Thanks to NetGalley and Prometheus Publishing for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I can pretty much sum up the book by saying Ronald Reagan was bad, and the rest of the presidents and Congress haven’t been much better when coming to the issue of homelessness. (For example, remember Bill Clinton vowing to “end welfare as we know it.”)

You see, homelessness wasn’t a huge problem leading into the 1980s. Then, Ronald Reagan came into office in 1981 and started slashing funding for all sorts of social programs (sound familiar? This is the Republican playbook.) They don’t see housing as a human right.

Combining personal stories of the unhoused, as well as a deep dive into the policies and roll backs from various administrations, Foscarinis shows just how messed up the system is in the United States. Attempts have been made in Congress, like the McKinney-Vento Act and the Homeless Persons Survival Act, but lack of funds, as well as properties and the actual staffing to administrate these policies has been ridiculously underserved.

To quote National Public Radio’s recent review, “That isn’t the only myth she dismantles. One of the book’s strengths is its sustained attack on “the false narrative that homelessness is driven by personal, not systemic, failures.”… homelessness is a policy failure, not a personal one.” You can read NPR’s full review here.

Foscarinis, who has been working on the issue of homelessness for almost 40 years, winds up her book with plausible, actual, real-life, possible solutions and what needs to be done. With affordable housing disappearing across the country, we the people must put pressure on our local, state, and federal representatives.

As with issues like Social Security benefits (which also applies to the homeless,) I’ve been listening to lawmakers’ empty promises for the past 40 years when it comes to the unhoused. And Housing for All should be delivered to all members of Congress and every state legislature.

I like the topic and wish this book well. Unfortunately for be it's too political with mostly opinions, no references or facts to support.

I found this book incredibly informative and infuriating in parts, mainly due to the subject matter. Foscarinis writes about people and their stories with the respect they deserve. However, I wish this book presented more of a bigger picture look on homelessness, rather than a personal story interwoven. At times it felt like it was part memoir as well, and this threw me off the subject matter. Still, an important read, especially right now.