Homelessness: How To End The National Crisis

by Jack Layton

Barely two decades ago the world's experts in housing policy were giving Canada high marks for its progressive housing policies. Until recently, our own common understanding of homelessness had been limited to occasional wanderers, eccentrics, boozers or addicts. Yet, as a new century dawns, homelessness as we recognize it has changed and grown, offering painful reminders of the soup-kitchen lineups of the depression era. Homelessness is a rapidly growing social problem. Measured in terms of displaced persons, the dimensions of the crisis rival those found during natural disasters such as the Quebec and Manitoba floods, or the great ice storm of '98. Today's homelessness in Canadian communities represents a relatively new phenomenon, difficult to comprehend in this land and time of plenty. How did this happen? How did we get here? What can be done to solve it? Jack Layton, one of this country's leading experts and outspoken activists on housing issues, addresses the crisis from its roots, in order not only to understand the problem, but to find workable solutions. With a stunning combination of rigorous research and compelling personal anecdote, and trenchant and timely analysis from such wide-ranging sources as social scientists, housing economists, mayors, journalists, clergy and the homeless themselves, Homelessness offers insight, perspective and proactive solutions to a seemingly intractable crisis.

272 pages, Paperback

First published December 28, 2000

About the author

Canadian leader of the New Democrats,the NDP, a social democratic party in Canada, born on July 18th of 1950. He was the author of two books including Speaking Out Louder: Ideas That Work for Canadians and Homelessness: The Making and Unmaking of a Crisis.Member of the Canadian Parliament for Toronto-Durham until his death. Graduating of McGill University in 1970 with Honours BA in political science.
He died on August 22 2011, 61 years old, after suffering from an undisclosed type of cancer.

After his death, his wife put out his letter that he wrote to all Canadians after his death, which inspired many to continue his legacy.

Reviews

[J. Tayler Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since moving to a large city, I find myself confronted by the pains of homelessness on a regular basis. So, a number of months ago, I began a research project on the subject of homelessness in Canada - Layton and Shapcott’s book was a resource I came across and I decided to read it as part of my research. It is important to note that the copy I read was a digital revised edition that was published in 2008, eight years after the original publication.

In Homelessness, Layton (former leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party (“NDP”)) and Shapcott explain Canada’s homelessness crisis, describe how the crisis developed, and they recommend several solutions that every day people and political leaders may implement to address the issue. Most prominently Layton and Shapcott make a connection between homelessness, poverty, and a lack of affordable housing in the country. By the end of Homelessness, Layton and Shapcott’s main solution is for the federal government to redevelop a comprehensive affordable-housing plan. However, progress was made in this regard since the publication of this book in 2008. Specifically, Canada developed a National Housing Strategy in 2017 that attempts to put some of Layton and Shapcott’s recommendations into practice (Layton and Shapcott were likely one among many voices advocating for such a strategy).What this means, unfortunately, is that Layton and Shapcott’s book now has little to offer on the subject of addressing Canadian homelessness. Despite the way in which Homelessness describes some very decrepit situations, it remains decent and avoids being gratuitous. This sort of treatment is what I expect from a book of this nature, and I appreciate how it focuses on the main issue. Those without a house are described by Layton and Shapcott in a way that emphasises their humanity, which assists in developing a sense of empathy within its readers.

Homelessness is accurate and utilises verifiable facts to prove the authors’ points. However, an issue that comes with reading a book over ten years after its publication is that many of its facts are outdated and several suggestions are no longer applicable. The book stands out as a significant achievement in summarising the NDP perspective on housing and homeless in 2008. Additionally, the mix of verifiable facts and personal anecdotes by the authors shows that a high degree of careful thought and effort were poured into the book. Homelessness emphasises the inherent value of humanity and the need for Canadian citizens and policymakers to actively participate in alleviating the poverty that strikes our fellow citizens. Homelessness is also successful in promoting the ideas of integrity and justice. The authors emphasise the lack of justice in Canada’s approach to homelessness in 2008, and they highlight the need for Canadian values to better align with the world’s positive perception of Canada.

While I appreciate the contributions Layton and Shapcott made to Canadian politics, I cannot say I found their book something I would actively recommend. My main concern is the book is outdated and I do not think it was written well enough to make it something worth reading for the sake of reading. There are better books about homelessness in Canada that make for better reading. One that comes to mind is A Complex Exile by Erin Dej - more Canadians need to read this book. This book is weakest in the authors’ writing style and prose. Layton and Shapcott take far too many words to make their point, and they repeat the same handful of ideas over and over. Additionally, I found the chapter headings were essentially meaningless; hardly any chapter was fully dedicated to the topic on which it claimed to focus. The book is good but it is not good enough to make a lasting impression. What made Homelessness less likeable was the challenge in reading it. It was not challenging in an academic sense; instead, it was challenging because it lacked organisation.

The book is strongest in how it focuses on the topic of homelessness and addresses those in poverty as complete human beings. Layton and Shapcott make the issues surrounding homelessness clear, and they call readers and policymakers to action by making a connection between wanting to do what is right and taking action. However, the book is weak in its presentation, which is likely why it is not considered by those who research and study the topic of homelessness in Canada. While I personally think reading this book was worth my time, others would be better served reading newer on the subject written by more skilled writers.

[James Adair · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit out dated, but the fact that it’s still relevant makes it an important text in the Canadian housing conversation