Lately, I’ve been reading Down and Out, on the Road. The book begins with an incredible data driven analysis of homelessness in America beginning before the formation of the U.S. The author, Kusmer, highlights how persistent the issue of homelessness is and tracks the public attitudes to it. Kusmer links much of the early homelessness to indentured servitude.

America was marketed as the land of infinite opportunity. Unlimited land and resources meant anyone could go and start anew. To finance their trips, many members of the lower-classes agreed to become indentured servants – working for a set time once they arrived. Citing diminishing upward-mobility after 1800, Kusmer highlights the high rate of homelessness and public assistance needed by previous indentured servants.

The attitudes and historical approaches to homeless populations was perhaps the most interesting part of the book. Kusmer argues that in the early part of American history, much of the public’s view of the homeless was informed by Protestantism. The emphasis on work-ethic lead people to have harsh views of the homeless. Although in some places, there was some form of public assistance, many areas had policies to drive the homeless out.

The lack of evolution in our ideas surrounding homelessness is shocking. Following the formation of the United States, the approaches to homelessness became very similar to what we see today. Large charitable organizations were setup to offer assistance to the poor. While some organizations gave indiscriminately, many delineated between the deserving and undeserving poor. The ideology of making homelessness uncomfortable as to encourage them to better themselves existed then and was in full swing. Through the decades, many saw that the issue did not improve, yet no national adjustment to our approach appeared. This is likely due, in part, to the idea that homelessness is an unsolvable issue. Kusmer identified a number of instances in which cities, officials, and citizens expressed this point of view.

For anyone looking for an in-depth, data driven overview of homelessness, how they were viewed by the public, and the assistance efforts, Kusmer’s Down and Out, on the Road is an excellent resource with a massive index of supporting data.