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Clear, well-written, and well-researched. If you are going to debate homelessness in New York, this is the neoconservative analysis with which you should argue. -Joel Blau,Stony Brook University [Main's] attention to detail and balanced judgment makes this a valuable history of social-policy research. -City Journal Government has wrestled with homelessness for decades, especially in New York. Thomas Main's book is the definitive account of that struggle. It is deeply researched, fluently written, and absolutely absorbing. It is also even-handed. Main questions the nostrums for social problems peddled by left and right, but he also rejects the view that government must inevitably fail. Rather, progress is possible-if we persevere. There are answers-but not easy ones. As Max Weber said, politics is 'the strong and slow boring of hard boards.' -Lawrence M. Mead,author of The New Politics of Poverty Professor Main narrates a fascinating history of one of New York City's greatest social struggles of the last third of a century. It is compelling reading, filled with battles fought and lessons learned in moving a government and a society to a better place. -Robert Hayes,Founder, National and New York Coalitions for the Homeless and MacArthur Foundation Fellow Homelessness in New York City is one of the big stories of the last several decades as inequality returns to the U.S. Lots of people know the story, but usually only small pieces of it. Some people know the legal battles, and others know the funding streams; some scholars follow the aggregate numbers and others study particular interventions; many writers have told stories of individual trials and triumphs, and homeless people, too, have their own important versions of what happened to them. But we have all been handicapped because we could not understand fully how our pieces fit together into a larger picture; the context has always been a little foggy. No longer. Main has given us a definitive history of modern homelessness in New York City. This is the book you should start with to understand how we got where we are. -Brendan O'Flaherty,Columbia University This finely crafted study invites us to explore a double paradox: first, that policies addressing homelessness in New York City are legally and morally necessary, but politically and substantively difficult to impossible; and second, that relatively conservative mayoral administrations developed the nation's largest and best funded set of programs for weak, vulnerable, and marginal populations. It is a probing investigation of vexing policy challenges. -John Mollenkopf,Distinguished Professor, City University of New York Thomas Main has produced a well documented and comprehensive analysis of five mayors' efforts over more than thirty years to respond to the growing challenge of urban homelessness. Readers interested in issues of big cities and the policy process that drives politicians actions will learn much from this book. -Charles Brecher,New York University

Clear, well-written, and well-researched. If you are going to debate homelessness in New York, this is the neoconservative analysis with which you should argue. -Joel Blau,Stony Brook University Government has wrestled with homelessness for decades, especially in New York. Thomas Main's book is the definitive account of that struggle. It is deeply researched, fluently written, and absolutely absorbing. It is also even-handed. Main questions the nostrums for social problems peddled by left and right, but he also rejects the view that government must inevitably fail. Rather, progress is possible-if we persevere. There are answers-but not easy ones. As Max Weber said, politics is 'the strong and slow boring of hard boards.' -Lawrence M. Mead,author of The New Politics of Poverty [Main's] attention to detail and balanced judgment makes this a valuable history of social-policy research. -City Journal Homelessness in New York City is one of the big stories of the last several decades as inequality returns to the U.S. Lots of people know the story, but usually only small pieces of it. Some people know the legal battles, and others know the funding streams; some scholars follow the aggregate numbers and others study particular interventions; many writers have told stories of individual trials and triumphs, and homeless people, too, have their own important versions of what happened to them. But we have all been handicapped because we could not understand fully how our pieces fit together into a larger picture; the context has always been a little foggy. No longer. Main has given us a definitive history of modern homelessness in New York City. This is the book you should start with to understand how we got where we are. -Brendan O'Flaherty,Columbia University Professor Main narrates a fascinating history of one of New York City's greatest social struggles of the last third of a century. It is compelling reading, filled with battles fought and lessons learned in moving a government and a society to a better place. -Robert Hayes,Founder, National and New York Coalitions for the Homeless and MacArthur Foundation Fellow This finely crafted study invites us to explore a double paradox: first, that policies addressing homelessness in New York City are legally and morally necessary, but politically and substantively difficult to impossible; and second, that relatively conservative mayoral administrations developed the nation's largest and best funded set of programs for weak, vulnerable, and marginal populations. It is a probing investigation of vexing policy challenges. -John Mollenkopf,Distinguished Professor, City University of New York Main's account of key developments in homelessness policy in New York City is meticulously researched, highly detailed, and worthy of praise. The book makes extensive and effective use of interviews that the author conducted with a wide range of policy actors past and present . . . a compelling history of what has been done to date and how we got where we are. -European Journal of Homelessness Thomas Main has produced a well documented and comprehensive analysis of five mayors' efforts over more than thirty years to respond to the growing challenge of urban homelessness. Readers interested in issues of big cities and the policy process that drives politicians actions will learn much from this book. -Charles Brecher,New York University

Thomas J. Main...delivers a comprehensive history of New York's ongoing efforts to address [the problem of homelessness]...A detailed, carefully nuanced, and balanced account that brings the issue's convoluted history to life in a way that elucidates the city's ambitious but ultimately unsuccessful efforts to solve this seemingly insoluble problem. -Political Science Quarterly Homelessness in New York City is one of the big stories of the last several decades as inequality returns to the U.S. Lots of people know the story, but usually only small pieces of it. Some people know the legal battles, and others know the funding streams; some scholars follow the aggregate numbers and others study particular interventions; many writers have told stories of individual trials and triumphs, and homeless people, too, have their own important versions of what happened to them. But we have all been handicapped because we could not understand fully how our pieces fit together into a larger picture; the context has always been a little foggy. No longer. Main has given us a definitive history of modern homelessness in New York City. This is the book you should start with to understand how we got where we are. -Brendan O'Flaherty,Columbia University Professor Main narrates a fascinating history of one of New York City's greatest social struggles of the last third of a century. It is compelling reading, filled with battles fought and lessons learned in moving a government and a society to a better place. -Robert Hayes,Founder, National and New York Coalitions for the Homeless and MacArthur Foundation Fellow An invaluable resource to scholars studying contemporary homelessness and urban policy. Main provides an in-depth narrative of important moments of policymaking, showing the significant cumulative impact of seemingly minute events. -Gotham Center Thomas Main has produced a well documented and comprehensive analysis of five mayors' efforts over more than thirty years to respond to the growing challenge of urban homelessness. Readers interested in issues of big cities and the policy process that drives politicians actions will learn much from this book. -Charles Brecher,New York University An accessible and diligently researched account, drawing on a wide range of . . . sources and interviews with key politicians, public officials, homeless advocates, service providers and researchers. -Tom Baker,International Journal of Urban and Regional Research Clear, well-written, and well-researched. If you are going to debate homelessness in New York, this is the neoconservative analysis with which you should argue. -Joel Blau,Stony Brook University Historians of public policy and urban politics in particular will appreciate this glimpse into the inner workings of how experts, activists, and public officials attempted to address the problem of homelessness in the nation's largest city. This book will also be useful in undergraduate and graduate courses on policy history, urban history, and recent U.S. history. -Journal of American History Government has wrestled with homelessness for decades, especially in New York. Thomas Main's book is the definitive account of that struggle. It is deeply researched, fluently written, and absolutely absorbing. It is also even-handed. Main questions the nostrums for social problems peddled by left and right, but he also rejects the view that government must inevitably fail. Rather, progress is possible-if we persevere. There are answers-but not easy ones. As Max Weber said, politics is 'the strong and slow boring of hard boards.' -Lawrence M. Mead,author of The New Politics of Poverty [Main's] attention to detail and balanced judgment makes this a valuable history of social-policy research. -City Journal A must-read for anyone seeking to understand the challenges of homeless policy in urban America. -Choice This finely crafted study invites us to explore a double paradox: first, that policies addressing homelessness in New York City are legally and morally necessary, but politically and substantively difficult to impossible; and second, that relatively conservative mayoral administrations developed the nation's largest and best funded set of programs for weak, vulnerable, and marginal populations. It is a probing investigation of vexing policy challenges. -John Mollenkopf,Distinguished Professor, City University of New York Main's account of key developments in homelessness policy in New York City is meticulously researched, highly detailed, and worthy of praise. The book makes extensive and effective use of interviews that the author conducted with a wide range of policy actors past and present . . . a compelling history of what has been done to date and how we got where we are. -European Journal of Homelessness A must-read . . . a ray of hope as we consider the current political climate. -Journal of Urban Affairs

Thomas Main has produced a well documented and comprehensive analysis of five mayors' efforts over more than thirty years to respond to the growing challenge of urban homelessness. Readers interested in issues of big cities and the policy process that drives politicians actions will learn much from this book. -Charles Brecher,New York University This finely crafted study invites us to explore a double paradox: first, that policies addressing homelessness in New York City are legally and morally necessary, but politically and substantively difficult to impossible; and second, that relatively conservative mayoral administrations developed the nation's largest and best funded set of programs for weak, vulnerable, and marginal populations. It is a probing investigation of vexing policy challenges. -John Mollenkopf,Distinguished Professor, City University of New York Homelessness in New York City is one of the big stories of the last several decades as inequality returns to the U.S. Lots of people know the story, but usually only small pieces of it. Some people know the legal battles, and others know the funding streams; some scholars follow the aggregate numbers and others study particular interventions; many writers have told stories of individual trials and triumphs, and homeless people, too, have their own important versions of what happened to them. But we have all been handicapped because we could not understand fully how our pieces fit together into a larger picture; the context has always been a little foggy. No longer. Main has given us a definitive history of modern homelessness in New York City. This is the book you should start with to understand how we got where we are. -Brendan O'Flaherty,Columbia University Professor Main narrates a fascinating history of one of New York City's greatest social struggles of the last third of a century. It is compelling reading, filled with battles fought and lessons learned in moving a government and a society to a better place. -Robert Hayes,Founder, National and New York Coalitions for the Homeless and MacArthur Foundation Fellow Government has wrestled with homelessness for decades, especially in New York. Thomas Main's book is the definitive account of that struggle. It is deeply researched, fluently written, and absolutely absorbing. It is also even-handed. Main questions the nostrums for social problems peddled by left and right, but he also rejects the view that government must inevitably fail. Rather, progress is possible-if we persevere. There are answers-but not easy ones. As Max Weber said, politics is 'the strong and slow boring of hard boards.' -Lawrence M. Mead,author of The New Politics of Poverty [Main's] attention to detail and balanced judgment makes this a valuable history of social-policy research. -City Journal Clear, well-written, and well-researched. If you are going to debate homelessness in New York, this is the neoconservative analysis with which you should argue. -Joel Blau,Stony Brook University

[Main's] attention to detail and balanced judgment makes this a valuable history of social-policy research. -City Journal

Author Information

Thomas J. Main is Professor at the School of Public Affairs, Baruch College, City University of New York and the author of Homelessness in New York City: Policymaking from Koch to de Blasio.

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