A new approach to homelessness at U. of Nebraska - Omaha College Democrats Blog

A new approach to homelessness

Published by chief March 21st, 2006

This post isn’t really about politics. It’s more of a thought-provoking post.

I read a book called The Tipping Point several years ago and to this day, its the best book I’ve ever read.

The book was written by a man named Malcolm Gladwell. Gladwell frequently writes articles for The New Yorker, and last month he wrote a very interesting article about the problem of homelessness in America. Gladwell is known for taking a unique and interesting approach to events, problems, and situations. This article is no different.

The article is a very long read, but in my opinion, worth it. If you want a quick summary on the article, listen to the NPR interview Gladwell did.

MILLION-DOLLAR MURRAY - Why problems like homelessness may be easier to solve than to manage.
by MALCOLM GLADWELL - The New Yorker

A Scientific Approach to Helping the Homeless - NPR Interview with Malcolm Gladwell

5 Responses to “A new approach to homelessness”

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1 john Mar 23rd, 2006 at 3:29 pm

ryan
(or cheif, as I still think of you on the blog)
read the article, and have the tipping point on my shelf even if I’ve never gotten around to reading it)

My Dad, as some people know, was a pastor until 6 years ago when we moved to Omaha. The church he headed up during most of my life, especially the very formative years, was Christian Church, Disciples of Christ congregation. They are a very old congregation which has historically been a forward thinking one. They allowed female pastors way before most other churches (or still many churches now), they are a peace church and advocate, in general, away from violance as a first solution.

Anyway, the point is, that the church had a strong purpose of outreach to the homeless, but not in a patronage level, but on a hand in hand level. After church sunday we would have a weekly free lunch with an invocation, a few words, and then the food being served soup kitchen style. We also ran a clothing shelter and a helped find housing for many constant visitors.

I spent so much time as a kid around the homeless that I had come to a lot of conclusions on my own. But by and large Gladwell seems to come to the conclusions I did, except infinatley better researched and presented. He also had several insights which I had never even thought about.

One thing I think he missed, and it shows in the fact that I believe in the approach to “fixing” homelessness, but am still characterized as the bleeding heart liberal he described, is that you can fight homelessness both among the large numbers of short term homeless and the small numbers of long term.

He missed the fact that the institutional organizations that he points out don’t work (for the few), are intigral in keeping those really large numbers of people from becoming part of the few. Because in those large numbers are veterans, alcoholics, and drug addicts, who are at high risk for being part of the tall part of the hockey stick, but don’t end up on that path because they get the help so that they never end up on the streets, just in the shelters, and job placement and such.

He also missed the fact that as a person some call a “bleeding heart” liberal, I can still fight broad homelessness by fighting poverty, which is a route cause, by fighting wars, which have created vets emotionally handicapped to the point they end up on the streets, by fighting drug addiction which does the same.

Anyway, that’s like my 8 cents or so
good article ryan
good post in general.
2 Kyle Michaelis Mar 27th, 2006 at 1:50 am

Thanks to the UNO College Dems for hosting a great Nebraska Young Democrats Convention this weekend. Guess we should also thank the fine custodians of the UNO Student Center for not throwing our asses out of there the second it turned 5 o’clock.

Finally, thanks to Trevor Fitzgerald of the Creighton Law School Democrats for being our Convention Chair. There’s no one I’d trust more with a gavel, and we were lucky to have him.

Kyle Michaelis
**the dude from Lincoln who likes the sound of his own voice
3 Lee Mar 27th, 2006 at 3:47 pm

Thanks to Kyle Michaelis for being a great leader within the Nebraska Young Democrats. Your dedication to the cause has inspired many of us to work harder for the Nebraska Young Democrats.
4 Kyle Michaelis Mar 27th, 2006 at 5:03 pm

Thanks to Lee Clausen for his leadership in being a great judge of who to thank for being a great leader. I couldn’t have said it better myself. Thanks also to God, without whom Lee Clausen would not be possible.
5 Nick Mar 28th, 2006 at 1:29 pm

Thanks to both of you guys for completely ignoring whatever this blog was supposed to be about (I didn’t read it either)

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