According to current projections, the number of homeless in the United States will continue to swell in the 1990s unless more aggressive efforts to combat the problem are initiated. Based upon a thorough analysis of the underlying social and political causes of homelessness in this country, this study takes a a hard look at the realities and misconceptions that surround the victims. Barak demonstrates how current public service programs inadequately address the issue and proposes governmental policy changes that could prove beneficial. Related issues of criminality, injustice, and constitutionality associated with the treatment of the homeless are uncovered as the discussion searches for both short and long term solutions to this burgeoning crisis.