When We Walk By

Forgotten Humanity, Broken Systems, and the Role We Can Each Play in Ending Homelessness in America

by Kevin F. Adler; Donald W. Burnes

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Pub Date Nov 07 2023 | Archive Date Oct 02 2023

Multicultural Interest | Nonfiction (Adult) | Politics

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Description

How to end homelessness in America: a must-read guide to understanding housing instability, supporting our unhoused neighbors, and reclaiming our humanity.

A deeply humanizing analysis that will change the way you think about poverty and homelessness—for the socially engaged reader of Isabel Wilkerson's Caste and Matthew Desmond's Evicted.

Think about the last time that you saw or interacted with an unhoused person. What did you do? What did you say? Did you offer money or a smile, or did you avert your gaze?

When We Walk By takes an urgent look at homelessness in America, showing us what we lose—in ourselves and as a society—when we choose to walk past and ignore our neighbors in shelters, insecure housing, or on the streets. And it brilliantly shows what we stand to gain when we embrace our humanity and move toward evidence-based people-first, community-driven solutions, offering social analysis, economic and political histories, and the real stories of unhoused people.

Authors Kevin F. Adler and Donald W. Burnes, with Amanda Banh and Andrijana Bilbija, recast chronic homelessness in the U.S. as a byproduct of twin crises: our social services systems are failing, and so is our humanity. Readers will learn:

Why our brains have been trained to overlook our unhoused neighbors
The social, economic, and political forces that shape myths like “all homeless people are addicts” and “they’d have a house if they got a job”
What conservative economics gets wrong about housing insecurity
What relational poverty is, and how to shift away from “us versus them” thinking
That for many Americans, housing insecurity is just one missed paycheck away
Who “the homeless” really are—and why that might surprise you
What you can do to help, starting today

A necessary, deeply humanizing read that goes beyond theory and policy analysis to offer engaged solutions with compassion and heart, When We Walk By is a must-read for anyone who cares about homelessness, housing solutions, and their own humanity.

How to end homelessness in America: a must-read guide to understanding housing instability, supporting our unhoused neighbors, and reclaiming our humanity.

A deeply humanizing analysis that will...

A Note From the Publisher

For more information or for a physical copy, please email publicity@northatlanticbooks.com.

Advance Praise

“A compelling story of rediscovering our own humanity—and a roadmap on how we can make large-scale changes that improve everyone's way of life. Read this book to understand how being connected can save us all.”

—Andrew Yang, entrepreneur and former 2020 presidential candidate

“[C]aptivating… People experiencing homelessness are humans like you and me, deserving of the same respect and dignity.… [A] must read!”

—Ellen Bassuk, MD, Founder of C4 Innovations and the National Center on Family Homelessness and Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

“When We Walk By reminds us of our shared humanity, our shared needs, and how we should promote a political economy of sharing, especially with our neighbors who have little or nothing. Read this, heed the call. No more just walking by!”

—Dennis Culhane, Dana and Andrew Stone Professor of Social Policy, School of Social Policy & Practice, University of Pennsylvania

“[A] masterclass in meeting folks where they are, listening first, and designing and delivering services informed by the experiences of our unhoused neighbors.”

—Dr. Michael K. Hole, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Population Health, and Public Policy at Dell Medical School and the LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin

“In a book that explores our national failures and points to common-sense fixes, the authors challenge us to see the humanity of our neighbors, and care more deeply...[it] should guide policy makers, and quickly, as they seek a cure to what ails our nation.”

—Tony Messenger, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, author of Profit and Punishment: How America Criminalizes the Poor in the Name of Justice

“Highly moving and profoundly enlightening.”

—Dr. Gloria Duffy, President, The Commonwealth Club of California

“[E]ssential… Heart-opening…”

—Justin Baldoni, Actor and Filmmaker

“[Adler and Burnes] illuminate a system broken beyond repair and provide the hope that is required for all of us to shift gears, from the ground up, to solve one of the most distressing problems of our times.…if only we cared. A remarkable read.”

—Heather Hay, Senior Consultant, Foundations for Social Change, creator of the New Leaf Project

“[S]ocial connection is a key element of human survival that often gets overlooked day to day. This book offers a fresh, integrated perspective about the importance of a human response to a complex social problem.”

—Benjamin Henwood, PhD, LCSW, Associate Professor at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work

“A must-read guide for navigating and fixing the broken status quo of homelessness in America...readers of this book will no longer 'walk by' feeling helpless.”

—Michael D. Tubbs, Mayor of Stockton, California, and special advisor to California Governor Gavin Newsom for Economic Mobility

“The authors brilliantly examine our inequitable systems through the lens of healing our humanity and solving the problem at its root. A must read for us all!”

—Tristia Bauman, Senior Attorney, The National Homelessness Law Center