Beyond Shelter

Presents the U.S. Report for Habitat II, the Second Global Conference on Human Settlements, held in Istanbul, Turkey in June 1996. The report discusses cities in America and the challenges of the nation's urban areas. Presents information reflecting strategies that can be adopted to strengthen America's cities in the 21st century. Included are profiles and highlights of successful urban programs already in existence -- Chattanooga, TN; Lindsborg, KS; Chicago; Brooklyn, NY; Detroit; Los Angeles; Newark, NJ, and more. The concluding section reflects the voice of urban America by summarizing local input from Habitat town meetings.

Providing shelter after a disaster is recognised as one of the most complex areas of humanitarian relief and recovery. Some aid agencies have stopped providing shelter altogether after bad experiences, while those that do quickly become engaged in challenges that go far beyond the provision of structures alone. Yet with the number and severity of disasters set to increase, due to climate change and rapid urban growth, the need for approaches that work has never been greater. This book explores the issues in three parts. The first, Practice, looks at lessons from past efforts. Part two, Process, proposes practical and effective people-centred approaches. Part three considers currently neglected issues such as disability, human rights and urban-oriented approaches. Through practical case studies and academic research, Beyond Shelter after Disaster critiques past methods and explores future options for improving practice in one of the most complex areas of post disaster relief and recovery. This book was originally published as a special issue in Environmental Hazards: Human and Policy Dimensions.

Newspapers, television and films cast homeless shelters as places of desperation, sadness and sickness. However, over the last 25 years, homeless shelters have changed dramatically. Shelters have become more professional and sophisticated in addressing homelessness in their communities. They now do much more than provide a bed and a meal for the night — they offer different methods of intervention, different types of services and different forms of connection to the communities they serve. This book offers essays by experienced shelter managers who address the future of the homeless shelter in Canada. This diverse collection also includes a chapter by Dr. Sam Tsemberis, the father of the successful Housing First Model. There are contributions by leaders in the homelessness field from across Canada, who have been at the forefront of developing unique services for women, youth, Indigenous people, and families. The days of shelters serving to merely warehouse homeless people out of sight and mind are being replaced by specialized approaches that are reducing homelessness in Canada. The contributors have years of experience understanding the causes of and solutions to homelessness and the role that shelters can play in achieving their ultimate goal — the elimination of all forms of homelessness in Canada.

Twenty-five reports from the field by leaders of architecture and engineering firms, non-profits, research centers, and international agencies, on disaster prevention and sustainable recovery efforts in urban and rural locales around the world.

Highlights the achievements of 24 programs, all National Excellence Awards winners, that demonstrate how local initiative can help link residents of distressed communities to America's economic and social mainstream. The background, approach, and impact of each of the programs is discussed, as well as details of the achievements of each, and information on program contacts. Also includes program summaries of 28 finalists in the National Excellence Awards that provide a brief synopsis of each project's approach in addressing community challenges. Illustrated.