillfully addresses the challenges in defining the homeless, its multiple causes, and a number of possible solutions.
(Note for NYRB subscribers, this book is an expansion of a two-part article reviewing seven books on homelessness.)

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned A LOT from this book even though it was published in 1994. Great look at history and how it has made the situation for the homeless- particularly the mentally ill homeless- worse and worse. "No other affluent country has abandoned its mentally ill to this extent."

Very clear, well researched, and relevant. I'm torn between 3 and 4 stars b/c it was great.

[L · Rating 4 out of 5]

tone of the writing is sometimes Sgouros-esque, but with less humor.

[Maisey Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like his use of graphs and charts to try to explain why so many are homeless.