It shows graphically the degradation of their life on the streets. The conflicting viewpoints of community activists and social workers are presented with regard to treatment, housing, and public policy issues. Besides Seattle, Skid Road takes us to Boston, Portland and St. Paul to show how these cities cope with the same problems. For concerned public library audiences and community and special interest group viewers. Never since the Great Depression have so many Americans been homeless.
Shelter examines the causes of homelessness through moving interviews and portraits of the homeless.
We meet one man who has been on the road in search of work for five years, with only a scrapbook to show for those lost years. Another, quite out of touch with reality, typifies many of the mentally ill who were turned out of state hospitals without adequate preparation for independent living. One family with two children who migrated from Maine to Seattle in search of work, has been living in their car. They represent the new poor, who are victims of the recession. We hear the conflicting views of policy makers, government officials and social service providers about what should be done and who should pay.