Homelessness and Healing oral history collection, 2014-2020

Biographical Note

The Homelessness and Healing oral history collection contains sixteen full interviews that appeared in edited form in the book Sacred Shelter: Thirteen Journeys of Homelessness and Healing. The book was published by Empire State Editions of Fordham University Press in 2019. Susan Greenfield, professor of English at Fordham University, conducted most interviews and edited the oral histories for the book. Interviews document the experiences of unhoused people and individuals working on the issues of homelessness and housing. All participants were involved in a life skills empowerment program. These programs are run by faith-based organizations and include elements of personal goal setting, storytelling, and service. Greenfield became involved in the Life Skills Empowerment Program in 2009 at the encouragement of her rabbi. While working on life story elements of the program, Greenfield realized that the stories of the unhoused were an underdocumented but vital aspect of American history. George Horton of the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York mentioned that he wished someone would make a book of participants' stories. Susan felt compelled to spearhead the project, and it became the basis for a sabbatical. Greenberg and Horton formed an advisory board with James Addison, Dennis Barton, Michelle Riddle, and Marc Greenberg. The board made collaborative decisions about the book and ensured the final product aligned with what the participants wanted. Most interviews were conducted between 2014-2015, the book was published in 2019, and the source interviews were donated to the Oral History Archives at Columbia in 2021

Scope and Contents

The Homelessness and Healing oral history collection contains sixteen interviews documenting narrators' personal experiences with homelessness or services for unhoused people. Each narrator shares their life story with memories of youth, major life events, important people in their lives, and their road to homelessness. Many narrators address toxic family dynamics or the trauma of sexual or physical abuse. Some narrators discuss escaping domestic violence and describe their experiences in women's shelters. Others describe struggles with addiction and participation in rehabilitation programs. Substances discussed include alcohol, cocaine, heroin, and crack. Many narrators also discuss their experiences with incarceration. Topics include drug laws, court and parole systems, prison culture, and finding religion while incarcerated. Many narrators also discuss poverty, eviction, and personal crises that led to their homelessness. Many analyze how pride or independence led them to avoid asking for help. Narrators describe the general logistics of homelessness: where they stayed, how they acquired food or money, and social connections among unhoused people. Many narrators speak to their experiences in shelters: issues with bureaucracy, dangers encountered, and the varying quality of programs. All narrators participated in a life skills empowerment program. As such, the activities of these programs and their sponsoring institutions are well-documented. Organizations discussed include Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, Interfaith Assembly on Homelessness and Housing (IAHH), the Speakers Bureau of the IAHH, the L-Step program of St. Francis Xavier, Life Experience and Faith Sharing Associates (LEFSA), and Panim el Panim. Several narrators speak about a particularly galvanizing City Hall vigil in 1988. The collection documents the history of New York City with descriptions of neighborhoods across the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan. The collection also documents the Great Migration, with many Black narrators sharing memories of moving from the South. Many narrators also place the events within larger frameworks, musing on personal faith journeys, religion, and the power of storytelling The collection's narrators are Nazima Ali, James Addison, Rodney Allen, Dennis Barton, Deborah Canty, Marc L. Greenberg, Susan Greenfield, George Horton, Edna Humphrey, Heidi Nissen, Allen Palmer, Nelson Prime, Michelle Riddle, Lisa Sperber, Akira Tsuchiya, and Sophia Worrell

Subjects

• Alcoholism.
• Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York.
• Church work with the homeless.
• Cocaine abuse--United States--History--20th century.
• Drug addicts--Rehabilitation--United States.
• Family violence.
• Great Migration, ca. 1914-ca. 1970.
• Heroin abuse--United States--History--20th century.
• Homelessness.
• Homeless persons--New York (State)--New York.
• Homeless persons--Services for--New York (State)--New York.
• Imprisonment--United States.
• Interfaith Assembly on Homelessness and Housing.
• Interviews.
• Oral histories (literary works)
• Psychic trauma--Social aspects.
• Shelters for the homeless--New York (State)--New York.
• Spiritual formation.
• Storytelling--Psychological aspects.
• Victims of family violence--Services for--New York (State)--New York.
• Women's shelters.

Access Conditions

Copyright for each interview is held by the narrator. The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York hold non-exclusive licenses to enable library activities