The next time someone asks you for money on the street, Josiah Haken wants you to know what you're doing. He wants you to break through the stereotypes and excuses - the politics and propaganda - the anxiety and questions. He wants you to engage the human being in front of you with confidence, compassion, and a plan. Neighbors with No Doors is your guide to getting there. With over a decade of experience in homeless outreach, Haken contradicts popular falsehoods about the unhoused community and offers helpful, pragmatic steps to becoming a friend and an advocate. Along the way, he tells disarming and profound stories from his time working on the street. At one point, his friend's young daughter learns for the first time that many folks refuse to speak with unhoused people. She asks a challenging question: "Don't people know they're people too?" This book is grounded in that simple, straight-forward sense of humanity, and it illuminates a clear path for all of us to become better neighbors.
Neighbors with No Doors: The Truth about Homelessness, and How You Can Make a Difference
The next time someone asks you for money on the street, Josiah Haken wants you to know what you're doing. He wants you to break through the stereotypes and excuses - the politics and propaganda - the anxiety and questions. He wants you to engage the human being in front of you with confidence, compassion, and a plan. Neighbors with No Doors is your guide to getting there. With over a decade of experience in homeless outreach, Haken contradicts popular falsehoods about the unhoused community and offers helpful, pragmatic steps to becoming a friend and an advocate. Along the way, he tells disarming and profound stories from his time working on the street. At one point, his friend's young daughter learns for the first time that many folks refuse to speak with unhoused people. She asks a challenging question: "Don't people know they're people too?" This book is grounded in that simple, straight-forward sense of humanity, and it illuminates a clear path for all of us to become better neighbors.