"The Homeless One is a courageous and heart spoken story filled with genuine dialogue and real purpose. Soulfully written with wisdom, courage, and truth." Nikki Coyote, Executive Director Jubilee Women's Center, Transitional Housing for Women
"The Homeless One is an important and refreshingly honest work about the issues of homelessness and mental illness, and how these issues affect everyone. A welcome step in the process toward understanding and change." Ruth A. Fox, StreetWrites/Real Change Homeless Empowerment Project
"In Esther Altshul Helfgott's poetic docu-drama, The Homeless One, we are confronted with the politics of the heart and the question of who, indeed, is the homeless one. In the vein of Somerset Maughn's Of Human Bondage and Carson McCuller's The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, Helfgott brings us home to the quiet heroes who make individual sacrifices to help others, knowing that society's illness is in each of us. I strongly recommend this poignant cross-genre work as a celebration of our communal pledge." Koon Woon, The Truth in Rented Rooms, Kaya, NY 1998.
"The Homeless One is a touching commentary on the problems of homelessness. My feeling is that if one is not mentally ill before being on the street, just being homeless over time can cause mental illness. Working with the homeless women gives many of our volunteers a feeling of how lucky they are that it hasn't happened to them, because they feel it could." June Chaus, Coordinator Temple De Hirsch Sinai Women's Shelter
"The basic cause of homelessness is the loss of community. By helping us see each other's lives and hear each others voices, the artist builds human community. Helfgott has woven together unheard voices in our society, going beyond sentiment to human emotions that require response. This book is not only written words: it is a living action, asking for action in return." Anitra L. Freeman, Homeless Women's Network, Seattle
Your little book arrived today and I couldn't set it aside. It is truly wonderful. I love the interweaving of voices and the official language of government and resolution and titles of articles and books. But most of all I love Ellen and Genevieve. Their relationship brings together two women who need each other but never know each other. Really points out the vast distance between people at the psychological level. Beautifully done. Thank you.
- Betsy Bell, poet
Complete Text - Thanks to Dr. Rudolf Suesske for bringing
