Roofless

Roofless critically examines homelessness and responses to it in the United States through the growing practice of forming tent camps. Karen A. Snedker and Jennifer McKinney position Seattle’s “Tent City 3,” (the US city with the third-largest homeless population), as an organizational model for other local governments to consider implementing in addressing their homelessness crises. Snedker and McKinney document this tent city’s development through a census they conducted from 2019 to 2020, though the efforts behind Tent City 3 have a history dating back two decades. Through such an examination, the authors reveal surprising points of view and outcomes, including grassroots partnerships between city agencies, nonprofits, religious organizations, and educational institutions. In the context of rising homelessness in the US, understanding and having insight into the residents’ experience of sanctioned unsheltered homelessness, compared to instances of unsanctioned encampments, allows readers to acquire a complete, nuanced picture of tent-based homelessness. As such, Roofless provides valuable insight to audiences ranging from scholars of sociology and social work, policymakers, homelessness advocates, and politicians.