His new book, Families Valued, suggests a significant shift in understanding. As families are valued and supported by the larger community, he argues, their individual values will strengthen. But today many are not valued. Troubled children and families both reflect and are consequences of an absence of community. It's a problem of the poor.
Real poverty is ugly.
The more money they get, the farther away from others they live. The lots just get bigger and bigger. Building, or rebuilding, communities where children can thrive is a challenge for those living in sprawling suburbs or crowded into central cities. Jack suggests such practices as bringing lawn chairs out to the front of the house on a summer evening, getting your hair cut at the local barber or volunteering at the grade school. He asks churches to open their doors to neighborhood needs.