Yvonne M. Vissing

Contrary to popular stereotypes, just as many homeless reside in rural areas as on city streets, holds Yvonne M. Vissing in the following viewpoint. Because few homeless shelters exist in rural areas, she writes, the number of rural homeless people cannot easily be counted and is usually underestimated. Many of the rural homeless are children, who suffer extreme educational, health, and emotional problems as a result of homelessness. Vissing is the author of Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Homeless Children and Families in Small-Town America.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. Who make up the rural homeless, as claimed by Vissing?
2. What emotional troubles may homeless children experience, in the author’s view?
3. According to Vissing, why do the rural poor have trouble finding affordable housing?

The image of the homeless as...