There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America (Pulitzer Prize Winner)

Through the stories of five Atlanta families, Brian Goldstone examines the rise of working homelessness in American cities. Despite full-time employment, these families cannot afford housing due to skyrocketing rents, low wages, and limited tenant protections—a phenomenon driven by economic growth and rapid urban development rather than economic failure. Goldstone follows Maurice and Natalia, who relocated to Atlanta after being priced out of Washington, DC; Kara, who works at a hospital while pursuing her own business; Britt, who secured a housing voucher; Michelle, a student training to become a social worker; and Celeste, employed at a warehouse while undergoing cancer treatment. Each struggles to keep their families housed in the gentrifying city, eventually joining the ranks of the working homeless. Through detailed portraits, Goldstone documents families sleeping in cars and hotel rooms while maintaining jobs and school routines. These hidden homeless are largely absent from official statistics, representing a broader crisis beyond visible shelters and street encampments. The book argues that housing must be recognized as a fundamental human right to address this growing problem.