Review of “Homeless: Poverty and Place in Urban America,” by Ella Howard, 2013. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. Cloth, 276 pages.
The story of “Skid Row”
This book is not about current homelessness so obvious throughout our nation. Instead, it discusses some important and related issues in our American past.
The book tells the story of the Depression and the community known as “Skid Row.”
The book explains the need for, and the peopling of, the famous Bowery and talks at length about the political processes related to Skid Row and how the American people felt about the area. Starting in the late 1800s, the Skid Row area of Los Angeles had perhaps 10,000 poor homeless residents (Skid Row, Los Angeles - Wikipedia).
Feeling most of the poor living in Skid Row did not deserve much help, Americans assigned a great deal of stigma and shame to those who had bad luck and wound up there.
It is essential especially for young persons to read this book now, after both the New Great Depression and the complicated economy of the COVID-19 days, to see how poorly their fellow citizens were treated in the last century. Seeing what went on almost 100 years ago might help some younger Americans to embrace a more humane approach to thinking of the poor and take on some of the problems facing those currently living in poverty in our nation.
Skid Row – and other urban centers of poverty, community, and survival – were often thought of by outsiders as the locations of bad luck and giving up. The rich (or at least the comfortable) did not go to Skid Row, did not dwell on it, and certainly did not care much about it or its residents.
That having been said, there were in fact many good programs to assist the poor and many very devoted advocates to aiding them in their need. Great ideas did emerge and hard-working individuals did in fact step forward. Some people were able to see past the stigma of poverty and “roll up their sleeves” to do something rather than just judge others…
The book is helpful for telling us about human nature, and it is a good source for educating also.
Teachers of history, social studies, and English can use this book in three different ways: 1) as background reading on events, persons, laws, and social programs related to the Depression; 2) as a basis for helping students to compare and contrast the treatment of poor Americans 100 years ago with current times; and 3) as a reference book to assist in the development of units and lessons specifically about poverty, bills, laws, government, social interaction, psychology, alcoholism, religion, small-group behavior, crime, and profiling.
“Vagrants” could be arrested for standing around, doing nothing. Poor people today in urban areas are still often harassed or arrested by police officers because some Americans assume the Homeless will commit a crime of some sort, it being part of their list of hobbies.
Not giving all the content away, I have to say I enjoyed reading the book because I got some in-depth understanding of Skid Row and profiles of some of the people who lived there. Before this, I had never been aware of how the communities, residents, social service providers, landlords, politicians, and he American public had a very complex existence. This book was an eye-opener in terms of how badly this nation responded to the needs of those in Skid Row.
That having been said, the flop houses, bars, brothels, and programs did provide some relief to the Skid Row residents. A review of the social programs related to religion, alcoholism, and unemployment is interesting in light of the current poor economy and lack of opportunity we are experiencing as a people.
I recommend the book be read by social workers as a reminder of the power of perseverance and the value of networking. In some very bleak and impossible cases, people actually survived and many flourished. People helping at the “street level” like always had great impact on a daily basis.
I recommend the book be read by all educators, especially by teachers of history and social studies. The three uses possible above are just a beginning to how the book can inform us.
I recommend the book be read by students in other areas. Young persons (and older too) who are lucky enough to have the great privilege of attending a college or university and getting credit for reading books should choose this one… should use this one as the start of research projects and paper. What a wealthy country where some people are lucky enough to read books, discuss them, learn from them, agree and disagree with them, and tell others about them.
All this wealth and some people are still starving. There are many questions so essential to consider. What have we as a nation learned since the Depression?
…How are we serving people better? How are we providing more opportunities for our citizens to access food and housing? How are we helping Americans to excel? Is there such a thing as the American Dream anymore for the great majority of the citizens?
It is interesting to wonder whether only the richest Americans—or the luckiest—will survive the current complicated economic conditions, the post New Great Depression and the post COVID-19 days.
For further reading:
“Down, Out, and Under Arrest: Policing and Everyday Life in Skid Row,” by Forrest Stuart, 2018. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
“Economics in the Age of COVID-19,” by Joshua Gans. Cambridge, MA: MIT. Digital online source: Economics in the Age of COVID-19 (mit.edu)
“The Incredible Stories of Skid Row: From Homeless to Hopeful in the City of Angels,” by Christopher Kai, 2011. NL: KGL Publishing. This includes a great portrait of the Union Rescue Mission—the largest such organization of its kind in the nation.
“The Political Economy of COVID-19: Covid-19, Inequality and Government Response,” edited by Jonathan Michie and Laura Sheehan, 2022. London: Routledge.
“The Return of Depression Economics and the Crisis of 2008,” by Paul Krugman, 2008. New York City: W. W. Norton.
“Skid Row, Los Angeles,” Skid Row, Los Angeles - Wikipedia