Persistently homeless New Yorkers are, overwhelmingly, black men. The reason, contends Joanne Passaro, is that homelessness is not simply an economic predicament, but a cultural and moral location as well. Remaining homeless is a very different process from that of becoming houseless.

Based on field research in New York City, The Unequal Homeless examines the ways that the gender, race and family status of homeless persons helps determine their chances of survival. The author concludes that unless we abandon social and personal practices that give preferential treatment to homeless women - who are seen as "belonging" at home and hence are housed - homeless men will never escape the streets, while homeless women will do so only if they embody traditional ideals of Womanhood.