Leon Swarts' Books

COMMUNITY ROADMAP TO END HOMELESSNESS

A step by step approach to identify current and future resources and services for the homeless. Designed for individuals or groups who are dedicated to having an impact on the homelessness crisis in their communities (urban, suburban, rural). STEP 1 – Recognize you have a passion for helping the homeless. ● Self-experience ● Family ● […]

HOMELESSNESS – A YEAR IN REVIEW

As 2026 begins, a review of the state of homelessness in the U.S. helps to learn how much progress has been made. Homelessness is not an issue that has developed overnight. Its beginnings can be traced back to the founding of America. When the first group of Europeans landed, I’m sure there were many who […]

HOMELESSNESS

As 2026 begins, a review of the state of homelessness in the U.S. helps to learn how much progress has been made. Homelessness is not an issue that has developed overnight. Its beginnings can be traced back to the founding of America. When the first group of Europeans landed, I’m sure there were many who […]

AUTOCRACY EFFECTS ON THE POOR AND HOMELESS

Definition A system of government where power is concentrated in a single leader or several elites (wealthy, corporations, businesses) and is not accountable to the people. It limits freedom, civil liberties, and political rights by suppressing opposition, controlling information, and often ignoring the democratic process. Auerbach, Micheal P. EBSCO.com, 2025 Characteristics Leadership – Seen as […]

RURAL, URBAN, and SUBURBAN POVERTY IN AMERICA

To classify whether an area is rural, urban, or suburban, census information takes the number of housing units, distance from the airport, the presence of group quarters, and more to define the three geographic areas. Population determiners for categorization include: Urban – at least 2000 housing units or a population of at least 5000. Any […]

DISCRIMINATION TOWARD THE HOMELESS

I was struggling with identifying a topic for my next blog. I recognized I wanted to write about morality and racism and its relationship to homelessness. My decision to choose discrimination as the focal point was made for two reasons. One, both morality and racism are embedded in the broader term…discrimination. Second, recent negative comments […]

HOMELESS PREVENTION

For decades, a number of laws, policies, and programs have been used to reduce and/or end homelessness. Housing (housing first, rental vouchers, rent assistance, public housing), safety net (Medicaid, SNAP), shelters, and safe areas have not affected the rising homeless rates in America’s cities. Despite a plethora of federal government bills, laws, executive orders, policies, […]

APOROPHOBIA

While researching poverty and homelessness in America, I identified a term that relates to the attitude or belief that the poor are responsible for their unfortunate situations. The term aporophobia was created to describe negative attitudes or feelings some people have about the poor. It is derived from the Greek word “Aporos” (without resources, poor, […]

FY 2026 HOMELESS PROGRAM CUTS

On July 4th, President Trump approved a $532 million cut to Homeless Assistance Grants. This cut impacts programs like Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG), Continuum of Care (CoC ),  and Housing Opportunities for Persons with aids (HOPWA, potentially leading to a reduction in services and support for individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Source: www.nationalalliancetoendhomelessness.org, […]

FY 2026 LAW – POVERTY

The Trump administration’s FY 2026 law contains significant cuts to poverty programs. Housing and Community Development  The law consolidates HUD rental assistance programs (Tenant-Based Rental Assistance, Public Housing, Section 202 Housing for the elderly, and Section 811 Housing for Persons with Disabilities) into state-based block grants. Funding for Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) and the […]