Jeffrey Grunberg's 'Why the Homeless Have No Chance: An Inside Story' Pulls Back The Curtain on Homelessness
Grunberg's new book details the program that successfully helped the homeless population of Manhattan to find both employment and housing--until it was shut down.
NEW YORK, Nov. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- More than half a million Americans experience homelessness, with the largest number, by a wide margin, residing in New York City. Thirty-two years ago, at the invitation of local wealthy property owners, Jeffrey Grunberg was invited to devise programs to address the needs of homeless people living on the midtown Manhattan streets. Grunberg helped establish an overnight drop-in-center, serving over two thousand guests monthly—the country's largest. By the fifth year, the program had helped place hundreds of people into both jobs and affordable apartments. Half of the center's staff were formerly homeless. The agency's work was acknowledged as "unparalleled in the nation for its success in housing and employment." And then it was shut down.
Jeffrey Grunberg's 'Why the Homeless Have No Chance: An Inside Story,' provides a behind-the-scenes account of the origins of the program, its outside-the-box approach, and the web of external bad actors that led to the unfortunate demise of a rare program that actually made a positive difference in the lives of the flesh and blood homeless population.
"Success outside of the box gets trampled upon all the time," says Grunberg. "That's why it remains outside." And the homeless? "They have to stay in the box, too. Outside."
Grunberg says the prevailing approaches focus on "housing" to the virtual exclusion of employment. "That approach sides with those who view homeless people as incapable of work," says Grunberg. "We didn't see them that way. And we saw employment as a more workable solution: give homeless people a suitable income, and they'll house themselves," he says. And the results spoke for themselves.
"Our focus on employment rather than housing got everybody indoors, provided unparalleled success, and caused our demise," says Grunberg.
'Why the Homeless Have No Chance: An Inside Story,' begins with an introduction that provides thumbnail sketch of the history and downfall. It's followed by thirty-seven chapters ("essays") that add more color and texture to flesh out the narrative and historical context.
While Grunberg holds impressive academic credentials, including a doctorate in sociology, his account is no dry academic read. Rather, he tells the tale like a storyteller, with a bold, passionate voice and artful—at times nearly poetic—delivery. He brings many of the homeless people he met and worked with to life. In Grunberg's world, they are not merely "problems to solve" or "statistics"—they are human beings with dignity.
Grunberg's deep knowledge of, and commitment to, the people he has faithfully served shines through on every page. As does, frankly, his cynicism, stemming from the unjust attacks on their beneficial programs. Unfortunately, the attacks ultimately hurt the chief benefactors—those experiencing homelessness— more than anyone else.
'Why the Homeless Have No Chance: An Inside Story,' is essential reading for politicians, professionals, social science academics, and all concerned citizens who want to see this long-standing problem finally resolved.
'Why the Homeless Have No Chance: An Inside Story,' is published in both paperback and eBook format by eBookIt.com. It is available at Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, and other popular online retailers.
About Jeffrey Grunberg
While he earned a doctorate in sociology in the early 1990s, it was years earlier in 1977, while doing fieldwork towards his master's degree in psychology, that Jeffrey Grunberg began his work with the homeless. In 1988, Mr. Grunberg was invited by a business district to devise programs to address the needs that homeless people had living on midtown streets, and that is when the work that became the heart of this book began.
Mr. Grunberg resigned this position just after securing a permanent new drop-in center with a ten-year contract for continued funding from the city. He went on to establish the nation's first homeless soccer program taking teams all over the world. Soon after, he took a position at Dutchess Community College where he currently serves as an adjunct sociology instructor while maintaining a private practice helping people in crisis.
About eBookIt.com
Since 2010, eBookIt.com (based in Sudbury, Massachusetts) has helped thousands of authors and publishers get their books converted to ebook format, and distributed to all the major ebook retailers, including Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Apple iBookstore, Kobo, Scribd, Ingram Digital, and Google eBookstore.
Media Contact
Jeffrey Grunberg, eBookIt.com, 914-826-5026, [email protected]
SOURCE Jeffrey Grunberg
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