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by Kevin F. Adler (Author), Donald W. Burnes (Author)
A step-by-step guide to showing up and doing your part to end homelessness in America--engagement prompts, community tools, and "how to help in 60 seconds" ideas for taking action and making real impact with our unhoused neighbors
Praise for When We Walk By "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 Weekly Homelessness is an issue that's deeply important to most Americans--and most people want to help. But knowing what to do can be daunting: isn't homelessness really just about mental health? Aren't most unhoused people addicts? And what can I really do about it, anyway? The truth: No, not reallly--and more importantly, you can do a lot. Homelessness isn't a choice, a lifestyle, or something that happens to people who "deserve" it--and myths or questions surrounding who loses their housing, why it happens, and what we can each do to support our unhoused neighbors can sometimes prevent us from showing up and taking action... even when we know we want to help. You'll learn:
- Why person-first ideas--not punitive interventions--have the most impact
- How most of what we've been told about our unhoused neighbors is wrong
- Top takeaways, shareable stats, and "How to Help in 60 Seconds" Quick Actions for making a difference today
- How to unpack your own preconceptions and hidden assumptions with quizzes, prompts, and exercises
- About the importance of relationships and connections in ending homelessness
- Who "the homeless" really are--and that they're not who you think
- How systemic forces shape the conditions that cause people to lose housing, jobs, healthcare, and dignity
In When We Walk By: The Workbook, authors Kevin Adler and Donald Burnes offer empowering, inspiring exercises that will help you gauge where you can make a difference--and help you build a comprehensive understanding of the intersecting issues that create and perpetuate homelessness in America today.
Author Biography
Kevin F. Adler is an award-winning social entrepreneur, nonprofit leader, and author. Since 2014, Kevin has served as the Founder and CEO of Miracle Messages, a nonprofit organization that helps people experiencing homelessness rebuild their social support systems and financial security. He holds a Masters in Sociology from the University of Cambridge and a Bachelors in Politics from Occidental College. In his work on homelessness, he has pioneered the concept of "relational poverty" as an overlooked form of poverty severely affecting unhoused individuals. He previously co-authored When We Walk By and authored Natural Disasters as a Catalyst for Social Capital.
DONALD W. BURNES is the Senior Adviser for the Colorado based nonprofit Community Economic Defense Project. Burnes and his wife are the founders of The Burnes Institute for Poverty Research at the Colorado Center on Law and Policy, a non-profit think tank on issues of housing, healthcare, income, and food for those experiencing poverty and homelessness. Burnes was an adjunct professor and scholar-in-residence at the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work and he has taught at Denver's Academy for Lifelong Learning. He co-authored When We Walk By, Journeys Out of Homelessness: The Voices of Lived Experience and A Nation in Denial: The Truth About Homelessness and co-edited Ending Homelessness: Why We Haven't, How We Can.
