Social Work Commons^™

Inabel Burns Lindsay: Social Work Pioneer Contributor To Practice And Education Through A Socio-Cultural Perspective, Annie Woodley Brown, Ruby Morton Gourdine, Sandra Edmonds Crewe

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Dr. Inabel Burns Lindsay (1900-1983), founding dean of the Howard University School of Social Work, was an early proponent for the consideration of race and culture in social work education and practice with racial and ethnic minorities. Using primary and secondary data sources, the authors trace the evolution of Dr. Lindsay's thinking on the role of race, class, gender and ethnicity in the helping process and finally her development of a socio-cultural perspective. Particular attention is given to her persistent efforts to disseminate this information and incorporate it into the curriculum of the Howard University School of Social Work decades …

Surviving The Early Years Of The Personal Responsibility And Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, Joyce Bialik

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A system that increasingly stigmatized its recipients only became more stigmatizing with the enactment in 1996 of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) program. This program has been so successful in deterring cashneedy people from applying for assistance that the decline in participation from the start of the program continues-even in times of economic downturn. The study reported here follows 150 impoverished families during the first three years of PRWORA, when the economy was booming. The data were derived from the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project of 1996-2001. Through this secondary analysis a construct was …

Review Of The Uses Of Pessimism: A Review Essay. The Uses Of Pessimism And The Danger Of False Hope. Roger Scruton. Reviewed By Paul Adams., Paul Adams

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The Uses of Pessimism: A Review Essay Scruton, R. (2010). The Uses of Pessimism and the Danger of False Hope. New York: Oxford University Press, $29.95 (hardcover).

Review Of A Dream Deferred: How Social Work Lost Its Way And What Can Be Done. David Stoesz, Howard Jacob Karger, And Terry Carrilio. Reviewed By Michael Reisch., Michael Reisch

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of David Stoesz, Howard Jacob Karger, and Terry Carrilio, A Dream Deferred: How Social Work Lost its Way and What Can Be Done (2010), New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers. $39.95 (hardcover).

Review Of The New Jim Crow In The Age Of Colorblindness. Michelle Alexander. Reviewed By Marguerite G. Rosenthal., Marguerite G. Rosenthal

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Michelle Alexander, The New Jim Crow in the Age of Colorblindness (2010). New York & London: The New Press. $27.95 (hardcover).

Review Of Myth Of The Social Volcano: Perceptions Of Inequality And Distributive Injustice In Contemporary China. Martin King Whyte. Reviewed By Richard Levy., Richard Levy

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Martin King Whyte, Myth of the Social Volcano: Perceptions of Inequality and Distributive Injustice in Contemporary China. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, (2010). $27.95 (paperback).

The Role Of Evaluations In Community Foundations, Brad R. Watts

Dissertations

Each year, U.S. community foundations are responsible for billions of dollars in philanthropy, yet the outcomes associated with these efforts often remain unknown. Previous research supports the importance of evaluating philanthropic activities and shows that community foundations express a strong interest in evaluation; however, the limited available evidence suggests that evaluation practice is still not widespread.

This study reports the findings from a national survey of community foundations on evaluation practice. The findings indicate that a substantial share of community foundations do not formally evaluate the outcomes of their philanthropic work. Additionally, although previous research has suggested that community foundation …

Clinical Social Work And The Biomedical Industrial Complex, Tomi Gomory, Stephen E. Wong, David Cohen, Jeffrey R. Lacasse

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article examines how the biomedical industrial complex has ensnared social work within a foreign conceptual and practice model that distracts clinical social workers from the special assistance that they can provide for people with mental distress and misbehavior. We discuss: (1) social work's assimilation of psychiatric perspectives and practices during its pursuit of professional status; (2) the persistence of psychiatric hospitalization despite its coercive methods, high cost, and doubtful efficacy; (3) the increasing reliance on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, despite its widely acknowledged scientific frailty; and (4) the questionable contributions of psychoactive drugs to clinical …

Living With Bipolar Disorder: A Qualitative Investigation, Richard P. Freedberg

Dissertations

The specific aims of this study were to gain a broader understanding of the lived experience of adults with bipolar disorder and to explore how people diagnosed with bipolar disorder used cognitively, affectively, and spiritually oriented strategies to cope with life stressors and circumstances. The cognitive domain in this investigation was defined as those activities related to how one knows, thinks, or perceives phenomena in a way distinct from emotion. The affective domain referred to the feelings and emotions associated with phenomena that are distinct from cognitive reasoning or knowledge. The spiritual domain was defined as values, attitudes, and beliefs …

An Examination Of Post-Secondary Education Access, Retentionand Success Of Foster Care Youth, Angelique Day

Dissertations

Changes in the U.S. economy have made the attainment of a higher education credential more important than ever to ensure self-sufficiency. Therefore, it is critical that the child welfare, K-12, and higher education systems encourage and support the postsecondary educational aspirations of court wards. When the state makes the decision to remove a child from his/her biological home, it bears the responsibility to provide the educational guidance as well as assistance otherwise provided by families during the transition from high school to college.

This dissertation explores the educational outcomes of older youth in care by first looking at the perceptions …

Reluctant To Report: The Mandated Reporting Practices Of Child Care Providers, Aileen Mckenna

Dissertations

Child care providers spend far more time with children under age 3, the most likely to suffer severe and fatal abuse and neglect, than any other mandated reporter. Their close relationship with both the child and the family places them in a unique position to observe signs and suspicions of abuse or neglect and to make timely reports to Child Protective Services (CPS). Yet despite this, child care providers rank last among mandated reporters in both reporting suspicions of abuse and neglect and in actual substantiated reports. Only a handful of studies have looked specifically at the decision-making practices of …

Out Of The Frying Pan, Into The Fire: Trauma In The Lives Of Homeless Youth Prior To And During Homelessness, John Coates, Sue Mckenzie-Mohr

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Anecdotal evidence from those who work with homeless youth indicates that trauma permeates these young people's lives. This paper presents the findings from a study of 100 homeless youth regarding the presence of trauma in their lives, both before and during homelessness. Participants living in the Maritime Provinces volunteered to take part in a semi-structured interview lasting one to two hours. The interview questionnaire was conducted by a trained interviewer, and was composed of standardized and adapted survey instruments, as well as questions regarding demographics, experiences prior to becoming homeless, assistance received while dealing with stressors, and current needs. The …

Review Of Formal And Informal Work: The Hidden Work Regime In Europe. Birgit Pfau-Effinger, Lluis Flaquer And Per H. Jensen, Eds. Reviewed By James Midgley., James Midgley

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Birgit Pfau-Effinger, Lluis Flaquer and Per H. Jensen, Eds., Formal and Informal Work: The Hidden Work Regime in Europe. New York: Routledge, 2009. $105.00 hardcover.

Review Of The People Shall Rule: Acorn, Community Organizing, And The Struggle For Economic Justice. Robert Fisher, Ed. Reviewed By Elizabeth Beck., Elizabeth Beck

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Robert Fisher, Ed., The People Shall Rule: ACORN, Community Organizing, and the Struggle for Economic Justice. Nashville, TN: Vanderbilt University Press, 2009. $69.95 hardcover, $27.95 paperback.

Representations Of Homelessness In Four Canadian Newspapers: Regulation, Control, And Social Order, Barbara Schneider, Kerry Chamberlain, Darrin Hodgetts

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article reports on a content analysis of homelessness representations in four Canadian newspapers: two city broadsheets, one city tabloid, and one national newspaper. Clear differences between the papers emerged showing that in general coverage of homelessness in Calgary was much more positive than coverage in Vancouver. It conveyed a stronger sense of crisis or urgency and a stronger sense of optimism that the problem should and can be solved. Experts dominate public discourse about homelessness, with people who experience homelessness themselves marginalized as speakers. Despite these differences, the four papers present a unified narrative of homelessness in which readers …

Review Of The Idea Of Justice. Amartia Sen. Reviewed By David G. Gil, David G. Gil

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Amartia Sen, The Idea of Justice. Harvard University Press, 2009. 468 pages, $29.95 hardcover.

The Economics Of Being Young And Poor: How Homeless Youth Survive In Neo-Liberal Times, Jeff Karabanow, Jean Hughes, Jann Ticknor, Sean Kidd, Dorothy Patterson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Based upon in-depth interviews with 34 youth in Halifax and seven service providers in St. John's, Montreal, Hamilton, Toronto, Winnipeg, and Calgary, the findings of this study suggest that labor occurs within a particular street context and street culture. Formal and informal work can be inter-related, and despite the hardships they experience, young people who are homeless or who are at-risk of homelessness can respond to their circumstances with ingenuity, resilience and hope. Often street-involved and homeless young people are straddling formal and informal work economies while mediating layers of external and internal motivations and tensions. The reality is that …

Housing For People With Serious Mental Illness: Approaches, Evidence, And Transformative Change, Geoffrey Nelson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The evolution of housing approaches for people with serious mental illness is described and analyzed. A distinction is made between three different approaches to housing: (a) custodial, (b) supportive, and (c) supported. Research evidence is reviewed that suggests the promise of supported housing, but more research is needed that compares supported housing with different supportive housing approaches. It is argued that the current move to a supported housing approach represents a fundamental shift or transformative change in mental health policy and practice. Strategies to facilitate this shift are discussed.

Review Of Needed By Nobody: Homelessness And Humanness In Post-Socialist Russia. Tova Hojdestrand. Reviewed By Sviatlana Smashnaya., Sviatlana Smashnaya

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Tova Hojdestrand, Needed by Nobody: Homelessness and Humanness in Post-Socialist Russia. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2009. $59.95 hardcover, $22.95 paperback.

Review Of The War On Welfare: Family, Poverty, And Politics In Modern America. Marisa Chappell. Reviewed By John M. Herrick., John M. Herrick

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Marisa Chappell, The War on Welfare: Family, Poverty, and Politics in Modern America. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2010. $45.00 hardcover.

Review Of Work-Life Policies. Ann C. Crouter And Alan Booth, Eds. Reviewed By Marguerite G. Rosenthal., Marguerite G. Rosenthal

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Ann C. Crouter and Alan Booth, Eds., Work-Life Policies. Washington, D.C.: The Urban Institute Press, 2009. $32.50, paperback.

Review Of 'Til Death Or Distance Do Us Part: Love And Marriage In African America. Frances Smith Foster. Reviewed By Shannon Butler-Mokoro., Shannon Butler-Mokoro

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Frances Smith Foster, 'Til Death or Distance Do Us Part: Love and Marriage in African America. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010. $21.95 hardcover.

Introduction To The Special Issue: Homelessness In Canada, John R. Graham, Jeannette Waegemakers Schiff

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In February 2009, over 700 people gathered for more than three-days at 'Growing Home,' Canada's second national conference on housing and homelessness (www.nhc2009. ca) to explore causes and solutions to this urgent problem. Conference delegates included those who are experiencing or have experienced homelessness, their families, policy analysts, political activists, politicians, professionals, scholars, those in the affordable housing community, and concerned citizens generally. Over 140 academic papers and workshops were delivered by the country's leading researchers and homelessness- serving practitioners.

Perspectives Of Employed People Experiencing Homelessness Of Self And Being Homeless: Challenging Socially Constructed Perceptions And Stereotypes, Micheal L. Shier, Marion E. Jones, John R. Graham

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In a study that sought to identify the multiple factors resulting in homelessness from the perspective of 65 individuals in Calgary, Alberta, Canada who were both employed and homeless, we found that participants' perceptions of being homeless emerged as a major theme which impacts their entry to and exit from homelessness. Four sub-themes related to these perceptions were identified: (1) perceptions of self and situation; (2) impact of being homeless on self-reflection; (3) aspects of hope to consider; and (4) perspectives on having a permanent residence. Analytically, these findings help challenge present stereotypes about homelessness and usefully inform social service …

The Limits Of Social Capital: An Examination Of Immigrants' Housing Challenges In Calgary, Alina Tanasescu, Alan Smart

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A common explanation of immigrants' under-representation among the homeless population in Canada is that kinship and community networks act as a buffer to absolute homelessness. There are indications that immigrant homelessness is, however, increasing, suggesting that the buffering capacity of social networks reaches a limit. Further, evidence of precarious housing situations indicates that we should approach this form of housing provision with some caution. This paper draws on a larger study of housing difficulties among immigrants in Calgary to address the ways in which social capital serves a buffering role, and under what conditions it loses its ability to prevent …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 37, No. 4 (December 2010)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

SPECIAL ISSUE ON HOMELESSNESS IN CANADA

• INTRODUCTION TO THE SPECIAL ISSUE: HOMELESSNESS IN CANADA - John R. Graham and Jeannette Waegemakers Schiff, Special Editors
• PERSPECTIVES OF EMPLOYED PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS OF SELF AND BEING HOMELESS: CHALLENGING SOCIALLY CONSTRUCTED PERCEPTIONS AND STEREOTYPES - Micheal L. Shier, Marion E. Jones, and John R. Graham
• THE ECONOMICS OF BEING YOUNG AND POOR: HOW HOMELESS YOUTH SURVIVE IN NEOLIBERAL TIMES - Jeff Karabanow, Jean Hughes, Jann Ticknor, Sean Kidd, and Dorothy Patterson
• OUT OF THE FRYING PAN, INTO THE FIRE: TRAUMA IN THE LIVES OF HOMELESS YOUTH PRIOR TO AND DURING HOMELESSNESS - John …

Progressive Housing Policy In The 21st Century: A Contrarian View, George Fallis

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

After years of cutbacks to housing programs in Canada, there has emerged a consensus that a progressive housing policy requires significant construction of new social housing units to address both the problems of housing affordability and homelessness. This paper argues that large scale social housing should not be the focus of progressive housing policy in the 21st century. We should use the progressive goals of the original welfare state, but we should modify the programs designed to meet these goals. The paper examines the income and personal insecurities faced by low-income households today, contrasting them with the insecurities faced in …

Review Of Freefall: America, Markets And The Sinking Of The World Economy. Joseph E. Stiglitz. Reviewed By Helen Lachs Ginsburg., Helen Lachs Ginsburg

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Joseph E. Stiglitz, Freefall: America, Markets and the Sinking of the World Economy. New York, N.Y.: W. W. Norton, 2010. $27.95 hardcover.

Review Of Race, Place, And Environmental Justice After Hurricane Katrina: Struggles To Reclaim, Rebuild, And Revitalize New Orleans And The Gulf Coast. Robert Bullard And Beverly Wright, Eds. Reviewed By Robert Forrant., Robert Forrant

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Robert Bullard & Beverly Wright, Eds., Race, Place, and Environmental Justice after Hurricane Katrina: Struggles to Reclaim, Rebuild, and Revitalize New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. Westview Press, 2009. $32.00 paperback.

Review Of The Housing Policy Revolution: Networks And Neighborhoods. David J. Erickson. Reviewed By Corianne P. Scally., Corianne P. Scally

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of David J. Erickson, The Housing Policy Revolution: Networks and Neighborhoods. Washington, D.C.: The Urban Institute Press, 2009. $29.50 paperback.