Publisher's Synopsis
The author posits that: Americans truly are sick of the welfare mess; they are tired of throwing money at programmes that only seem to make matters worse; and most Americans are also sickened by the thought of millions of children going to bed hungry each night, of young adults with no jobs and no hope for the future, of older citizens deprived of comfort and dignity.;While the leaders in Washington argue over block grants and competing plans to reform the human services bureaucracy, grassroots movements all across the land are quietly developing effective solutions to the problems of hunger, housing, employment and education. Often overlooked by the media, these grassroots programmes are not based on any radical economic theory, nor are they tied to any political agenda. Robin Garr, a Pulitzer prizewinning journalist, visited all 50 states to study the ideas and innovations of the creative problem solvers of this quiet revolution.;The result is a narrative that celebrates the human spirit as well as human inventiveness, and presents a blueprint for change. Garr's close examination of what is actually working allows him to present a set of principles to guide any effort to help people climb out of poverty. Garr shows how the programmes that work: are guided by clear objectives; foster self-reliance rather than dependency by building on people's strengths; take a comprehensive approach to the complex array of an individuals problems and use a variety of tools at once; deal with people one-on-one as distinctly important individuals; focus on prevention; and demonstrate strong leadership. One such programme is "Cafe 458" in Atlanta, a soup kitchen that provides not only food but on-the-spot drug and alcohol counselling - a comprehensive approach to the complex life problems of each individual.;Garr studied community job training programs in auto repair that pay for themselves through the services they provide, homeless shelters that get people off the streets - permanently - because they force individuals to deal with the consequences of their behaviour, and such high-profile operations as "Habitat for Humanity", Jimmy Carter's favourite charity, which brings individuals into the actual labour of solving their own problems.
