Beyond Charity: A Sojourner's Reflections on Homelessness, Advocacy, Empowerment and Hope

A few days shy of her 55th birthday, DeBorah finds herself living in a homeless women's shelter. Her education and accomplishments to this point say that she should not be there, however, the reality of her lack of income and inability to maintain housing insists otherwise. Attitudes, myths, and perceptions about poverty provide the backdrop for advocacy towards a bill of rights for people experiencing homelessness and call for the right to counsel for people facing eviction. Justice and equity considerations, systematic and institutional dynamics, and the trauma of homelessness frame this personal journey of loss, enlightenment, and empowerment. Endorsement: Beyond Charity: A Sojourner's Reflections on Homelessness, Advocacy, Empowerment, and Hope by Dr. DeBorah Gilbert White is much more powerful than just reflections on homelessness. It is a "Call to Action." Those of us who are compassionate, spiritual beings, must become activists, to ensure that our people are living in safe, affordable housing. She points out that the propaganda, about the homeless population, has been created to elicit both a lack of empathy and a lack of action. We must correct this inhumane condition that impacts over 2.5 million children, with another 15% of the population in each state, struggling with housing insecurity. Our preconceived notions, of homelessness, are not accidental and are challenged, in Dr. Gilbert White's book. Over half, of those who are homeless, are Melanics (People of Color). Her book is a frightening reminder, that those of us who live in comfortable homes could become homeless, overnight, due to a myriad of circumstances, including mental illness, COVID-19, ageism, and racism. Dr. Gilbert White is a dedicated, advocate who presents a compelling statement about why and how the United States of America must make housing our people, and passing a bill of rights for the homeless, a priority. Everyone deserves housing! -Dr. Ayo Maria Gooden, President Delaware Valley Association of Black Psychologists About the Author: DeBorah Gilbert White is a social psychologist, diversity and inclusion expert, educator, and social justice advocate. She is the founder of HerStory Ensemble LLC, a community-based organization focused on the social and economic empowerment of women who are experiencing homelessness, formerly homeless, and at risk of homelessness. She continues to work for protective and equitable homeless policies and legislation, and for housing as a human right locally and nationally.

Review :
DeBorah Gilbert White offers us a heartbreaking, heart-challenging memoir - a compelling reminder that none of us are immune to housing insecurity. Through powerful storytelling and astute systems analysis, she courageously shares her lived experience to draw others into understanding, questioning, and ultimately changing structural barriers that make and keep people homeless. In Beyond Charity, her vulnerability becomes an invitation to love and understand our neighbors more compassionately and to respond more justly. This book may have started as a gift to herself, as she notes in its opening pages, but in truth, it will become a gift of grace and light to every reader. - The Rev. Dr. J. Bennett Guess, Executive Director, ACLU of Ohio, United Church of Christ (UCC) Dr. Gilbert White speaks with an authentic voice about coping with experiencing homelessness and being a voice for the vulnerable and voiceless. Her homeless advocacy work in the community shines a light on the homeless industrial complex and homeless services systemic issues. Her work for a Bill of Rights for Persons Experiencing Homelessness in Delaware brings deeper focus to societal perceptions about poverty, people identified as poor, the unhoused, and the issue of housing Justice. Beyond Charity: A Sojourner's Reflections on Homelessness, Advocacy, Empowerment & Hope is a powerful story that takes the reader step by step on one woman's journey of empowerment to bring about social change. DeBorah is an advocate, organizer, educator, woman of faith, comrade, sister, and friend. -Chaplain Deborah Dickerson, member Picture the Homeless, New York City Coalition Continuum of Care, Board of East Harlem El Barrio Community Land Trust, National Alliance to End Homelessness, Board Poor Peoples Campaign for Equity and Human Rights, National Low Income Housing Coalition, and formerly homeless. I am honored to recommend DeBorah Gilbert White's book. DeBorah is a fantastic leader, and her brilliant and charismatic leadership is phenomenal. I have known DeBorah for almost a decade and have witnessed her relentless work ethic and passion for abolishing homelessness and internalized racism. Through her own experience of triumph over incredible obstacles, DeBorah exemplifies the value of perseverance and persistence. Her work has personally moved many people. I am proud to call DeBorah a dear friend. Her works have changed countless lives and continue as we speak. I fully endorse Beyond Charity: A Sojourner's Reflections on Homelessness, Advocacy, Empowerment, and Hope for all those wanting inspiration and a road map to changing the lives of people experiencing homelessness. -Donald H. Whitehead Jr. Executive Director National Coalition for the Homeless, Washington, D.C.