Dennis Cardiff

GOTTA FIND A HOME by Dennis Cardiff
Book Review by Joseph Spuckler


Gotta Find a Home: Conversations with Street People by Dennis Cardiff is a unique look at the situation in Toronto. Cardiff is not from the expected background for this work. He is not a sociologist, but a poet and an artist and like many people has had his close call to losing everything.

What makes Gotta Find a Home different from all other books on homelessness is that is not a study on the how and why of homelessness. It is also not investigative journalism trying to create sensationalism rather than finding a solution. It, perhaps most importantly, is not political and does not assign blame. It is a work based off of friendship and trust.

Cardiff records the day to day conversations he has with the local street people. Some people have stories of great woe or loss, but those are quickly replaced with conversations that seem rather typical of most people. The talk centers around what most people talk about. Talk and concern over friends, money, rent, food, and perhaps more than the usual amount of talk about alcohol. Cardiff has work his way into the group and is not seen as an easy mark for money. He will buy coffee and for Joy, breakfast. He offers bus passes and encouragement and will not buy alcohol for anyone.

The reader will learn about the homeless community and the social order and rules of the community. Most know each other well and know who can be trusted. They watch out as a group for the police, their biggest security concern. No one wants to get ticketed (even though they can’t pay the fine) or arrested. It is not crime, but loitering and drinking in public that are the major concerns. Business owners treat people differently. Some business are tolerant other have security run people off.

Homelessness does not necessarily mean sleeping on the streets. Many find shelters and others share apartments with many other people. No dwelling is considered more than temporary. There is also some squatting on public and private property.

Cardiff puts a personal face on the street people. They are not the just people in the way. The book made me wonder why people would choose to remain homeless. I don’t recall any mention, save one, of someone who said I am going to end this and re-enter “society.” There was no argument of I want to work, but I cannot get hired. There is alcoholism, but our society has plenty of functional alcoholics in every level of employment. I do not believe the argument that homeless people want to be homeless. Canada and the United States seem to share this same problem. Government and charity programs seem to treat the symptoms but not the cause. They seem to make life more bearable, but do not fix the problem. Cardiff’s personal look at the individuals in an honest way may provide the understanding that will lead to meaningful change.

Joseph Spuckler gives 5 Stars to Gotta Find a Home: Conversations with Street People

Read Joseph’s Other Book Reviews… (plus d'informations)

Author Dennis Cardiff relates the times he has spent among those living a street life. The book is a record of conversations Cardiff deems notable, structured in a dated and chronological manner. Cardiff doesn’t transcribe verbatim, but gives a fresh report using his recollection of how the conversation went. This gives an interesting feel to the book, as the voice is consistent, and leaves the impression of a singular perspective which is very anchoring. With so many individuals featured, it’s of benefit to be guided by the author, especially as his matter-of-fact tone is welcome. The subject matter is one which faces the potential pitfalls of a patronising, mawkish, or accusatory approach, and I’m glad to say that Cardiff avoids all of these.

This book is the forth in the series, and the first to catch my attention and subsequently read. I don’t think it’s necessary to have read the previous books, but I am curious now to do so. This forth instalment conveys the daily struggles of those who for one reason or another - and the reasons are as multitude as there are people - have very little in the way of material support, and in most cases very deep and consistent emotional and physical problems. By letting those living these lives recount their day-to-day existence through the everyday conversations they have a brutal array of despondency is revealed. The hardships displayed are not particular to those facing the most extreme consequences, but the psychological and sociological barrier constructed to enforce the delusional gulf between “us” and “them” is painful to behold. As frustrating as it is to witness so-called self-destructive behaviour in those who seem incapable of being able to help themselves, it’s equally as reprehensible to see wilful lack of understanding from those institutions tasked with ensuring those who have fallen on very hard times have at least some relief from suffering, and don’t face squalor. No one, however troubled and difficult, should be demeaned or denied basic dignity.

Cardiff himself states that his past includes some challenging times, and it’s very obvious that the camaraderie with those he befriends stems from him having experienced some of the issues they have in common. Inevitably, there is a grimness to any work dealing with this issue, but as ever it is the individuals who compel, and by reporting these small snapshots of fringe lives Cardiff delivers a no-nonsense record of voices that may otherwise go unheard.

At the time of publication profits from the sale of this series went to organisations who assist those who live on the streets, and as far as I know that is still the case.… (plus d'informations)

From whatever country we come, we are used to seeing homeless people in our cities begging. It is easy to be judgemental, frightened or indifferent but we often forget that they are human beings. Dennis Cardiff is not like that. He makes daily visits to a group of homeless people in his Canadian city to talk to them and maybe buy them a snack. For several years he has kept a journal of these encounters on his blog “Gotta Find Home” and this book is an edited version of this.

I was hoping for a compilation of the conversations with a particular character building up a coherent biography of people like Joy, who slept behind a dumpster and was often beaten up or of Antonio, the small gentle man who slept on a bench in the freezing cold but Dennis Cardiff has stuck to a simple recount of each conversation as it occurred.

The “usual subjects” as Dennis calls his friends on the streets do gradually stamp out their identity in these conversations and we learn some of their back story but perhaps because this is real life and Dennis is determined not to interfere there is no clear timeline of their life events to explain their current predicament.

In an interview at the end of the book Dennis concludes that although many suffer from mental and physical illness and a great many were abused when younger there is no one reason why they are homeless. He does not offer a solution to the problem, but following Buddhist principals to, “open one’s heart and practice generosity,” he gives his time and a listening ear to them.

This book is not an easy read but it does help to increase our understanding by its honest and frank account of the lives of this group of homeless people.
… (plus d'informations)

Gotta Find a Home: Conversations with Street People
by: Dennis Cardiff

4 STAR

The name of the book drew me in. The thought of someone taking the time to look beyond what most people see---or more times than not, try to pretend not to see---drew me in.
The book is a heart-warming look into the lives of these people, their trials, hardships, and various tribulations. The people themselves, each different in their own way, form relationships and strong bonds (and sometimes strong dislikes) with those they live among. But always there, you sensed the strong bond of family and oneness they have for one another.
"There, but for the grace of God, go I" resonates from every conversation Dennis has with these new 'friends'. Some of these unfortunate souls are highly educated, come from prominent well-to-do families, or might have children and friends and family members waiting for them to return to the life they had---before they fell on hard times.
This book was written in the form of a diary or journal, day by day conversations-mostly just dialog and very little back-story, which for me was a little hard to keep up with and have the power to hold my attention.
I would recommend this book to everyone, on the merrit that all of us could use a real dose of eye-opening reality of the world and all those who live among us!… (plus d'informations)