learning series

There Is No Place for Us examines the hidden realities of homelessness among working families in America. Through the stories of five Atlanta families with full-time jobs who still cannot keep a roof over their heads, the book reveals how rising costs, stagnant wages, and a shortage of affordable housing push families into crisis. A natural next read after Evicted—the first book featured in our learning series—it offers a powerful look at resilience, systemic barriers, and the urgent need for change. The book was named a top book of 2025 by both The New York Times and President Obama.

In this session, we will focus on:

• Understanding the realities of family homelessness and housing instability
• Examining how wages, rent, and policy shape housing access
• Building empathy through families’ lived experiences
• Exploring barriers to dignity, stability, and belonging

Gateway to a New Life follows newly arrived Afghan immigrants as they build new lives in St. Louis—a city embracing immigration to counter population decline. Local leaders and organizations have created a privately funded program to support these families, many of whom risked their lives working for the U.S. government and fled after the Taliban takeover. Arriving with Special Immigrant Visas (SIV), they bring grit, bravery, and a strong desire to become American citizens.

In this session, we will focus on:

Panelists include:

In this groundbreaking book, therapist Resmaa Menakem examines the damage caused by racism in America from the perspective of trauma and body-centered psychology. The body is where our instincts reside and where we fight, flee, or freeze, and it endures the trauma inflicted by the ills that plague society. Menakem argues this destruction will continue until Americans learn to heal the generational anguish of white supremacy, which is deeply embedded in all our bodies.

In this session, we will focus on:

Location: Home Sweet Home Warehouse, 10 Sunnen Drive, Suite 100, Maplewood, MO 63143

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City is a 2016 non-fiction book by sociologist Matthew Desmond that examines the cycle of poverty and housing insecurity in America. Through the stories of eight families in Milwaukee, the book reveals how eviction is both a cause and a consequence of poverty—and how the housing market can serve as a source of economic exploitation. The book won numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction.

In this session, we will focus on: