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Seeking shelter : a working mother, her children, and a story of homelessness in America / Jeff Hobbs.

Hobbs, Jeff, 1980- (author.).

Summary:

"In the tradition of Evicted and Invisible Child, Jeff Hobbs masterfully explores America's housing crisis through the real-life story of Evelyn. This is Hobbs's first book since The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace that focuses on a single character and her extraordinarily illuminating journey. In 2018, poverty and domestic violence cast Evelyn and her children into the urban wilderness of Los Angeles, where she avoids the family crisis network that offers no clear pathway for her children to remain together and in a decent school. For the next five years, Evelyn works full time as a waitress yet remains unable to afford legitimate housing or qualify for government aid. All the while she strives to provide stability, education, loving memories, and college aspirations for her children even as they sleep in motels and in her car, living in fear of both her ex and the nation's largest child welfare agency. Eventually Evelyn encounters Wendi Gaines, a recently trained social worker who decades earlier survived her own abusive marriage and housing crisis. Evelyn becomes one of Wendi's first clients, and the relationship transforms them both. Told from the perspectives of Evelyn, Wendi, and Evelyn's teenaged son, Orlando, Seeking Shelter is a powerful and urgent exploration of the issues of homelessness, poverty, and education in America--a must-read for anyone interested in understanding not just social inequality and economic disparity in our society but also the power of a mother's love and vision for her kids"-- Provided by publisher.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9781668034828
  • ISBN: 1668034824
  • Physical Description: xi, 321 pages ; 24 cm
  • Edition: First Scribner hardcover edition.
  • Publisher: New York, New York : Scribner, 2025.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes bibliographical references (pages 313-317).
Subject: Homeless families > California > Los Angeles > Case studies.
Working mothers > California > Los Angeles > Case studies.
Children of working mothers > California > Los Angeles > Case studies.
Working poor > California > Los Angeles > Case studies.
Public welfare > California > Los Angeles > Case studies.
Genre: Informational works.
Case studies.

Available copies

  • 14 of 21 copies available at NC Cardinal. (Show)
  • 1 of 1 copy available at Rockingham County Public Library.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 21 total copies.
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Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Eden Library 362.592 H (Text) 31554012286901 Adult New Nonfiction Available -

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1001 . ‡aHobbs, Jeff, ‡d1980- ‡eauthor. ‡0(CARDINAL)483076
24510. ‡aSeeking shelter : ‡ba working mother, her children, and a story of homelessness in America / ‡cJeff Hobbs.
250 . ‡aFirst Scribner hardcover edition.
264 1. ‡aNew York, New York : ‡bScribner, ‡c2025.
264 4. ‡c©2025
300 . ‡axi, 321 pages ; ‡c24 cm
336 . ‡atext ‡btxt ‡2rdacontent
337 . ‡aunmediated ‡bn ‡2rdamedia
338 . ‡avolume ‡bnc ‡2rdacarrier
504 . ‡aIncludes bibliographical references (pages 313-317).
520 . ‡a"In the tradition of Evicted and Invisible Child, Jeff Hobbs masterfully explores America's housing crisis through the real-life story of Evelyn. This is Hobbs's first book since The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace that focuses on a single character and her extraordinarily illuminating journey. In 2018, poverty and domestic violence cast Evelyn and her children into the urban wilderness of Los Angeles, where she avoids the family crisis network that offers no clear pathway for her children to remain together and in a decent school. For the next five years, Evelyn works full time as a waitress yet remains unable to afford legitimate housing or qualify for government aid. All the while she strives to provide stability, education, loving memories, and college aspirations for her children even as they sleep in motels and in her car, living in fear of both her ex and the nation's largest child welfare agency. Eventually Evelyn encounters Wendi Gaines, a recently trained social worker who decades earlier survived her own abusive marriage and housing crisis. Evelyn becomes one of Wendi's first clients, and the relationship transforms them both. Told from the perspectives of Evelyn, Wendi, and Evelyn's teenaged son, Orlando, Seeking Shelter is a powerful and urgent exploration of the issues of homelessness, poverty, and education in America--a must-read for anyone interested in understanding not just social inequality and economic disparity in our society but also the power of a mother's love and vision for her kids"-- ‡cProvided by publisher.
650 0. ‡aHomeless families ‡zCalifornia ‡zLos Angeles ‡vCase studies.
650 0. ‡aWorking mothers ‡zCalifornia ‡zLos Angeles ‡vCase studies.
650 0. ‡aChildren of working mothers ‡zCalifornia ‡zLos Angeles ‡vCase studies.
650 0. ‡aWorking poor ‡zCalifornia ‡zLos Angeles ‡vCase studies.
650 0. ‡aPublic welfare ‡zCalifornia ‡zLos Angeles ‡vCase studies.
655 7. ‡aInformational works. ‡2lcgft ‡0(CARDINAL)351103
655 7. ‡aCase studies. ‡2lcgft ‡0(CARDINAL)351939
77608. ‡aHobbs, Jeff. ‡tSeeking shelter ‡bFirst Scribner hardcover edition. ‡dNew York : Scribner, [2025] ‡z9781668034842 ‡w(DLC) 2024039352
901 . ‡a14580040 ‡bOCoLC ‡c14580040 ‡tbiblio ‡soclc