SAND CASTLES AND SNAKE PITS
1. For Rubin, a difference between “modern” homelessness and the kind of homelessness typical throughout American history is a. that the homeless population was once all white, but today it is racially diverse.
b. that today’s homeless people are concentrated in New York, Boston, and San Francisco, but they used to live in other cities.
c. that whereas homelessness was once a transient phenomenon tied to cycles of the economy, today homelessness is a near-permanent condition for many Americans.
d. that homelessness was once a crime, but today it is legal.

2. According to Rubin, the Housing Act of 1949
a. was a major achievement for housing rights’ activists. b. resulted in the demolition of poor but vital communities.
c. produced suburban sprawl as affluent middle class families fled the cities.
d. guaranteed every American “a decent home and a suitable living environment” and, with little exception, fulfilled its promise.

3. For Rubin, the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit is an example of
a. a successful public policy initiative. b. the undue influence of corporate America on the legislative process.
c. a program, that despite good intentions, ultimately deepened the problem of homelessness.
d. a prudent legislative compromise.

4. At the end of the article, Rubin recommends that:
a. the government should stop intervening in housing and health care.
b. the government should guarantee housing for everyone, thereby ending homelessness.
c. the government should pass new legislation, free from corporate influence, that addresses the root causes of homelessness.
d. all homeless people should receive Social Security and Medicare benefits.

True or False

5. In the United States, the majority of homeless men and women suffer from a mental illness.