Includes bibliographical references (p. 194-199) and index.

Are poverty and homelessness serious problems? Poverty : an overview / Bernadette D. Proctor ; U.S. poverty rates are the highest in the developed world / Paul Harris ; Severe poverty is on the rise in America / Tony Pugh ; Homeless in America is a growing problem / Jim Romeo ; Youth homelessness is a serious problem / National Alliance to End Homelessness ; Poverty in the United States is not a big problem / Robert Rector, interviewed by Bill Steigerwald ; Poverty in the United States is usually short lived / George B. Weathersby ; Homelessness is declining / Kevin Fagan -- What causes poverty and homelessness? Racial discrimination contributes to the problem of poverty / Alan Jenkins ; The absence of fathers causes poverty / William Raspberry ; U.S. anti-immigrant policy increases poverty / Andres Oppenheimer ; Culture contributes to the cycle of poverty / Cathy Young ; Lack of support leads war veterans into poverty and homelessness / Saul Landau ; Homelessness is caused by poverty and a lack of affordable housing / National Coalition for the Homeless ; Homophobia is a cause of youth homelessness / Colby Berger -- Do government welfare programs help the poor? Welfare reform has helped people out of poverty / Michael Tanner ; Some welfare programs for the homeless are a good investment / Philip Mangano ; Welfare reform has increased poverty / Stephen Pimpare ; Welfare programs make poverty worse / David Boaz ; Welfare programs for the homeless exacerbate the problem / John Derbyshire -- What strategies would benefit the poor and the homeless? A variety of approaches are needed to cut poverty / The Center for American Progress ; Redefining the poverty level would help ease the problem of poverty / Douglas W. Nelson ; Raising the minimum wage is necessary to combat poverty / Holly Sklar and Paul Sherry ; Education is an important part of a strategy to combat poverty / Jared Bernstein ; Providing housing is the key to ending homelessness / Sam Tsemberis, interviewed by Meghann Farnsworth ; Criminalizing homelessness is ineffective and violates rights / National Coalition for the Homeless and National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty.