In “Mickey’s Mission: Remembering Structural Solutions to Eliminate Homelessness,” Taylor Michelle Cook examines this policy-induced crisis through the life and work of Houston Congressman Mickey Leland. In the 1980s, austerity and severe social safety net cuts coincided with the emergence of “new homelessness.” Grounded in the experiences of his constituents and aligning with the critical housing scholarship of his time, Leland’s proposed Homeless Person’s Survival Act included a right to shelter, funds for the preservation of low-income housing, and rent relief. Though not adopted, the bill still offers a radical blueprint for eliminating homelessness and housing insecurity.
