Beyond Homeless

“Beyond Homeless is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the truth of why cities created incentives, and removed consequences, for some of society’s most vulnerable mentally ill people to suffer and die on the streets.” – Michael Shellenberger, bestselling author of San Fransicko“Beyond Homeless should demonstrate to those few remaining doubters that America cannot tackle homelessness without confronting pervasive substance abuse and untreated mental illness. Although housing will always be part of the solution, this book shows how the current ‘Housing First’ model neglects the real root causes of chronic homelessness and encourages more irresponsibility and substance abuse. With an impressive array of scholars and data, Beyond Homeless should be essential reading for those curious about how to change course on homelessness.” – Judge Glock, director of research and senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute; contributing editor of City Journal“I have learned a great deal by watching Mary Theroux through the years, and I highly recommend this excellent evidence-based and -filled book.” – Andrew J. Bales, executive director of Children & Family Urban Movement“A must-read for everyone frustrated by America’s homelessness crisis. Solutions exist, and Beyond Homeless lays out the blueprint for communities to implement. What are we waiting for?” – Ellen Grantz, cofounder of Mothers Against Drug Addiction and Deaths“Beyond Homeless reveals that the humanitarian crisis of homelessness, rooted in well-meaning but outdated policies, is solvable. Blending research, innovation, and stories of lives changed, it presents a clear, data-driven roadmap demonstrating that with the right focus, we can ensure everyone has a place to call home.” – Elizabeth Funk, founder and CEO, DignityMoves“The title of Beyond Homeless: Good Intentions, Bad Outcomes, Transformative Solutions gives away the plot, but it’s a good one. The authors show how the ‘Housing First’ concept beloved by some urban planners ‘puts most critical needs last.’ Another slogan, ‘Harm Reduction,’ is also unrealistic. The authors offer bad news—we have ‘a homelessness-industrial complex’—along with some good news: programs called ‘transitional housing’ or ‘housing readiness’ work better than ‘Housing First.’ The book mentions but underplays groups that are most transformative by nudging the despairing toward faith in God.” – Marvin Olasky, Editor-in-Chief of Christianity Today and author of The Tragedy of American Compassion

Mary L. G. Theroux is Chairman of the Board of Directors, and Chief Executive Officer, of the Independent Institute. Having received her A.B. in economics from Stanford University, Ms. Theroux is Managing Director of Lightning Ventures, L.P., a San Francisco Bay Area investment firm, and Vice President of the C.S. Lewis Society of California. She is former Chairman and a life Member of the Advisory Board of the San Francisco Salvation Army and is the Chairman of the Alameda County Salvation Army. She served on the National Advisory Board of The Salvation Army from 2003-2022.

Lawrence J. McQuillan is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Center on Entrepreneurial Innovation at the Independent Institute. He received his Ph.D. in economics from George Mason University, and he has served as Chief Economist at the Illinois Policy Institute, Director of Business and Economic Studies at the Pacific Research Institute, Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution, and Founding Publisher and Contributing Editor of Economic Issues. He lives in Fremont, California.

Adam B. Summers is a former Research Fellow at the Independent Institute. He previously worked as an editorial writer and columnist at the Orange County Register and its ten sister newspapers in the Southern California News Group, and a Senior Policy Analyst at the Reason Foundation.

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