Home in the City: Urban Aboriginal Housing and Living Conditions ed. by Alan B. Andersen (review)

Home in the City is based on an extensive research project conducted in Saskatoon, Canada, from 2001 to 2007. It is not, however, a typical edited volume in that it is largely written by the editor; sections of eight of the twelve chapters are written by other authors. These sections are research reports on subprojects within the larger project upon which this book is based. Mostly the sections written by the different authors transition smoothly from one to the next, but sometimes the move from a narrative style into a description of methods and results is awkward.

The three goals of the book are to present an accurate demographic profile of Aboriginal residents in Saskatoon, to present the selected research reports, and to draw attention to issues of policy concern. All these goals were met, and the text stands as a fine record of a very large project conducted in collaboration with several community groups.

The book is well organized and has a good introductory chapter. Many important topics in Aboriginal homelessness were studied: living conditions, youth, women fleeing violence, hiv/aids, affordability, slum landlords, and needs of students. Some topics are dealt with in more depth than others, but overall there is a wealth of information. For instance, one chapter covered urban reserves; this is of particular interest since these are not common.

The work has some issues around utility for a broad audience. This is not a typically scholarly text, so its value as an educational tool might be questioned. As stated in the introduction, the researchers rely heavily on media reports for information; these are very frequently the only sources. Another concern is the broader application of the many descriptions of and conclusions about Saskatoon, one particular sociopolitical context. While it was interesting (to a point) to learn so much about the situation in Saskatoon, I could not see many ways that this would inform my own work in another city. Finally, the extensive attention to demographics and other numbers is admirable, but since several years have passed, these may no longer be accurate. The degree of critical appraisal of the literature or of the results of the research subprojects is minimal.

The book might best be used is in courses on community-engaged scholarship. As the author sums up in the final chapter, the large project, with piles of data and reports, may not have immediately impacted some of the more challenging policy issues (e.g., bylaws, housing types and cost, community racism), but it made a significant contribution to building partnerships and relationships that could well impact policies later when policy windows do open. The author states that the University of Saskatoon learned a great deal about community participation from the project, but this might be read that the investigators and nonacademic community members learned a great deal. Thus, this text could be used as a case study of a large community-based project.