Housing the homeless and poor : new partnerships among the private, public, and third sectors /

The essays in this collection were written for a conference on housing and homelessness in Canada sponsored by the Canadian Real Estate Association and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, an agency of the national government. The book offers a broad examination of postwar Canadian housing policy and a summary of the conditions that have led to homelessness. This general review is balanced and well written. The authors analyze changes in housing policy and markets in terms of larger transformations in the urban political economy and in welfare state policies. Given the book's sponsorship, it is not surprising that several chapters emphasize the important role of private firms and nonprofit organizations in meeting the needs of the homeless. These sections are largely descriptive accounts of activities in some cities and provinces: there is not enough evidence for more systematic assessment of entrepreneurial and nonprofit programs. The collection offers a useful, if not especially critical, overview of Canadian housing issues after several years of a conservative government. It will be of interest to both US and Canadian readers. Upper-division undergraduates and above. R. M. Rakoff Hampshire College