"People First": Interpreting and Commemorating Houselessness and Poverty

abstract:This article explores the interpretive and commemorative landscape of houselessness/homelessness and poverty in the United States and United Kingdom and how public historians approach the practical work of interpreting and commemorating these histories in partnership with stakeholder communities. It begins by using the site of an unmarked, uncommemorated, nineteenth-century prison for the poor as an entry point to discuss important gaps in public historical interpretation. Then, it branches out to a survey of organizations and projects engaged in efforts to fill these gaps and the methods they use to work with and for community members with experiences of houselessness, arguing for increased collaborative curation, interdisciplinary interpretation, and commemoration of these histories.