Homelessness and the National Conversation

It is nearly 2016 and by the time I finish typing this sentence we might have a few more preliminary presidential candidates, bringing the bipartisan total to around 42.

And no matter who you support or from which forums you get your (mis)information, there is one common denominator that unites them all: homelessness is not an issue that merits much attention. I am not advocating or campaigning for a specific person, but merely emphasizing there is an entire homeless demographic that is largely ignored or chained to other issues like poverty, unemployment, hunger, or a myriad of other social ills. But the issue of homelessness as a headliner is largely ignored. Why?

Show me the money. Resolving homelessness requires spending and re-appropriating funds in different avenues with unconventional ideas, especially when the housing-first model is seriously considered. The most obvious solution to homelessness is providing housing which can be an expensive solution. This would entail billions of dollars that political leaders are not willing to spend in spite of strong evidence showing it is demonstratively cheaper to house the homeless rather than allowing them to live on the streets using emergency rooms, paramedics, and law enforcement.

No vote. Homeless citizens are a silent political bloc with no influence because most of them do not vote. If politicians were forced to deal with this large demographic - on a single night in January 2013, 610,042 people were experiencing homelessness*- the political narrative of this country would change. But these voters are not empowered and political dollars go to the most influential. I'll have more on homeless voting later this week.

Longevity instead of a quick solution. Because American politics are cyclical, working toward realistic solutions involving homelessness would last more than one term. Leaders willing to invest billions of dollars and implement the construction of hundreds of thousands of housing units would not see their results accomplished in one or two political terms. The next leader would get the credit and this is, sadly, not acceptable in a society where politicians need to produce immediate results.

It makes people uncomfortable. Resolving homelessness means admitting homelessness, nationally, exists. In a Pinterest-Instagram-society of piano-playing kittens, images of homelessness are disconcerting and prompt discussion and not simply liking something on Facebook. How do you describe and explain the solutions to domestic violence, post-traumatic stress syndrome, substance abuse, and/or mental health disease with Tweets?

Finger pointing is less expensive. Anyone taking the blame for social ills commits political suicide. Because there is a lack of advocates for the homeless, they are a silent and underrepresented majority which lacks a strong national voice. It seems easier to blame the homelessness and make inaccurate generalizations; they are in their respective positions because they are lazy, criminal, mentally disturbed, and choose to live on the street or or happy to live on government help. Investing money and political capital on them is a futile endeavor.
What can be done to raise these issues and make our legislators take notice of homelessness? I would love to write more, but 6 more candidates have jumped into the presidential pool and are ready to pay marginal attention.

*Information courtesy of National Alliance to End Homelessness