I had an argument with my father when I was in my 20s because he believed that people were homeless because they wanted to be. (He also believed that people lived in housing projects because they wanted to - or didn't want to work). I don't know how he reconciled the fact that I and my children lived in public housing for 8 years. I was a young single mother and neither of their fathers contributed in a meaningful way to their financial care. One long-term illness, one lost job, just one bit of bad luck and we would have been homeless. I lived paycheck to paycheck and was very aware that I lived on the razor's edge. People like my father are very convinced that their privilege is a result of their hard work. We need to care for our people as a society. In lifting them up, we will all benefit.
The mark of a failing society is how it treats its incarcerated and its unhoused. And we are blowing it. The unhoused crisis is at an all time peak. It is a stark reminder of our collective failure as a collective. :(
The argument against providing housing is the same sad argument around student loans. If I paid my loans others should pay theirs. If I purchased my house others should do the same. The boot strap theory is tired. God forbid any of us with privledge ever fall on hard times.
Its truly frustrating how selfish we as a society can be. Especially when the truth is, if we don't provide housing and support to those who need it, they will inevitably become a problem for everyone anyway. We're seeing it now. All of our liberations are tied to each other, and we do a service for ourselves and our loved ones, when we offer support to those who need it.
It’s always just a matter of political will. The successes you point to prove this is both doable AND beneficial for the greater society in so many ways. It is also an act of faith, compassion, and love for our fellow human Beings which is why, because it is an act of political will first and foremost, we will always have unhoused people in our lives to ignore. I don’t like that either, but we don’t (yet) have strong political leaders to turn this into “the American Way.” I loved your story—thank you for sharing it.
I had an argument with my father when I was in my 20s because he believed that people were homeless because they wanted to be. (He also believed that people lived in housing projects because they wanted to - or didn't want to work). I don't know how he reconciled the fact that I and my children lived in public housing for 8 years. I was a young single mother and neither of their fathers contributed in a meaningful way to their financial care. One long-term illness, one lost job, just one bit of bad luck and we would have been homeless. I lived paycheck to paycheck and was very aware that I lived on the razor's edge. People like my father are very convinced that their privilege is a result of their hard work. We need to care for our people as a society. In lifting them up, we will all benefit.
The mark of a failing society is how it treats its incarcerated and its unhoused. And we are blowing it. The unhoused crisis is at an all time peak. It is a stark reminder of our collective failure as a collective. :(
The argument against providing housing is the same sad argument around student loans. If I paid my loans others should pay theirs. If I purchased my house others should do the same. The boot strap theory is tired. God forbid any of us with privledge ever fall on hard times.
Its truly frustrating how selfish we as a society can be. Especially when the truth is, if we don't provide housing and support to those who need it, they will inevitably become a problem for everyone anyway. We're seeing it now. All of our liberations are tied to each other, and we do a service for ourselves and our loved ones, when we offer support to those who need it.
It’s always just a matter of political will. The successes you point to prove this is both doable AND beneficial for the greater society in so many ways. It is also an act of faith, compassion, and love for our fellow human Beings which is why, because it is an act of political will first and foremost, we will always have unhoused people in our lives to ignore. I don’t like that either, but we don’t (yet) have strong political leaders to turn this into “the American Way.” I loved your story—thank you for sharing it.