Tom Allen

Simon Fraser University

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  • Someone To Talk To

    Care and Control of the Homeless

    By Tom Allen     January 2000

    Someone To Talk To is an empassioned account of life on the mean streets of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Homeless and near-homeless persons recount in agonizing detail their experiences of living on the edge in a large Canadian city. They chronicle the grim spirals of poverty, marginalization and despair that propelled them out of their homes, onto the streets and into the ambit of shelters like Triage Emergency Services. Allen analyzes how state policies contribute more to the continuation of homelessness than its eradication.