A Roof Over My Head
Homeless Women and the Shelter Industry
by Jean Calterone Williams
"...absolutely compelling and convincing...It deserves to be read at all levels of society - from the grass roots to the highest levels of policy-making. It might even make a difference in the ways American society views and treats some of its most vulnerable citizens."
- Ruth Sidel, author of Keeping Women and Children Last: The Plight of Poor Women in Affluent America
Based upon extensive ethnographic data, "A Roof Over My Head" examines the lives of homeless women who often care for children and live in small shelters and transitional living centers. Previous literature on homelessness has focused on those living literally on the streets or in large armory-style shelters. As William maintains, such studies often overlook those homeless women - many with children - who live in small shelters and transitional living centers.
The author draws upon interviews with homeless women, interviews with housed people, and, finally, evaluations of shelter services, philosophies, and policies to get at the causes and social construction of homelessness. "A Roof Over My Head" is a ground-breaking study that unveils the centrality of abuse and poverty in homeless women's lives and outlines ways in which societal responses can and should be more effective.
