Foreword

Book abstract: In the months following Hurricane Katrina's devastation of the Gulf Coast in 2005, ATD Fourth World* Volunteer Corps members based in New Orleans traveled the southern United States to reconnect with displaced members and re-establish a network of support. Dispersed as they were across six states in shelters and emergency housing, the members of ATD Fourth World were already rebuilding the community that had been so vital to them in their hometown. And they wanted to share this experience, this knowledge in this book. Not Meant to Live Like This is the result of a six-year collaborative writing process, involving some 50 co-authors, including families with lived experiences of poverty, other ATD Fourth World members in Louisiana, academics, and social scientists.