Working and Homeless in America — A Book Talk with Brian Goldstone

The US faces a national crisis of homelessness and housing affordability like few other times in our history. Increasing rents and housing shortages have had devastating effects on nearly every major metropolitan area in the US and many rural communities as well. This crisis has affected everyone including children, seniors, military veterans, people with disabilities, and people working full-time. In his new book, “There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America,” journalist Brian Goldstone exposes how the decline of work and pay in the US has left many full-time workers homeless. People who clock in at hospitals, drive for delivery apps, and care for others cannot afford stable housing as increases in rent continue to outpace wage growth.

Goldstone follows five families in Atlanta as they navigate the impossible demands of low wages, skyrocketing rents, and an inadequate social safety net. Through his reporting, Goldstone lived alongside families in extended-stay motels, witnessing the cycles of eviction and rejection, and capturing the resilience of those caught in a system designed to exclude them and in one that often doesn’t count them in official statistics. “There Is No Place for Us” not only brings these unseen lives into focus but also forces us to confront a pressing question: If hard work is no longer enough to keep a roof over one’s head, what does that say about the promise of economic opportunity in the US?

This virtual book talk — hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program on April 30, 2025 — features Goldstone in conversation with moderator Maureen Conway, a vice president at the Aspen Institute and executive director of the Institute’s Economic Opportunities Program. Topicsinclude:

00:00:00 – Opening and Introductions

00:06:05 – Why Brian Goldstone Wrote “Working and Homeless”

00:09:50 – Celeste’s Story: How a Working Single Mom Lost Everything

00:18:10 – The True Scale of the Homelessness Crisis

00:22:05 – Mental Health, Addition, and Homelessness: Narratives and Misconceptions

00:26:59 – The Cause of Homelessness Is a Lack of Affordable Housing

00:29:26 – Why Homelessness Disproportionately Affects Single Moms in the US

00:34:05 – Housing First: Concept, Limitations, and Alternatives

00:38:20 – The “Churn” of Homelessness and Approaches to Prevention

00:40:45 – The “Hotel Trap”: Extended-Stay Hotels and Private Equity’s Role

00:47:44 – Definitions & Data: HUD vs. Department of Education

00:49:30 – Homelessness and Job Quality: Work, Wages, Scheduling, and Child Care

00:54:02 – “How did this happen?”

00:55:44 – Social Housing: A Solution at Scale

00:56:45 – Next Steps and Call to Action

00:59:30 – Closing Remarks and Upcoming Events

For more information, including a transcript, speaker bios, and additional resources, visit: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/working-and-homeless-in-america-a-book-talk-with-brian-goldstone/ 

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Join us on Zoom on Thursday, June 5, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern time, for our next v