Vilifying the Homeless Makes a Troubling Problem Worse

A December 2022 report from the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development found that 582,462 people were experiencing homelessness on a single night in January 2022. Single individuals not part of family households represent the largest group experiencing homelessness. Black, African American, or African, as well as indigenous people (including Native Americans and Pacific Islanders) continue to be overrepresented among those experiencing homelessness.

Homelessness is not a choice, yet this has become an issue of contention in a divisive country. I see this within my own #Arizona community. While a recent count uncovered only two #homeless individuals, our town has been a blueprint for using homelessness to rile residents, push fear, and create a “bogeyman” based on unfounded claims and fabrications. In turn, the community has split: moral vs. immoral; empathetic vs. callous; truthers vs. deceivers. When the town’s social media page recently included a post about a local #homeless man being a military vet with comments from several people offering encouragement, prayers, and links and phone numbers to area shelter and services agencies, the page’s administrator purged the post, purportedly because it ran contrary to his and an elected official’s homeless narrative.

Whatever residents are experiencing, it is nothing compared to living unsheltered on the street among drug and mental health disorders and more. “People are frequently victimized, adding to a lifetime of trauma that can come with being poor. Chronic physical health problems, like hypothermia, are sometimes a consequence of homelessness, while others, such as diabetes, are difficult to treat when sleeping on the street.” (#UrbanInstitute)

Even if a shelter has openings, it may be challenging for homeless individuals to gain admittance.

United to End Homelessness:

“In our experience, we’ve learned that at minimum 82% of those we engage with, at the street-level, are interested in getting connected to the support that they need. However, it is common for many of our clients to desire not to leave their community that they have deep connections in, even when a shelter is available outside of their city. They also desire to bring what little possessions they do have, along with pets, to a shelter but not every shelter program has the capacity to support individuals with those needs.”

Arizona #housing prices have gone through the roof, and not enough housing is available. Why are we vilifying the homeless when many of us are one paycheck or one tragic life event from potentially being in the same position? No one desires homelessness. As a society—through legislature, public planning, town council, and homeless service provider collaboration—we must #change. That includes first and foremost respecting and compassionately understanding the disenfranchised, the marginalized, and anyone and anything depending on a voice that they often do not have. It can start as simply as that. (Don Scott opinion)