The RG has a positive genius for picking people to interview who are not representative of the homeless, but then the homeless are as varied as the housed and no individual really represents a large group. Anyone who speaks for a large group, unless they have statistics, is probably not giving an accurate account. Also, we would be better off if some of those interviewed would keep their big mouths shut.

Alley Valkyrie, who was one of Eugene's leading homeless advocates before she moved to Portland, has written that homeless people are no better or worse than the housed. What they are is homeless, a barbaric problem that should not be allowed in this country. It could happen to anyone who isn't wealthy. Most middle-class people, according to what I've read, have little in the way of savings, because they're living at the limit of their incomes, and are quite vulnerable if something serious goes wrong, such as a major illness, losing their job, getting divorced, etc.