solutions homelessness essay

Essays About Homelessness: Top 8 Examples Plus Prompts

Everyone has heard of homeless people at some point in their lives; if you are writing essays about homelessness, read our top essay examples and prompts.

Poverty is one of the greatest evils in the world. Its effects are seen daily, from people begging on the streets to stealing to support their families. But unfortunately, one of the most prominent and upsetting diversity is homelessness. Homelessness is a significant problem in even the most developed nations, including the U.S. and Canada. Despite all the resources used to fight this issue, countries often lack the means to reduce homelessness significantly. With the proper aid, homelessness can be entirely eradicated in the future. 

If you want to write essays about homelessness, keep reading to see our essay examples and helpful writing prompts.

2. A journey with the homeless by Sujata Jena

3. i chose to be homeless: reflections on the homeless challenge by emily kvalheim, 4. my experience being homeless by scott benner, 5. what people get wrong when they try to end homelessness by james abro, 1. causes of homelessness , 2. how can homelessness be reduced, 3. mental illness and homelessness, 4. reflection on homelessness, 5. is homelessness a “personal problem”.

Are you looking for more? Check out our guide packed full of transition words for essays

1. That Homeless Man is My Brother by Megan Regnerus

“But the subtext of my friend’s statement is really Why should I give money to someone who’s lazy; who isn’t willing to work for money like I do?’ And to that I say, her opinion that people who ask for money are freeloaders who could work but choose not to, is based on assumption. It relies on the notion that the two things that shape us into able-bodied adults who can hold down a regular job, nature and nurture, are level playing fields. And they’re not.”

Regnerus writes about a friend’s claim that the homeless are “lazy,” reminding her of her homeless brother. She cites genetics and circumstance as contributing factors to homelessness. Despite the other woman being her friend, Regnerus strongly refutes her belief that the homeless are non-disabled freeloaders- they should be treated with empathy. For more, check out these articles about homelessness .

“I realize that the situation of poverty and homelessness is a huge social problem around the world. But when I meet them, I face fellow human beings, not some abstract “social problem.” The very phrase, “What would Jesus do at this scene?” haunted me.  I ventured to ask their names, age, where they came from, where they live (street, bridges, cemetery) and the reason they are on the streets. Their stories are poignant. Each one has a unique story to tell about his/her reason to be homeless, how they were forced to leave distant rural villages to live on the city streets. I tried to listen to them with empathy.”

In her essay, Jena remembers the homeless people in Manila, Philippines. She can see them beyond some “aspect of society” as human beings. She empathizes with them extensively and recalls the words of Jesus Christ about loving others, particularly the neediest.

“I, too, have not been compassionate enough, and I have allowed my prejudices to distort my view of the homeless. One woman, who sat across from me at a feeding program, talking to herself erratically, may have seemed strange to me before the Homeless Challenge. But when I really saw myself as her equal, and when I took the time to watch her get up and laugh as she danced to the music playing in the background, I thought she was beautiful. She had found her own happiness, amidst despair.”

Kvalheim details her experiences during an immersion challenge with the homeless. She recalls both the discrimination and generosity she experienced and her experiences with other homeless people. She was amazed to see how they could stay positive despite their terrible circumstances. We should be thankful for what we have and use it to help others in need. 

“As my funds dwindled, and the weather got colder, I sought shelter at Father Bill’s in Quincy Ma. When you are homeless, sometimes very small things mean a lot. A dry pair of socks, shoes without holes, a pocketful of change. You begin to realize how much you value your personal space. You begin to realize other people want space too. A lot of people have issues or have suffered in one way or another and you can see their pain. I think that there are people who for a variety of issue are chronically homeless and a larger portion of homeless are transitioning through a series of bad events.”

Benner’s essay, written for the company ArtLifting, reflects on his experience of being homeless for a brief while. Then, he and his wife grew ill, and Benner sought refuge at a homeless shelter after his company shut down. After that, he realized how his struggles were very different from those of others and the value of the more minor things he previously took for granted. Luckily, he escaped homelessness by making art with the help of ArtLifting. 

“The court denied my sister’s request and named me our mother’s legal guardian, but it appointed my sister as guardian of her property.  In 2009, when my mother passed away, my sister evicted me. The day I was scheduled to move out, I stood in a convenience store, dazed, as I stared at microwaveable meals.  These would be my new staple when I moved into the motel room. My phone rang—my sister.  She told me she needed me out of the house in a couple of hours—she was a real estate agent and a client wanted to see the house. ‘No hard feelings,’ she said.”

Similar to Benner, Abro narrates the circumstances surrounding his homelessness. After his mother’s death and a conflict with his sister led to his eviction, he ended up homeless. While his situation was unfortunate, he believes that there are many people worse off than him and that something must change to address the housing and poverty crises in America.

Top 5 Prompts On Essays about Homelessness

For your essay, it would be interesting to write about how people become homeless in the first place. Research the different causes of homelessness and elaborate on them, and be sure to provide sources such as statistics and anecdotes. 

What solutions to homelessness can you think of? In your essay, propose at least one way you think the homelessness problem can be solved or at least reduced. It must be concrete, realistic, and defensible; be sure to explain your solution well and defend its feasibility, backing up your claims with facts and logic. 

Homelessness and mental health can be linked—research into declining mental health and how homelessness can impact a person’s mental well-being. Make sure to use research data and statistics to show your findings. Conclude whether poor mental health can cause homelessness or if homelessness causes poor mental health.

You can write about what homelessness means to you in your essay. Perhaps you’ve heard stories of homeless people, or maybe you know someone who is or has been homeless. Use this essay to highly the effects of homelessness and how we can work together as a society to eradicate it.

Many say that homeless people “choose to be homeless” and are underachievers; otherwise, they would simply “get a job” and lift themselves out of poverty. Is this true? Research this topic and decide on your stance. Then, write about whether you agree with this topic for a compelling argumentative essay.

If you’re still stuck, check out our general resource of essay writing topics .

Martin is an avid writer specializing in editing and proofreading. He also enjoys literary analysis and writing about food and travel.

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5 Essays About Homelessness

Around the world, people experience homelessness. According to a 2005 survey by the United Nations, 1.6 billion people lack adequate housing. The causes vary depending on the place and person. Common reasons include a lack of affordable housing, poverty, a lack of mental health services, and more. Homelessness is rooted in systemic failures that fail to protect those who are most vulnerable. Here are five essays that shine a light on the issue of homelessness:

What Would ‘Housing as a Human Right’ Look Like in California? (2020) – Molly Solomon

For some time, activists and organizations have proclaimed that housing is a human right. This essay explores what that means and that it isn’t a new idea. Housing as a human right was part of federal policy following the Great Depression. In a 1944 speech introducing what he called the “Second Bill of Rights,” President Roosevelt attempted to address poverty and income equality. The right to have a “decent home” was included in his proposals. Article 25 of the Universal Declaration also recognizes housing as a human right. It describes the right to an “adequate standard of living.” Other countries such as France and Scotland include the right to housing in their constitutions. In the US, small local governments have adopted resolutions on housing. How would it work in California?

At KQED, Molly Solomon covers housing affordability. Her stories have aired on NPR’s All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and other places. She’s won three national Edward R. Murrow awards.

“What People Get Wrong When They Try To End Homelessness” – James Abro

In his essay, James Abro explains what led up to six weeks of homelessness and his experiences helping people through social services. Following the death of his mother and eviction, Abro found himself unhoused. He describes himself as “fortunate” and feeling motivated to teach people how social services worked. However, he learned that his experience was somewhat unique. The system is complicated and those involved don’t understand homelessness. Abro believes investing in affordable housing is critical to truly ending homelessness.

James Abro is the founder of Advocate for Economic Fairness and 32 Beach Productions. He works as an advocate for homeless rights locally and nationally. Besides TalkPoverty, he contributes to Rebelle Society and is an active member of the New Jersey Coalition to End Homelessness.

“No Shelter For Some: Street-Sleepers” (2019)

This piece (by an unknown author) introduces the reader to homelessness in urban China. In the past decades, a person wouldn’t see many homeless people. This was because of strict rules on internal migration and government-supplied housing. Now, the rules have changed. People from rural areas can travel more and most urban housing is privatized. People who are homeless – known as “street-sleepers” are more visible. This essay is a good summary of the system (which includes a shift from police management of homelessness to the Ministry of Civil Affairs) and how street-sleepers are treated.

“A Window Onto An American Nightmare” (2020) – Nathan Heller

This essay from the New Yorker focuses on San Francisco’s history with homelessness, the issue’s complexities, and various efforts to address it. It also touches on how the pandemic has affected homelessness. One of the most intriguing parts of this essay is Heller’s description of becoming homeless. He says people “slide” into it, as opposed to plunging. As an example, someone could be staying with friends while looking for a job, but then the friends decide to stop helping. Maybe someone is jumping in and out of Airbnbs, looking for an apartment. Heller’s point is that the line between only needing a place to stay for a night or two and true “homelessness” is very thin.

Nathan Heller joined the New Yorker’s writing staff in 2013. He writes about technology, higher education, the Bay Area, socioeconomics, and more. He’s also a contributing editor at Vogue, a former columnist for Slate, and contributor to other publications.

“Homelessness in Ireland is at crisis point, and the vitriol shown towards homeless people is just as shocking” (2020)#- Megan Nolan

In Ireland, the housing crisis has been a big issue for years. Recently, it’s come to a head in part due to a few high-profile incidents, such as the death of a young woman in emergency accommodation. The number of children experiencing homelessness (around 4,000) has also shone a light on the severity of the issue. In this essay, Megan Nolan explores homelessness in Ireland as well as the contempt that society has for those who are unhoused.

Megan Nolan writes a column for the New Statesman. She also writes essays, criticism, and fiction. She’s from Ireland but based in London.

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About the author, emmaline soken-huberty.

Emmaline Soken-Huberty is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon. She started to become interested in human rights while attending college, eventually getting a concentration in human rights and humanitarianism. LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, and climate change are of special concern to her. In her spare time, she can be found reading or enjoying Oregon’s natural beauty with her husband and dog.

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City of Boston workers clear encampments in the area known as Mass and Cass.

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Experts cite complexity of problem, which is rooted in poverty, lack of affordable housing but includes medical, psychiatric, substance-use issues

It took seven years for Abigail Judge to see what success looked like for one Boston homeless woman.

The woman had been sex trafficked since she was young, was a drug user, and had been abused, neglected, or exploited in just about every relationship she’d had. If Judge was going to help her, trust had to come first. Everything else — recovery, healing, employment, rejoining society’s mainstream — might be impossible without it. That meant patience despite the daily urgency of the woman’s situation.

“It’s nonlinear. She gets better, stops, gets re-engaged with the trafficker and pulled back into the lifestyle. She does time because she was literally holding the bag of fentanyl for these guys,” said Judge, a psychology instructor at Harvard Medical School whose outreach program, Boston Human Exploitation and Sex Trafficking (HEAT), is supported by Massachusetts General Hospital and the Boston Police Department. “This is someone who’d been initially trafficked as a kid and when I met her was 23 or 24. She turned 30 last year, and now she’s housed, she’s abstinent, she’s on suboxone. And she’s super involved in her community.”

It’s a success story, but one that illustrates some of the difficulties of finding solutions to the nation’s homeless problem. And it’s not a small problem. A  December 2023 report  by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said 653,104 Americans experienced homelessness, tallied on a single night in January last year. That figure was the highest since HUD began reporting on the issue to Congress in 2007 .

Abigail Judge of the Medical School (from left) and Sandra Andrade of Massachusetts General Hospital run the outreach program Boston HEAT (Human Exploitation and Sex Trafficking).

Niles Singer/Harvard Staff Photographer

Scholars, healthcare workers, and homeless advocates agree that two major contributing factors are poverty and a lack of affordable housing, both stubbornly intractable societal challenges. But they add that hard-to-treat psychiatric issues and substance-use disorders also often underlie chronic homelessness. All of which explains why those who work with the unhoused refer to what they do as “the long game,” “the long walk,” or “the five-year-plan” as they seek to address the traumas underlying life on the street.

“As a society, we’re looking for a quick fix, but there’s no quick fix for this,” said Stephen Wood, a visiting fellow at Harvard Law School’s Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology and Bioethics and a nurse practitioner in the emergency room at Carney Hospital in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston. “It takes a lot of time to fix this. There will be relapses; there’ll be problems. It requires an interdisciplinary effort for success.”

A recent study of 60,000 homeless people in Boston found the average age of death was decades earlier than the nation’s 2017 life expectancy of 78.8 years.

Illustration by Liz Zonarich/Harvard Staff

Katherine Koh, an assistant professor of psychiatry at HMS and psychiatrist at MGH on the street team for Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, traced the rise of homelessness in recent decades to a combination of factors, including funding cuts for community-based care, affordable housing, and social services in the 1980s as well as deinstitutionalization of mental hospitals.

“Though we have grown anesthetized to seeing people living on the street in the U.S., homelessness is not inevitable,” said Koh, who sees patients where they feel most comfortable — on the street, in church basements, public libraries. “For most of U.S. history, it has not been nearly as visible as it is now. There are a number of countries with more robust social services but similar prevalence of mental illness, for example, where homelessness rates are significantly lower. We do not have to accept current rates of homelessness as the way it has to be.”

“As a society, we’re looking for a quick fix, but there’s no quick fix for this.” Stephen Wood, visiting fellow, Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology and Bioethics

Success stories exist and illustrate that strong leadership, multidisciplinary collaboration, and adequate resources can significantly reduce the problem. Prevention, meanwhile, in the form of interventions focused on transition periods like military discharge, aging out of foster care, and release from prison, has the potential to vastly reduce the numbers of the newly homeless.

Recognition is also growing — at Harvard and elsewhere — that homelessness is not merely a byproduct of other issues, like drug use or high housing costs, but is itself one of the most difficult problems facing the nation’s cities. Experts say that means interventions have to be multidisciplinary yet focused on the problem; funding for research has to rise; and education of the next generation of leaders on the issue must improve.

“This is an extremely complex problem that is really the physical and most visible embodiment of a lot of the public health challenges that have been happening in this country,” said Carmel Shachar, faculty director of Harvard Law School’s Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation. “The public health infrastructure has always been the poor Cinderella, compared to the healthcare system, in terms of funding. We need increased investment in public health services, in the public health workforce, such that, for people who are unhoused, are unsheltered, who are struggling with substance use, we have a meaningful answer for them.”

“You can either be admitted to a hospital with a substance-use disorder, or you can be admitted with a psychiatric disorder, but very, very rarely will you be admitted to what’s called a dual-diagnosis bed,” said Wood, a nurse practitioner in the emergency room at Carney Hospital.

Kris Snibbe/Harvard Staff Photographer

Experts say that the nation’s unhoused population not only experiences poverty and exposure to the elements, but also suffers from a lack of basic health care, and so tend to get hit earlier and harder than the general population by various ills — from the flu to opioid dependency to COVID-19.

A recent study of 60,000 homeless people in Boston recorded 7,130 deaths over the 14-year study period. The average age of death was 53.7, decades earlier than the nation’s 2017 life expectancy of 78.8 years. The leading cause of death was drug overdose, which increased 9.35 percent annually, reflecting the track of the nation’s opioid epidemic, though rising more quickly than in the general population.

A closer look at the data shows that impacts vary depending on age, sex, race, and ethnicity. All-cause mortality was highest among white men, age 65 to 79, while suicide was a particular problem among the young. HIV infection and homicide, meanwhile, disproportionately affected Black and Latinx individuals. Together, those results highlight the importance of tailoring interventions to background and circumstances, according to Danielle Fine, instructor in medicine at HMS and MGH and an author of two analyses of the study’s data.

“The takeaway is that the mortality gap between the homeless population and the general population is widening over time,” Fine said. “And this is likely driven in part by a disproportionate number of drug-related overdose deaths in the homeless population compared to the general population.”

Inadequate supplies of housing

Though homelessness has roots in poverty and a lack of affordable housing, it also can be traced to early life issues, Koh said. The journey to the streets often starts in childhood, when neglect and abuse leave their marks, interfering with education, acquisition of work skills, and the ability to maintain healthy relationships.

“A major unaddressed pathway to homelessness, from my vantage point, is childhood trauma. It can ravage people’s lives and minds, until old age,” Koh said. “For example, some of my patients in their 70s still talk about the trauma that their parents inflicted on them. The lack of affordable housing is a key factor, though there are other drivers of homelessness we must also tackle.”

The number was the highest since the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development began reporting on the issue to Congress in 2007 .

Most advocates embrace a “housing first” approach, prioritizing it as a first step to obtaining other vital services. But they say the type of housing also matters. Temporary shelters are a key part of the response, but many of the unhoused avoid them because of fears of theft, assault, and sexual assault. Instead, long-term beds, including those designated for people struggling with substance use and mental health issues, are needed.

“You can either be admitted to a hospital with a substance-use disorder, or you can be admitted with a psychiatric disorder, but very, very rarely will you be admitted to what’s called a dual-diagnosis bed,” said Petrie-Flom’s Wood. “The data is pretty solid on this issue: If you have a substance-use disorder there’s likely some underlying, severe trauma. Yet, when we go to treat them, we address one but not the other. You’re never going to find success in the system that we currently have if you don’t recognize that dual diagnosis.”

Services offered to those in housing should avoid what Koh describes as a “one-size-fits-none” approach. Some might need monthly visits from a caseworker to ensure they’re getting the support they need, she said. But others struggle once off the streets. They need weekly — even daily — support from counselors, caseworkers, and other service providers.

“I have seen, sadly, people who get housed and move very quickly back out on the streets or, even more tragically, lose their life from an unwitnessed overdose in housing,” Koh said. “There’s a community that’s formed on the street so if you overdose, somebody can give you Narcan or call 911. If you don’t have the safety of peers around, people can die. We had a patient who literally died just a few days after being housed, from an overdose. We really cannot just house people and expect their problems to be solved. We need to continue to provide the best care we can to help people succeed once in housing.”

“We really cannot just house people and expect their problems to be solved.”  Katherine Koh, Mass. General psychiatrist

Koh works on the street team for Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program.

Photo by Dylan Goodman

The nation’s failure to address the causes of homelessness has led to the rise of informal encampments from Portland, Maine, to the large cities of the West Coast. In Boston, an informal settlement of tents and tarps near the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard was a point of controversy before it was cleared in November.

In the aftermath, more than 100 former “Mass and Cass” residents have been moved into housing, according to media reports. But experts were cautious in their assessment of the city’s plans. They gave positive marks for features such as a guaranteed place to sleep, “low threshold” shelters that don’t require sobriety, and increased outreach to connect people with services. But they also said it’s clear that unintended consequences have arisen. and the city’s homelessness problem is far from solved.

Examples abound. Judge, who leads Boston HEAT in collaboration with Sandra Andrade of MGH, said that a woman she’d been working with for two years, who had been making positive strides despite fragile health, ongoing sexual exploitation, and severe substance use disorder, disappeared after Mass and Cass was cleared.

Mike Jellison, a peer counselor who works on Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program’s street team, said dismantling the encampment dispersed people around the city and set his team scrambling to find and reconnect people who had been receiving medical care with providers. It’s also clear, he said, that Boston Police are taking a hard line to prevent new encampments from popping up in other neighborhoods, quickly clearing tents and other structures.

“We were out there Wednesday morning on our usual route in Charlesgate,” Jellison said in early December. “And there was a really young couple who had all their stuff packed. And [the police] just told them, ‘You’ve got to leave, you can’t stay here.’ She was crying, ‘Where am I going to go?’ This was a couple who works; they’re employed and work out of a tent. It was like 20 degrees out there. It was heartbreaking.”

Prevention as cure?

Successes in reducing homelessness in the U.S. are scarce, but not unknown. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, for example, has reduced veteran homelessness nationally by more than 50 percent since 2010.

Experts point out, however, that the agency has advantages in dealing with the problem. It is a single, nationwide, administrative entity so medical records follow patients when they move, offering continuity of care often absent for those without insurance or dealing with multiple private providers. Another advantage is that the VA’s push, begun during the Obama administration, benefited from both political will on the part of the White House and Congress and received support and resources from other federal agencies.

The city of Houston is another example. In 2011, Houston had the nation’s fifth-largest homeless population. Then-Mayor Annise Parker began a program that coordinated 100 regional nonprofits to provide needed services and boost the construction of low-cost housing in the relatively inexpensive Houston market.

Neither the VA nor Houston was able to eliminate homelessness, however.

To Koh, that highlights the importance of prevention. In 2022, she published research in which she and a team used an artificial-intelligence-driven model to identify those who could benefit from early intervention before they wound up on the streets. The researchers examined a group of U.S. service members and found that self-reported histories of depression, trauma due to a loved one’s murder, and post-traumatic stress disorder were the three strongest predictors of homelessness after discharge.

In April 2023, Koh, with co-author Benjamin Land Gorman, suggested in the Journal of the American Medical Association that using “Critical Time Intervention,” where help is focused on key transitions, such as military discharge or release from prison or the hospital, has the potential to head off homelessness.

“So much of the clinical research and policy focus is on housing those who are already homeless,” Koh said. “But even if we were to house everybody who’s homeless today, there are many more people coming down the line. We need sustainable policies that address these upstream determinants of homelessness, in order to truly solve this problem.”

The education imperative

Despite the obvious presence of people living and sleeping on city sidewalks, the topic of homelessness has been largely absent from the nation’s colleges and universities. Howard Koh, former Massachusetts commissioner of public health and former U.S. assistant secretary for Health and Human Services, is working to change that.

In 2019, Koh, who is also the Harvey V. Fineberg Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership, founded the Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health’s pilot Initiative on Health and Homelessness. The program seeks to educate tomorrow’s leaders about homelessness and support research and interdisciplinary collaboration to create new knowledge on the topic. The Chan School’s course “Homelessness and Health: Lessons from Health Care, Public Health, and Research” is one of just a handful focused on homelessness offered by schools of public health nationwide.

“The topic remains an orphan,” said Koh. The national public health leader (who also happens to be Katherine’s father) traced his interest in the topic to a bitter winter while he was Massachusetts public health commissioner when 13 homeless people froze to death on Boston’s streets. “I’ve been haunted by this issue for several decades as a public health professional. We now want to motivate courageous and compassionate young leaders to step up and address the crisis, educate students, motivate researchers, and better inform policymakers about evidence-based studies. We want every student who walks through Harvard Yard and sees vulnerable people lying in Harvard Square to not accept their suffering as normal.”

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Why mental health and social services are as crucial as physical shelter to address the homelessness crisis

• Paul Constant is a writer at Civic Ventures and cohost of the " Pitchfork Economics " podcast.
• He spoke with Josephine Ensign, a professor and former policy worker, about the homelessness crisis.
• Ensign says social services are critical to address the mental health needs of unhoused people.

It's difficult to even begin to have a conversation about homelessness in America anymore.

Even in progressive cities like Seattle and San Francisco, coverage of our historically high levels of homelessness has become so hyperpartisanized that it's impossible for people to agree on the causes of the housing crisis, let alone work together to find solutions. Where some people see homelessness as strictly an economic failure, others position each case of homelessness as an individual failure, blaming it on untreated mental illness or a drug addiction problem. 

Let's be clear that simply building large amounts of housing will not solve our housing crisis, as some urbanists claim. But neither is homelessness a personal failing free from systemic economic pressures. A Zillow study from 2017 found that homelessness increases in cities where rents exceed a third of the average income, and each rent increase of $100 is associated with a corresponding jump in homelessness of anywhere from 6% to 32%. Given that median rents in some cities have skyrocketed by up to 91% over the past decade, that's a minimum of tens of thousands of Americans who are being pushed out into the street for the first time every year. 

Related stories

University of Washington Professor Josephine Ensign joined the "Pitchfork Economics" podcast to discuss her 40-year career working with homeless populations around the world as a researcher, nurse, and policy worker. Her latest book, " Skid Road: On the Frontier of Health and Homelessness in an American City ," specifically explores the history of homelessness in Seattle.

How did we get to a point when nearly every American city is dotted with tent encampments? Ensign cites the "steady defunding of [Department of Housing and Urban Development] services, in terms of support for low-income housing redevelopments" that has taken place through the latter half of the 20th century, as well as "the gentrification of inner city areas that have displaced, especially, persons of color and people living intergenerationally in poverty," and the "deinstitutionalization of people with pretty severe mental health issues and developmental issues" that took place in the late '70s and throughout the '80s.

In short, there's no one smoking gun to point to as the root cause of America's homelessness crisis. Instead, a wide array of policy failures, worsened by American leaders' 40-year love affair with trickle-down austerity, have led to this moment. (For proof, consider the fact that European nations with robust social safety nets don't have the same growing number of unhoused people as we do.)

A universal healthcare system alone would resolve many of the issues that push Americans onto the streets, and which exacerbate their problems once they're on the street.

With rents and housing prices rising astronomically, we obviously need much more affordable housing in American cities right now. It's cheaper to house homeless people than it is to put them through the endless piecemeal cycle of homeless shelters and triage services that cost taxpayers somewhere between $30,000 and $80,000 per homeless person per year . But the fact is that physical shelter needs are only part of the problem. 

"It's not just a problem with inadequate low income and supportive housing," Ensign said. "It is also the sense of belonging, the sense of community, the community supports in terms of health and social services, that are needed for people to be safe and healthy and happy in low-income and long-term permanent housing." 

People experience trauma before they're forced into homelessness, and they experience trauma while they're homeless. If we don't have systems in place to address that emotional damage, homeless populations will continue to rise.

So what would Ensign do if she could establish policies to ameliorate homelessness in a major American city? "The biggest thing that I would fund is ongoing supportive services in shelters and day shelters and outreach programs," she said, including high-quality mental health and substance abuse programs for homeless families and individuals, "because if they're not quality, if they're not sustainable, it actually does more harm than good for people trying to become more stable in housing and health."

"With quick interventions and appropriate counseling and treatment for the child and for the family," Ensign said, those traumas "can be overcome and can actually become sources of strength." 

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Guest Essay

Do Not Make Survival Even More Difficult for People on the Streets

By Laura Riley

Ms. Riley is the director of the clinical program at the School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley, and the author of “Homeless Advocacy.”

In 2013, Grants Pass, Ore., came up with a strategy to deal with a growing homeless population in the city of roughly 40,000, one that might best be described as kicking the can down the road.

Through a series of ordinances, the city essentially made it illegal to sleep outside in public. In particular, anyone sleeping anywhere in public with bedding, a blanket or a sleeping bag would be breaking the law.

“The point,” the City Council president explained at the time, “is to make it uncomfortable enough for them in our city so they will want to move on down the road.”

Unhoused individuals wouldn’t have much choice. There are no homeless shelters in Grants Pass. At least 600 people in the city were unhoused in 2018 and 2019, according to counts by a local nonprofit that serves the unhoused.

Now the United States Supreme Court is being asked whether the enforcement of the city’s camping regulations, which apply to all of the city’s residents but affect them in vastly different ways, violate the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. Oral arguments are scheduled for Monday.

Of course, weighing the legality of camping obscures the real issue, which is how, in a nation with roughly 650,000 unhoused people, the federal, state and local governments can make sure there are enough beds for people to sleep in. Forcing unhoused people to the next town does not create housing that is affordable or available.

The case is an appeal to a ruling by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit that prohibited Grants Pass from using citations to enforce its public camping ordinance. The Ninth Circuit had earlier prohibited cities from enforcing criminal restrictions on public camping unless there was access to adequate temporary shelter.

In the decision being challenged by Grants Pass, the Ninth Circuit concluded that the city “cannot, consistent with the Eighth Amendment, enforce its anti-camping ordinances against homeless persons for the mere act of sleeping outside with rudimentary protection from the elements, or for sleeping in their car at night, when there is no other place in the city for them to go.”

Which there rarely is, in Grants Pass or elsewhere, and which is why people often have no choice but to sleep outside.

In a friend of the court brief, the National Homelessness Law Center argued that Grants Pass had “rejected” its obligation to care for unhoused residents and that vulnerable groups would continue to be marginalized unless the court decides once and for all that those ordinances are cruel. In its brief to the court, the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund noted that the laws disproportionately affect people with disabilities and don’t serve any rehabilitative or deterrent interest.

If nothing else, one thing this case has done is unite many officials on the left and the right of the political spectrum, from San Francisco to Arizona. They have complained in briefs to the court that the Ninth Circuit has hamstrung their communities in dealing with homeless encampments.

But homelessness arises from policy decisions, not from a ruling by an appellate court. The Supreme Court should uphold the Ninth Circuit’s ruling. Otherwise it will open the door for communities to pass local laws that effectively punish unhoused people for existing within their borders, making what is clearly cruel permissible.

It would not be unexpected for the Supreme Court’s conservative majority to give the green light for the kind of camping bans at issue. Unhoused people would be pushed further to the margins, increasingly out of sight and mind. They will still be out there, parked in cars in rural areas or subsisting on urban streets, perhaps after being fined or jailed for the crime of trying to survive without a roof over their heads.

This case shines a light on the abdication of responsibility by governments at all levels to their unhoused residents. Instead of arguing about the legality of bans on sleeping in public, we should be asking: Why move people down the road to another community, one that is likely also short on shelter beds?

There is no doubt that the path to creating permanent housing (and more temporary shelter) is politically challenging and expensive. But there are many solutions along this path that go beyond what lawyers and the courts, even our highest one, can accomplish, and that the public should be demanding.

Governments at all levels should invest in homelessness prevention programs and strategies. Those include providing housing subsidies to people who otherwise could lose their housing and supportive transitional services for those leaving mental health treatment and correctional centers.

People on the brink of homelessness should have a right to counsel in eviction proceedings and should be offered the possibility of mediation in housing courts to give them a chance to remain in their houses or apartments.

Businesses should be increasing employment opportunities by not requiring a permanent address in job applications. Lawmakers should create more pathways for people to clear their criminal records, some that arise from targeted enforcement of low-level, nonviolent offenses, because those records can make it much more difficult to get a job.

For populations with unique needs, such as young people and veterans, social service agencies should pursue particularized interventions that address the underlying reasons that pushed individuals into homelessness.

And, of course, we should be building more housing, plain and simple, and we should be providing affordable housing incentives in areas with grocery stores and medical care nearby.

The Supreme Court should not further criminalize homelessness. But whether it does or not, this case should put governments at all levels on notice that humane policies can help to reduce homelessness. We don’t have to let this crisis continue.

Laura Riley is the director of the clinical program at the School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley, and the author of “Homeless Advocacy.”

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Advocates Participate in National Week of Action to Oppose the Criminalization of Homelessness

Advocates across the nation participated in a National Week of Action starting on April 22 to oppose counterproductive and inhumane efforts to punish and arrest people experiencing homelessness and advocate for the only real solution to the homelessness crisis: safe, stable, affordable housing.

The National Week of Action, hosted by NLIHC, the National Homelessness Law Center (NHLC), National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH), and National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH), began on the same day the Supreme Court of the United States heard oral arguments in the case of City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson , the most significant court case about the rights of people experiencing homelessness in decades. The court will decide whether communities that have failed to address the need for affordable housing and shelter can punish unhoused people for sleeping outside with tickets, fines, and arrests, even when there are no other safe or adequate housing or shelter options available. 

Advocates across more than 20 states joined in over 50 state and local activations during the National Week of Action to make clear to their elected officials that they want to end homelessness by adopting real solutions. Actions included rallies, camp outs, marches, community discussions, press events, cookouts, film screenings, oral argument listening sessions, social media activations, and traditional media engagement, such as the publication of op-eds. For example, the Texas Homeless Network, an NLIHC state partner, submitted an op-ed that was published in the Austin American-Statesman.

Hundreds of advocates gathered outside the Supreme Court on April 22 for a “Housing Not Handcuffs” rally to oppose harmful efforts to arrest, fine, and ticket unhoused people and advance evidence-based solutions to homelessness. Hundreds more tuned in to a livestream of the event. NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel spoke at the Housing Not Handcuffs rally , which was organized by NHLC and NCH. Diane emphasized the underlying causes of homelessness – the severe shortage of affordable, accessible housing available to people with the lowest incomes and the growing gap between income and housing costs – and called on Congress to fund proven solutions at the scale needed.

“Homelessness is caused, not by individual fault, but by systemic failures to make homes affordable to all,” said Diane. “Renters in Grants Pass and in every community across the country are struggling with high rents and wages that cannot keep up. But despite this crisis, Congress refuses to fix a broken housing system where 75% of people in need of housing assistance receive nothing, and as a result, far too many people face eviction and become homeless. It doesn’t have to be this way. Homelessness is solvable when we take action to make homes affordable for everyone, starting with the lowest-income people.”

Other speakers at the rally included Reverend Dr. William Barber II, co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign; Helen Cruz, a resident of Grants Pass; the heads of national organizations such as NHLC, NCH, NAEH, Funders Together to End Homelessness, National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, National Health Care for the Homeless Council, National Network to End Domestic Violence, A Way Home America, and the Southern Poverty Law Center, among others; local organizations, including Miriam’s Kitchen in Washington, D.C., the Miami Coalition to Advance Racial Equity, and Open Table Nashville; and others. NCH coordinated travel by bus from communities in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and other states to help advocates and people with lived experience attend the rally in D.C.

Watch a recording of the rally at: https://tinyurl.com/3sm97xej

Learn more about Grants Pass v. Johnson at: https://johnsonvgrantspass.com/

Read a joint statement from NLIHC, NAEH, and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities on the Supreme Court case and the need for leaders to address homelessness with humane, proven strategies at: https://tinyurl.com/2tjxt8nz

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A bipartisan group of more than 50 U.S. mayors has gathered this week to meet with WH cabinet members and members of Congress in part to discuss combatting homelessness. Mayors Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles, and David Holt, R-Oklahoma City, join Morning Joe to discuss. April 30, 2024

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Homelessness shouldn't be a crime. Supreme Court case could devastate Columbus youth.

"adding arrests, fines, jail time, and criminal records to this list of barriers would almost guarantee chronic, lifelong homelessness for our community’s at-risk youth," sonya thesing.

Sonya Thesing is the executive director of Huckleberry House .

Criminalization is not a solution to homelessness.

The Supreme Court begin hearing oral arguments in a case that will determine whether a local government can arrest or fine people for sleeping outside when adequate shelter is not available Monday.

Arrests, fines, jail time, and criminal records make it more difficult for individuals experiencing homelessness to access the affordable housing, health services, employment, and support necessary to exit homelessness.

To say the outcome of Gloria Johnson v. the city of Grants Pass, Oregon is important is an understatement.

For the 3,000 youth under the age of 24 who experience homelessness in Columbus each year, this case has the potential to make their impossible situations even more dire. Huckleberry House is a Columbus non-profit organization that serves at-risk and homeless youth ages 12 to 24.

More: Supreme Court weighs Donald Trump case, abortion bans, homeless camps in blockbuster week

Last year, 1,239 youth received Huckleberry House services, and another 1,429 individuals requested connections to resources.

Making homelessness a crime will only deepen pain

Young people already face unique challenges in accessing the essential systems, services, and resources necessary to their development as adolescents and transition into adulthood.

Adding arrests, fines, jail time, and criminal records to this list of barriers would almost guarantee chronic, lifelong homelessness for our community’s at-risk youth.

They often encounter specific barriers to finding adequate housing, such as the scarcity of youth-appropriate shelter, narrow eligibility requirements, and prioritization for populations other than youth, as well as limited access to age-appropriate services.

What's the crime? Ohio city targets pastor who helped homeless stay warm in freezing weather.

Columbus housing market has no room for youth

Our city’s well-documented affordable housing crisis is forcing more people, including youth, into homelessness. Young people cannot afford their own apartments. And in many cases, their families can no longer afford to support their basic needs.

In the past month, we have seen an increase in teens staying in our teen shelter because their families have become homeless. Knowing their children are safe with us gives parents peace of mind while they figure out their next steps.

For these parents, the risk of arrest, fines or jail time could impact entire families already separated because of challenging circumstances.

We are not powerless to help homeless youth

We must urge policymakers at all levels of government to oppose the criminalization of homelessness and instead support long-term solutions to the affordable housing and homelessness crisis.

We know what works to end youth homelessness: providing individuals with developmentally appropriate support including case management, crime victim services, education and employment programs, and counseling; immediate access to safe shelter; transitional housing that prepares youth to live independently; and the support of their community.

Once a year, Huckleberry House asks friends and supporters to sleep outside for one night. The goal is to get uncomfortable for a night and reflect on what unhoused youth experience in our city.

This year when we gather to sleep outside, there will be another, very consequential, layer for us to consider.

Sonya Thesing is the executive director of Huckleberry House, a Columbus non-profit that shelters, supports and guides youth navigating challenges. In 2023, the organization provided over 35,000 nights of shelter in its teen crisis shelter and transitional living program.

Calls for National Cabinet to fix 'gaping holes' in housing support or risk more violence against women and children

National Cabinet is being urged to plug "gaping holes" in the housing and homelessness support systems available to women fleeing violence, with only 3.7 per cent of those seeking housing getting long-term accommodation. 

Homelessness Australia CEO Kate Colvin said violence is the biggest cause of homelessness for women and children and can no longer be ignored by the federal government. 

"In the current settings it is unlikely to improve. National Cabinet cannot avert its eyes. It must confront this challenge."

This Wednesday all state and territory leaders will meet virtually with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to discuss the recent violent deaths of women and solutions to end violence.

Just this week in Perth, a 30-year-old in Warnbro and 78-year-old in Yangebup became the 27th and 28th women to die by gendered violence in Australia this year.

Ms Colvin said she fears a forthcoming national plan and new funding agreement will lack sufficient ambition and resources to provide safe homes and prevent more violence. 

"There have been no indications from decision makers that the forthcoming state and federal housing and homelessness plan — or the new National Housing and Homelessness Agreement — will significantly extend on commitments already made to housing and homelessness investment."

She added that the lack of housing means women experiencing violence are stuck in homelessness, with many returning to violent homes and, in some situations, never leaving.

A crisis in numbers 

In 2022-23, homelessness services assisted 58,589 women and 37,825 children who had experienced domestic and family violence, with the statistics showing only 3.7 per cent of those seeking housing were able to secure long-term housing. 

A greater proportion of victim-survivors were provided with emergency accommodation, but often not for the length of time needed.

In 2022-23, 10,021 women and children were sleeping rough, couch surfing, or in other forms of homelessness at their last reported contact with support services.

"Homelessness services are so overwhelmed that many women and children can't even get through the door. Each day these services turn away 295 people, and four in five are women or children," Ms Colvin said. 

"The result of these gaping holes in the housing and support women need to be safe is that women return to violence and many never leave."

In 2021, the Everybody's Home Nowhere to Go report found that 7,690 women are returning to perpetrators each year because they have nowhere to live.

The 2016 Personal Safety Survey  also revealed that more than 20,000 women who wanted to leave a violent partner said they were unable to because of a lack of money or financial support.

Ms Colvin said the National Plan to End Violence didn't include measures to address the housing problem, with the government saying these would be addressed in the forthcoming 10-year National Housing and Homelessness Plan and the new five-year National Housing and Homelessness Agreement.

"The federal government needs to double its social housing and homelessness investment, and the states should match that," she said.

According to Homelessness Australia, the plan should aim to end homelessness for women and children who are fleeing violence and to significantly increase the number of women who can access safety while remaining in their homes.

Government 'committed to ending violence'

Julie Collins, the federal minister for housing and homelessness, told the ABC that the government, together with the state and territories, "recognises family and domestic violence is a significant cause of homelessness for women and children, and acknowledged this in the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022-2032". 

"All governments are committed to ending violence against women and children and ensuring they have a safe place to go when escaping violence, and the Albanese-Labor government has made significant investments to address this issue."

She said the $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund will help to fund 4,000 homes for women and children fleeing domestic and family violence and older women on low incomes who are at risk of homelessness, while investment returns would provide $100 million to go towards transitional housing options for the same groups. 

"We have made an additional investment of $100 million in the Safe Places Emergency Accommodation Program to fund up to 720 new emergency accommodation places to support women and children experiencing family and domestic violence, bringing the total number of safe places to be delivered by the program to around 1,500."

Meanwhile, Rose Jackson, the NSW minister for mousing and homelessness, said we need "significant investment" to help confront the housing crisis. 

"I acknowledge NSW needs to do more, but I will also continue to push for the Commonwealth to lift their contributions via the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement. This is a real opportunity for game-changing investment and we welcome an opportunity to partner with the Commonwealth to deliver this. Business as usual is not acceptable," she said.

"The funding trends over the last 10 years need to be turned around to help us make a substantial difference."

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Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey advocates for federal solutions to housing, homelessness in D.C.

WASHINGTON — Nearly 50 mayors from across the U.S. were in Washington, D.C. Tuesday advocating for federal solutions to address the housing and homelessness crisis. Among them was Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.

Frey is part of the bipartisan group of city mayors working with the Biden Administration, the Senate, and the House to fast-track changes to housing policy that will tackle homelessness.

"We are very focused on not just the people that are presently homeless, but the people that would experience homelessness if a single bad thing happened," Frey told WCCO.

Since 2020, the city and Hennepin County have invested over $200 million of pandemic relief funding into housing and homelessness response. Simpson Housing Services, which provides shelter, is expanding and will soon break ground on a new shelter and apartments with additional on-site services.

"We're looking to raise the bar in terms of quality and dignity with a purpose-built facility," explained executive director Steve Horsfield. "No one sleeps on top of each other, no more bunks."

"What we've been able to launch in the past four years has been working for folks," said Danielle Werder, manager of Hennepin County's office to end homelessness. "More people are getting housed, most people are service connected. We've moved more people into housing the last couple of years than we ever have."

But the homeless population is still outpacing the efforts and some of the federal funding is set to end. There's also the encampment issue that's been fueling neighborhood frustration.

"They're not safe for the people living in the encampments, and they're not safe for the surrounding neighbors," Frey said.

The group of mayors is pushing for an expansion of housing vouchers and subsidies for affordable housing to get more people off the streets and provide services to keep them housed.

"We're saying one of the best ways to deal with homelessness is to give people homes," Frey said.

One group particularly impacted by homelessness is those who have served in the U.S. military.

The task force of mayors would like to see an expansion of veteran eligibility for housing vouchers so that veterans don't have to choose between their disability benefits and housing.

Homelessness as a Social Issue Essay

Introduction, status quo/impacts, history/context, ethical solutions to the problem, recommendations, works cited.

Homelessness is a pertinent social problem that has been escalating over the past few decades. Efforts by different governments across the world to contain the problem have not been successful in dealing with homelessness (Atherton and Nicholls 96). Homelessness is attributed to poverty, substance abuse, mental disorders, unemployment, and increased rental rates, among other factors.

Chronic homeless is believed to be the major cause of other social problems such as poor health, substance abuse, and illiteracy amongst the affected individuals (Tompsett et al. 50). The cost incurred by governments in providing healthcare services for homeless individuals is high, and if the issue is not addressed in time, it may affect the world’s economy in the near future. This paper explores the issue of homelessness, its status and impacts, the historical context, and ethical solutions to the problem.

Statistics indicate that by March 2015, 578,424 individuals in the US were homeless (“National Alliance to End Homelessness” 5). According to the “National Alliance to End Homelessness,” about two-thirds of these people spend their nights in temporary shelters (6). In addition, one-third of the homeless individuals spend their nights either in cars or under bridges.

Moreover, a quarter of the group is composed of children who are under the age of 18 years (“National Alliance to End Homelessness” 7). Veterans form a great number of homeless individuals in the US, with about 57000 of them spending nights in temporary shelters or unsheltered places (“National Alliance to End Homelessness” 6).

Research indicates that homeless persons are at a high risk of contracting infectious diseases, which increases the cost of health, thus affecting the country’s economy (Tompsett et al. 53). Security of the population is also a major concern since such people have to carry their clothes and beddings to avoid loss through theft.

Homeless people’s privacy is not guaranteed, and they suffer from the shortage of sanitary materials, which exposes them to infectious illnesses and other health hazards (Atherton and Nicholls 113). The problem with this population is further compounded by the lack of addresses, which denies them job opportunities since employers require potential employees to prove their residency before they are hired (Cronley 329).

In addition, the groups have fewer chances of being admitted to educational institutions due to their poor financial and health conditions (Tompsett et al. 54). This population is highly susceptible to violence, and it contributes to increased crime rates where they reside. In addition, the government incurs huge losses in a bid to address other parallel social issues emanating from homelessness (Shelton et al. 468). The losses come in the form of healthcare costs, police patrols to deter crime by these groups, and civil cases, among others.

Homelessness is not an emerging issue as it dates back to the 17 th Century (Turnbull, Muckle, and Masters 1066). Initially, it was not viewed as a social problem, but as a moral issue and obligation as people moved from their rural areas to prove their financial wellbeing (Toro 477). However, today, the issue has turned into a social problem that requires stringent measures to contain it. Various groups have engaged the governments in civil suits in efforts to have the administration settle all the destitute persons.

The suits are premised on the Bill of Rights that guarantees each citizen the right to proper housing (Cronley 331). Research indicates that 20% of homeless persons suffer from untreated mental illnesses, and this aspect complicates the problem (Toro 477).

Research further indicates that the group is at a high risk of suffering from addiction in an effort to contain stress and ignominy associated with homelessness. Drug addiction has been one of the leading causes of death in the US, which makes the issue of homelessness a significant area of study and research (Tompsett et al. 57).

Homelessness has been a pertinent issue since the 17 th Century, and up to date, it has not been fully addressed despite huge resources being devoted to the fight against the issue (Turnbull, Muckle, and Masters 1066). The US is among the few countries that have been at the forefront in the fight against the ever-worsening social problem (Toro 472).

However, this task has been insurmountable due to the shortage of funds and the increased number of legal and illegal immigrants in the US (Cronley 322). According to the “National Alliance to End Homelessness,” the only way to deal with the issue of homelessness is through the provision of permanent houses to all homeless individuals, and many policymakers support this argument.

The market value of rental houses is increasing tremendously, thus leading to a loss in the available houses for the poor in society (Atherton and Nicholls 140). This aspect has led to an increased number of homeless persons in the country as more people join the homelessness state. The high number of homeless people in the world, coupled with the numerous cases of new homelessness cases have prompted various organizations to come up with programs aimed at providing permanent solutions to the recurring problem (Shelton et al. 471).

The Obama administration, through the Opening Doors initiative, has stated its commitment to achieving zero cases of homelessness in a span of 10 years. Since the Opening Doors campaign was launched in 2010, the US has recorded a 21% decrease in the number of homeless persons (“National Alliance to End Homelessness” 32).

The program is slated to achieve zero homelessness by the year 2017. However, it faces insurmountable challenges, among them being the inadequacy of funds. In addition to the Opening Doors, which is an initiative sponsored by the Obama administration, the American government has put in place other projects aimed at containing the issue of homelessness.

Another program that has successfully reduced the number of homelessness in the US is the Federal Housing Program, which is designed to provide permanent houses to low-income earners. The overall program is comprised of two subprograms, viz. the public housing and the federal housing vouchers.

Since its implementation, the program has seen most homeless individuals acquire homes. The rent charged to tenants living in homes provided through the program is slightly lower than the market rates, and it is determined by considering the annual income of each household.

The Permanent Supportive Housing is another program, which has seen the number of homeless people reduce significantly. The program was launched in the 1980s to address the issue of homelessness amongst special groups such as the mentally challenged and the HIV/AIDS victims (Shelton et al. 467). This program, together with the HUD, has managed to deter the increase in the number of the homeless population through the provision of affordable housing to the target groups.

Raising awareness about the problem to the public through the media and other public forums is another effective way of fighting the issue of homelessness (Cronley 327). Raising awareness invites people and organizations to help with inputs in the form of opinions and funds. This aspect is a good strategy for eliminating homelessness in some parts of the world.

For example, the Cornerstone Christian Church in Vista allowed homeless persons living in the streets to occupy its parking lot, following the awareness raised by the media (Tompsett et al. 48). The church allows the people to use the lot until they acquire a job or after they are financially stable enough to cater for their housing needs. The church also provides counseling services to veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) coupled with those suffering from substance abuse.

This aspect has helped in the reduction of the number of individuals without homes since stress and substance abuse are closely linked with the issue of homelessness (Shelton et al. 465). Awareness also attracts non-governmental organizations and the international community to come and assist the suffering group through financial and other forms of donations.

The United Way of San Diego and Project 25 are good examples of organizations that have joined the fight against homelessness due to the creation of awareness. The organizations provide homeless individuals with addresses with a mailbox that helps the groups find jobs easily coupled with facilitating their involvement in communal activities.

The following suggestions should be considered in a bid to counter homelessness:

• The government should initiate more programs to build houses for the homeless
• Advocacy groups should be empowered to champion the campaign against homelessness
• People exiting homelessness should be equipped with the necessary financial management skills in a bid to avoid the problem in the future.

Atherton, Iain, and Carol Nicholls. “‘Housing First’ as a means of addressing multiple needs and homelessness.” European Journal of Homelessness 2.1 (2008): 289-303. Print.

Cronley, Courtney. “Unraveling the social construction of homelessness.” Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment 20.2 (2010): 319-333. Print.

National Alliance to End Homelessness: The state of homelessness in America. Washington D.C: Homelessness Research Institute, 2015. Print.

Shelton, Katherine, Pamela Taylor, Adrian Bonner, Marianne Bree. “Risk factors for homelessness: evidence from a population-based study.” Psychiatric Services 60.4 (2009): 465-472. Print.

Tompsett, Carolyn, Paul Toro, Melissa Guzicki, Manuel Manrique, and Jigna Zatakia. “Homelessness in the United States: Assessing changes in prevalence and public opinion, 1993–2001.” American Journal of Community Psychology 37.2 (2006): 47-61. Print.

Toro, Paul. “Toward an international understanding of homelessness.” Journal of Social Issues 63.3 (2007): 461-481. Print.

Turnbull, Jeffrey, Wendy Muckle, and Christina Masters. “Homelessness and health.” Canadian Medical Association Journal 177.9 (2007): 1065-1066. Print.

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IvyPanda. (2020, April 21). Homelessness as a Social Issue. https://ivypanda.com/essays/homelessness-as-a-social-issue/

"Homelessness as a Social Issue." IvyPanda , 21 Apr. 2020, ivypanda.com/essays/homelessness-as-a-social-issue/.

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IvyPanda . 2020. "Homelessness as a Social Issue." April 21, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/homelessness-as-a-social-issue/.

1. IvyPanda . "Homelessness as a Social Issue." April 21, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/homelessness-as-a-social-issue/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Homelessness as a Social Issue." April 21, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/homelessness-as-a-social-issue/.

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Supreme Court to weigh whether bans targeting homeless encampments run afoul of the Constitution

By Melissa Quinn

Updated on: April 22, 2024 / 9:36 AM EDT / CBS News

Washington — The Supreme Court will hear arguments on Monday in a case  involving the homeless and bans on where they may sleep  — the most significant case on the issue in decades.

The dispute involves whether laws that punish homeless people with civil citations for camping on public property are outside the bounds of the Constitution. Cities have been searching for ways to address homeless encampments that they say threaten public health and safety, as the nation confronts a  spike in homelessness  driven in part by high housing costs and the end of COVID aid programs. 

 A decision will shed light on how far city and state officials can go to address homeless encampments and is likely to reach beyond the borders of the Oregon city at the center of the dispute.

There were 256,000 unsheltered people in the U.S. on a given night in 2023, according to a December report from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Homelessness rose 12% from 2022 to 2023, its highest level since tracking began in 2007, the report found , as housing prices soared and pandemic-era assistance programs expired.

"This is the most important Supreme Court case about homelessness in at least 40 years, and the results will be tremendous," said Jesse Rabinowitz, communications and campaign director at the National Homelessness Law Center, during a call with reporters. "This will either make it easier for cities to punish people for sleeping outside while failing to provide them shelter or housing, just like they did in Grants Pass, or it will push cities to fund actual solutions to homelessness."

The fight in Grants Pass

Grants Pass, a city in southern Oregon, has a population of nearly 40,000 people, and a decade ago, it ramped up enforcement of a series of ordinances that bar camping on public property or in city parks. A campsite is defined as "any place where bedding, sleeping bag, or other material used for bedding purposes, or any stove or fire is placed."

Violators are subject to fines of at least $295, but repeat offenders may be banned from a city park for 30 days. If a person violates that order by camping in a park, they are committing criminal trespass, punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $1,250 fine.

The city said in court papers that it enforced the ordinances "with moderation," issuing more than 500 citations from 2013 to 2018. A policy from the Grants Pass Department of Public Safety states "homelessness is not a crime," and the department does "not use homelessness solely as a basis for detention or law enforcement action."

In 2018, three homeless people in Grants Pass sued the city on behalf of its homeless population, alleging its public sleeping and camping ordinances unconstitutionally punished them by violating the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.

A federal district court in Oregon ruled for the challengers and barred Grants Pass from enforcing the public-camping ordinances during daytime hours without 24-hour notice, and at night entirely against the roughly 600 homeless people in the city. A divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit upheld the district court's ruling as to the public-camping rules.

"The City of Grants Pass cannot, consistent with the Eighth Amendment, enforce its anti-camping ordinances against homeless persons for the mere act of sleeping outside with rudimentary protection from the elements, or for sleeping in their car at night, when there is no other place in the city for them to go," Judge Roslyn Silver, who was on the 9th Circuit panel, wrote for the majority.

The full 9th Circuit declined to rehear the case over the dissent of 13 active judges and four senior judges. Judge Diarmuid O'Scannlain, joined by 14 judges, lambasted a ruling in an earlier, similar case involving a Boise law prohibiting public sleeping, blaming it for "paralyzing local communities and seizing policymaking authority that our federal system of government leaves to the democratic process."

In that case, the 9th Circuit ruled that if the number of homeless people in a city is greater than the number of available beds in shelters, a city cannot punish homeless people with criminal citations for sleeping in public.

Grants Pass officials urged the Supreme Court to reverse the 9th Circuit's decision, arguing that "modest" fines and short jail terms for camping on public property are not cruel and unusual punishments under the Eighth Amendment. 

They said that allowing it to stand prevents governments from "proactively addressing the serious social problems associated with the homelessness crisis," and threatens many other criminal prohibitions. 

"The homelessness crisis is a significant challenge for communities large and small throughout the nation. But '[n]ot every challenge we face is constitutional in character,'" lawyers for the city wrote in a filing. "And the solution is not to stretch the Eighth Amendment beyond its limits and place the federal courts in charge of this pressing social problem."

But Ed Johnson, director of litigation at the Oregon Law Center, who brought the suit on behalf of the homeless people in Grants Pass, said the word "camping" in the city's ordinances is misleading.

"The city has simply described the condition of living outside while trying not to die of hypothermia, and called it camping," he said in a call with reporters, noting that Grants Pass has no homeless shelters and a "severe" shortage of affordable housing.

He said the Eighth Amendment does not allow governments to fine, arrest and incarcerate those with no place else to go.

"Our case has always been about this narrow and fundamental issue that's currently before the Supreme Court," Johnson said. "Can a city make it illegal on every inch of city land, every minute of the day, for people to live outside when they have nowhere else to go? We believe the answer is no."

In court filings, Johnson and his co-counsel accused the city of punishing homeless people for sleeping or resting "anywhere on public property at any time with so much as a blanket to survive the cold" and said the laws make it "physically impossible for a homeless person who does not have access to shelter" to stay in Grants Pass without facing fines and jail time.

"The city's goal was to make its homeless residents so 'uncomfortable' that they would move to other jurisdictions," the lawyers wrote in a filing , referencing a comment by a city councilor, who said in 2013 that the point of Grants Pass' policies should be "to make it uncomfortable enough for [homeless people] in our city so they will want to move on down the road."

Johnson said Grants Pass is an outlier for the broad scope of its public camping ban, and he said at least four states have similar sweeping laws that prohibit homeless people from sleeping in public spaces. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law last month that bans homeless people from sleeping on sidewalks, in parks and other public places.

Efforts to address a homelessness crisis

The dispute has attracted input from a range of advocacy and law enforcement organizations, cities, states, members of Congress and the Biden administration.

The Justice Department told the Supreme Court in a filing that the 9th Circuit was right to find that the Eighth Amendment prohibits a local government from effectively criminalizing homelessness by prohibiting individuals who lack access to shelter from residing in that area. But it said applying that principle to a particular person requires a look at their circumstances, and the lower court was wrong to issue the broad injunctive relief that it did.

Those broad injunctions issued by U.S. district courts "may limit cities' ability to respond appropriately and humanely to encampments and other legitimate public health and safety concerns," Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, who represents the government before the Supreme Court, said.

She urged the Supreme Court to wipe away the 9th Circuit's decision and send the case back for further proceedings.

A group of 24 state attorneys general said in a friend-of-the-court brief there has been an increase in public encampments in large and small cities, creating public health and safety issues, and said upholding the 9th Circuit's decision would impinge on state and local governments' ability to respond to homelessness.

But six Democrat-led states said the ordinances in Grants Pass criminalize homelessness and, if adopted more widely, "could render significant portions of the country off-limits for people who are homeless."

"Every human being needs to sleep, and a person who is involuntarily homeless by definition has nowhere to sleep lawfully other than on public property," they argued in a filing . "Punishing such a person for sleeping on public property is equivalent to punishing her simply for being involuntarily homeless — the very criminalization of status that this court has held the Eighth Amendment  proscribes."

Several major cities have asked the Supreme Court to allow them to address public health and safety concerns that arise from homeless encampments.

The city of Phoenix and the League of Arizona Cities and Towns said municipalities must have the authority to "arrest, cite, or forcibly remove individuals camping on public property when their actions jeopardize public safety."  In San Francisco, which is facing a homelessness crisis, city leaders told the Supreme Court that the 9th Circuit's decision has prevented it from enforcing six state and local laws that place limits on where and when homeless people can sleep and erect tents on public property. 

"The city has been unable to implement the considered policy decisions of its Mayor and local legislature; unable to enforce the will of San Francisco voters; unable to allow conscientious City employees to do their jobs; and unable to protect its public spaces," lawyers for the city said in their brief, filed in support of neither party.

The lower court decisions have "harmed both San Francisco's housed and unhoused populations by causing obstructed and inaccessible sidewalks, unsafe encampments, and fewer unhoused people to accept services," they continued.

A decision from the Supreme Court is expected by the end of June.

Melissa Quinn is a politics reporter for CBSNews.com. She has written for outlets including the Washington Examiner, Daily Signal and Alexandria Times. Melissa covers U.S. politics, with a focus on the Supreme Court and federal courts.

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Nearly 50 mayors descend on Washington to push for action on veteran homelessness

A group of mayors from around the country traveled to Washington this week to meet with senior Biden administration officials and members of Congress to push for coordinated action to address homelessness, particularly among veterans. 

What You Need To Know

A group of mayors from around the country are in washington this week to meet with senior biden administration officials and members of congress to push for coordinated action to address homelessness, particularly among veterans  the united states conference of mayors task force on homelessness, chaired by los angeles mayor karen bass, started a multi-day trip to the nation's capital meeting with top white house and administration officials, including white house chief of staff jeff zients, domestic policy advisor neera tanden, office of management and budget director shalanda young, veterans affairs secretary denis mcdonough and office of intergovernmental affairs director tom perez  the group is calling for a cap on project-based vouchers, which those in attendance say gives cities more flexibility to build more affordable housing, to be lifted as well as action to address a rule that is currently forcing some veterans to choose between their disability benefits and housing  an administration official told spectrum news that president joe biden supports legislative action to ensure veterans receiving disability benefits are not disqualified from affordable housing .

The United States Conference of Mayors Task Force on Homelessness, chaired by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, kicked off the first full day of a multi-day trip to the nation's capital on Monday by huddling with top White House and administration officials, including White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, Domestic Policy Advisor Neera Tanden, Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young, Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough and Office of Intergovernmental Affairs Director Tom Perez. 

“The most important thing I think we discussed was to ensure that we all have an appreciation for the intersectionality of this,” Perez said of Monday’s meetings in an interview with Spectrum News on Tuesday. “You don’t simply solve these challenges by going to [the Department of Housing and Urban Development] and getting housing, many of the people who are encountering homelessness have a host of challenges.” 

Perez noted on the federal level, the Interagency Council on Homelessness brings together every department that has “skin in the game” to tackle the issue. Meetings like the one that took place on Monday, he said, allow for coordination between every level of government. 

“We also want to make sure we come together around a shared understanding of where are our gaps – and we know the gaps are considerable,” Perez said. “And what do we have to do collectively – federal, state and local level – so that we can bridge those gaps.” 

At a press conference outside the Capitol building on Tuesday alongside some of the nearly 50 mayors who made the trip to Washington and a few Democratic House members, Bass made clear the local officials are looking for more than funding. 

“You think when we come to Washington, it's just to ask for money,” Bass said on Tuesday. “Of course we always want money but money is not everything, we also need changes in rules and regulations, getting rid of the red tape so that we can get people off the streets.” 

Specifically, the group is calling for a cap on project-based vouchers, which those in attendance say gives cities more flexibility to build more affordable housing, to be lifted as well as action to address a rule that is currently forcing some veterans to choose between their disability benefits and housing. 

“Right now veterans who receive total or near disability compensation are unable to access affordable housing in many parts of our country because their VA benefits put them over the eligibility limits,” the top Democrat on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Rep. Mark Takano of California said on Tuesday. 

Takano on Tuesday added he is working with his colleagues to update how income is calculated in a bid to make sure veterans with service-connected disabilities are not deemed ineligible for permanent housing. He noted he believes such a move would need to be addressed through legislation, while emphasizing Congress would still need coordination from local officials. 

“Congress and the administration can do its part by dealing with a technical fix in the law but we still need the mayors, local officials and developers to be a part of the solution as well,” he said. 

An administration official told Spectrum News that President Joe Biden supports legislative action to address the issue and noted agency actions are also underway to resolve it. 

The mayors were also set to meet with a range of lawmakers on Hill, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., as well as the top Republican on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas and more. 

In a statement to Spectrum News, Veteran Affairs press secretary Terrence Hayes said over 46,000 veterans were connected to housing last year with Biden occupying the White House. Los Angeles in particular, saw nearly 1,800 veterans provided with permanent housing – the most of any city in the U.S., he said. 

“The President is determined to build on this progress, which is why his budget calls for guaranteed housing vouchers for every extremely low-income Veteran, ensuring that every Veteran gets the help they need and deserve to stay housed,” Hayes said. “We continue to work with Mayor Bass and mayors across the country on tackling Veteran homelessness, and we won’t rest until every Veteran has the safe, stable home that they deserve – in Los Angeles and all across America.”

Biden’s budget plan for the next fiscal year – which is unlikely to become law as it currently stands – proposes an expansion of 50,000 targeted housing vouchers for extremely low-income veterans. Under the plan, the president’s plan seeks to guarantee assistance for all veterans who are in need by 2033. 

“We’re committed to addressing the red tape at a federal level and I think there was a mutual commitment to identifying where the speed bumps are in every level of government,” Perez said. “I’ve worked in local, state and federal government – everybody has levers that they can deploy to combat homelessness and many of those levers are way too slow.”

Opinion | Police officers know that we’re not a…

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Opinion | police officers know that we’re not a solution to homelessness.

While we await the June decision, based on my experience as a career police professional, I know criminalizing homelessness is a misguided and inhumane approach that does nothing to address the core of this crisis. 

Instead, the sort of ordinances at issue in Grants Pass v. Johnson only compound the problem, further destabilizing individuals who are already struggling to get on their feet, while directing vital law enforcement resources toward low-level quality of life offenses that have little impact on public safety. This response is harmful for both homeless communities and for police, who end up wasting large amounts of time responding to minor incidents—time that could be focused on more violent and dangerous crimes. 

Throughout my policing career, I was often in charge of enforcing policies based on criminalization and arrest. After watching many of those policies fail to achieve their desired outcomes, I, like many law enforcement officials across the country, firmly believe that nobody should be punished simply because they don’t have a place to live. Grants Pass v. Johnson comes at a time of understandable frustration, when policymakers nationwide have failed to respond to the mounting homelessness crisis. But this case challenges us to reject false solutions that only churn unhoused people through vicious cycles of arrest, incarceration, and fines. 

This alarming trend of homelessness is fueled first and foremost by a lack of affordable housing, as highlighted by research from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University. Although many people believe substance use and mental illness are primary causes of homelessness, this is an oversimplification, as the conditions of life on the street often lead to declining mental health or increased drug dependence. 

Considering all of these factors, it’s evident that an approach based on criminalization does nothing to address the root causes of homelessness. The criminal justice system does not create more affordable housing. Nor does it provide meaningful assistance to those dealing with mental health or drug challenges. For decades, however, it has served as a pipeline to warehouse individuals who have nowhere else to live. 

Policies that place police further at the center of these criminalized responses to homelessness are also ineffective and counterproductive. Law enforcement officers are not trained or equipped to handle the myriad social issues often present among unhoused communities. Nor should they have to be. And yet, law enforcement remains the default response to homelessness in many cities in California and across the country. In San Francisco, for example, police were dispatched to nearly 100,000 complaints involving homelessness in 2017 alone, according to one study by the American Sociological Association. 

At the end of the day, we need compassionate and evidence-based solutions, not punitive measures. We cannot predict what the Supreme Court will decide, but regardless of the outcome, I urge cities not to implement similar measures. It’s time to take a new path forward with robust commitments to more effective, humane solutions.

Lt. Diane Goldstein (Ret.) is a 21-year police veteran and executive director of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP), a nonprofit group of police, judges, and other law enforcement professionals who support policies that improve public safety and police-community relations.

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Home — Essay Samples — Social Issues — Homelessness — Homelessness: Causes, Effects, and Solutions

Homelessness: Causes, Effects, and Solutions

• Categories: Homelessness

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Words: 687 |

Published: Feb 7, 2024

Words: 687 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

Table of contents

Causes of homelessness, economic factors, social factors, effects of homelessness, physical effects, psychological effects, solutions to homelessness, short-term solutions, long-term solutions, current state of homelessness.

• Poverty: Poverty is the primary cause of homelessness. Homeless individuals often lack access to basic resources such as food, clothing, and shelter. Poverty can result from a lack of education, low wages , or job loss.
• Unemployment: Unemployment is another significant economic factor contributing to homelessness. Many homeless individuals are unable to find stable employment due to limited education, job skills, or discrimination.
• Lack of affordable housing: The lack of affordable housing is a significant contributor to homelessness. Many individuals cannot afford the high cost of rent, and affordable housing is often limited in urban areas.
• Domestic Violence: Domestic violence is a significant social factor contributing to homelessness, particularly among women and children. Many victims of domestic violence flee their homes and become homeless.
• Substance Abuse: Substance abuse is another significant social factor contributing to homelessness. Homeless individuals often turn to drugs and alcohol to cope with their difficult situation, leading to addiction and further isolation.
• Mental Illness: Mental illness is a significant social factor contributing to homelessness. Many homeless individuals suffer from mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder, making it challenging to maintain stable housing and employment.
• Malnutrition: Homeless individuals often lack access to healthy food, leading to malnutrition and related health problems.
• Exposure to Extreme Weather: Homeless individuals are often exposed to extreme weather conditions such as heat, cold, and rain, leading to health problems such as hypothermia or heat stroke.
• Poor Hygiene: Homeless individuals often lack access to basic hygiene products such as soap and water, leading to poor hygiene and related health problems.
• Depression: Homeless individuals often experience feelings of hopelessness, loneliness, and depression, leading to mental health problems.
• Anxiety: Homeless individuals often experience anxiety related to their uncertain living situation, leading to mental health problems.
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Homeless individuals who have experienced trauma, such as domestic violence or natural disasters, may develop post-traumatic stress disorder, leading to mental health problems.
• Emergency Shelters: Emergency shelters provide temporary housing and basic needs such as food, clothing, and hygiene facilities for homeless individuals.
• Food Banks: Food banks provide free or low-cost food for homeless individuals who lack access to healthy food.
• Outreach Programs: Outreach programs provide support services such as counseling, job training, and healthcare for homeless individuals.
• Affordable Housing: Affordable housing provides stable, safe, and affordable housing for homeless individuals.
• Job Training Programs: Job training programs provide homeless individuals with the skills and education needed to secure stable employment.
• Mental Health Treatment: Mental health treatment provides homeless individuals with the necessary mental health support to manage their mental health issues and improve their quality of life.
• Statistics: According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, there were an estimated 580,000 homeless people in the United States in 2020.
• Homelessness and COVID-19: The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the homelessness crisis, with many homeless individuals lacking access to healthcare and shelter.
• Homelessness in Urban vs Rural Areas: Homelessness is more prevalent in urban areas, but rural areas also have a significant homeless population, often with limited access to resources and support services.

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