Product information not available.

Although there has been general improvement in America's housing since 1949, when the U.S. Congress proclaimed the goal of a decent home and suitable living environment for every American family, this stated national aim has clearly not been achieved. Substandard housing conditions are still prevalent anong various racial, ethnic, and economic groups. This book, edited by a leading population and housing scholar with contributions from nationally recognized housing experts, reviews recent data derived from census reports and housing surveys. It focuses on the reasons why the quality and quantity of housing available to blacks, Hispanics, Asian Americans, and American Indians remains significantly below standards for whites.

Momeni pulls together 1,007 citations to articles and monographs on housing for minorities. Instead of brief annotations, he includes an abstract or summary of each title, sometimes written by the original author. The descriptions are long enough to allow the reader to appraise the title. Entries are classed by broad topic--e.g., discrimination and redlining, segregation, desegregation, rentals, ownership and home value, subsidies, public housing, regulations and the courts, elderly housing, homelessness. There are author and subject indexes. Particularly valuable is a 15-page analysis of data from the 1980 census in which Momeni studies differences in housing occupied by minorities. If affords students and librarians a readable overview of the minority housing picture in 1980; no similar bibliography incorporates data from this census. The foreword and preface, written by two experts in the field, add commentary on the subject. Recommended for academic and research libraries supporting sociology and urban studies. Choice The proliferation of research on minority housing in the past decade has created the need for a comprehensive bibliography that will provide a synthesis of knowledge on the subject and bring together the results of many widely dispersed studies and documents. This outstanding reference work chronicles the historical patterns of change in minority housing conditions, and paves the way to a greater understanding of the complexities of the market dynamics of minority housing over the past two decades. Containing more than one thousand entries, this expansive volume summarizes the latest research literature covering such topics as redlining, fair housing, the impact of various housing initiatives, the problems of the elderly, and the homeless.

Product information not available.

This is the second of Momeni's two-volume series on homelessness in the United States. While volume I concentrated on the statewide distribution, variations, trends, and characteristics of the homeless population, the present volume addresses the problem of data collection and specific causes and issues that relate to homelessness. Unique in its attempt to bring systematic data and analysis to bear on the subject, this groundbreaking study focuses upon such critical areas as drug abuse among the homeless, the housing situation that gives rise to homelessness, homeless children, food sources, and problems of employment. Although the contributors approach the topic from a number of different perspectives, they are united in their conclusion that realistic solutions to the problem of homelessness rest not in establishing new and dramatic programs, but rather in forging links between government and private agencies to create a system-wide response to the multiple needs of the homeless population.

In addition to exploring the serious and persistent problems homeless people face, the contributors highlight the difficulties inherent in measuring the extent of homelessness accurately, concluding that efforts to do so are likely to produce an undercount. A number of chapters provide a clearer picture of the homeless population in America by examining both the socioeconomic and demographic correlates and the social-psychiatric dimensions of homelessness. Finally, the contributors compare and contrast the characteristics of homelessness and the methods of dealing with the problem in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. Two concluding essays provide an overview of homelessness on the national level and propose public policies likely to be most effective in reducing homelessness. Numerous tables and figures illustrate points made in the text. Students of social sciences, social practitioners, and public policymakers will find Homelessness in America provocative reading, and a reliable source of data and analysis.

Chapters in this work describe and analyze homelessness in 15 states, from all geographic regions of the US. The diversity of survey locations reveals a variety of forces contributing to homelessness. There are frequent efforts to situate the problem within the sociopolitical context of the 1980s. An occasional chapter contains rich theoretical commentary. . . . the scope of the findings is compelling and the contradiction of stereotypes is effective. Choice This volume reads and holds together well even though each of the 14 chapters was written by a different individual or group, covers a diffrent section of the country, uses different types of data sources and analytical methods, and evidences differing perspectives. An excellent foreword and introduction (Bruce Wiegand, Howard M. Bahr) put everything in context . . . Library Journal The essays in this volume attempt to answer some of the basic questions involved in the study of homelessness. They address such issues as the nature and extent of homelessness in the United States, the socioeconomic and demographic features of the homeless population, and how homelessness is conceptualized. Other examined matters include family background, duration of homelessness, shelter and social needs, socioeconomic causes, and the demands of the homeless issue on national policy. This work provides a unique sociological and demographic perspective on the problems of homelessness. Its emphasis on local and state-level studies will make it invaluable for civic groups and policy makers. It will also interest scholars in the fields of housing, urban sociology, and social problems.