Figures and Tables vi

Series Editors' Preface vii

Acknowledgements viii

Abbreviations x

1 Introduction: Re-envisioning the Homeless City 1

2 From Neoliberalization to Postsecularism 22

3 Tactics and Performativities in the Homeless City 61

4 'He's Not Homeless, He Shouldn't Have Any Food': Outdoor Relief in a Postsecular Age 92

5 'It's Like You Can Almost Be Normal Again': Refuge and Resource in Britain's Day Centres 117

6 'It's Been a Tough Night, Huh?' Hopelessness (and Hope) in Britain's Homeless Hostels 147

7 Big City Blues: Uneven Geographies of Provision in the Homeless City 181

8 On the Margins of the Homeless City: Caring for Homeless People in Rural Areas 211

9 Conclusions 241

References 255

Index 274

"Overall, this book makes a substantial contribution to
research on urban homelessness. It provides a glimpse into a
network of emotions relationships, and service provision that is
underacknowledged in urban geography." (The Canadian
Geographer, 4 September 2014)

"Swept up Lives? lives up toexpectations and delivers a well
argued and insightful analysis that progresses established
paradigmatic ways of understanding homelessness in the Western
world." (UGRG Book Review Series, 19 December 2011)

"I cannot praise this book highly enough or hope to do justice
to it in a short review. It is a considerable and possibly
unprecedented achievement . . . I would recommend that this book be
read by everyone who has anything to do with homelessness, and by
every policy work, every politician, and every academic analyst of
the policy process." (The Geographical Journal, 2011)

"A compelling narrative, moving from 'the street' to structure
and back again, to argue that more attention needs to be paid to
the neoliberalist welfare state. The authors highlight examples of
hope and caring, providing a critical but optimistic view of what
can be done by individuals, institutions, and governing bodies. A
must read for researchers and students interested in understanding
not only homelessness, but also the complexities of
governance.'

--Lois M. Takahashi, University of California, Los Angeles

'Challenging theories of urban revanchism that deny
homeless people agency and neglect the complexities of
today's welfare state, Swept Up Lives provides a
sharp conceptual corrective and rich portrayal of geographies of
homelessness in Britain. Detailed ethnographies and institutional
analysis offer a window on homeless subjectivities and voluntary
organizations as spaces of caring and active citizenship. I highly
recommend this book.'

--Jennifer Wolch, University of California, Berkeley

'A well crafted, insightful and timely book that overturns
existing orthodoxies, exploring the experience of homelessness in
the UK and providing a thought-provoking portrayal of the human
face of homelessness.'

--Christine Milligan, Lancaster University

Paul Cloke is Professor of Human Geography at the University
of Exeter. His research interests are in social and cultural
geographies of ethics, rurality, and nature, and he has published
widely on issues relating to poverty, homelessness, and social
marginalisation.

Jon May is Professor of Geography at Queen Mary
University of London. He has published extensively on the
geographies of homelessness and is the co-author or co-editor of
five books including, most recently, Global Cities at Work: New
Migrant Divisions of Labour (2009).

Sarah Johnsen is a Research Fellow at the Centre for
Housing Policy, University of York. She has published widely in the
field of homelessness and social policy.

P. Cloke, University of Exeter, UK; J. May, Queen Mary, University of London, UK; S. Johnsen, University of York, UK