Homelessness is a major social problem facing America today, and while many may see it as an intractable problem, it is not clear that this is so. What is reburied first is a close analysis of the causes of homelessness and an understanding of the characteristics of the people who find themselves homeless. Jonathan Kozol offers an analysis of one family that faced this issue that points up some of the dynamics of the issue and that should be applicable to other situations and cases.

Kozol wrote the book Rachel and Her Children in 1988, and at that time the subject of homelessness was serious but was not yet a critical issue to all forms of government. Eight years later, in 1996, most functioning Americans and all government agencies are very aware of and concerned about the number of homeless…