Homelessness in the US increased by 12% in 2023, reaching a total of 653,104 people on the
streets or in shelters. The US has over 15 million unoccupied residences (either home or rental units). One solution I can think of would be to house the individuals experiencing homelessness in unoccupied homes and have the government guarantee the rent to the homeowners (similar to section 8). This policy would incentivize property owners to find tenants among the people experiencing homelessness for their unoccupied dwellings so they could start making some money in the form of rent from the government. Doing this would enable people who are homeless not to have to worry about finding shelter and how they will make it through today, and perhaps allow them to build a life for themselves from a stable foundation.
In Daniel Kahneman’s “Thinking Fast & Slow” he highlights the increase in happiness that an individual receives when their basic needs (food, shelter, healthcare) are met is exponentially greater than subsequent increases, for example going from earning $100,000 to $250,000 a year. This shows me how essential it should be to get the hundreds of thousands off the street and into the unoccupied dwellings. For the sake of argument, I will lay out the benefits from a capitalist standpoint rather than a humanitarian standpoint. When individuals do not have a solid foundation, they cannot take care of themselves. When they cannot care for themselves consistently, it harms their mental and physical well-being. This causes many people to turn to drugs & alcohol as a way to cope. I’m sure you can relate. How often have you had a stressful day at work when you needed a drink? How many arguments with your significant other end with a beer or bourbon on rocks? Over time, due to the addictive nature of alcohol and the many drugs on the market today (thanks to big Pharma), people develop an addiction. Once you are addicted, it doesn’t matter what resources you have at your disposal; it can be extremely tough to beat. Now imagine you are addicted and on the street. Caring for yourself becomes even more complicated, and you rely solely on shelters, food banks, and emergency services, which are often far more expensive than housing. The answer lies in supporting people before they turn to alcohol and drugs and providing addiction treatment and support to those already experiencing it. Investment must be made in rehabilitating people and setting them up for success. Helping them find their unique gift and to show them they can contribute to the world. We all have a light inside of us that deserves to be seen. Many people's light has been stomped out because it wasn’t profitable in our modern society. We need to stop looking at people as profit-making machines and instead see them for the human beings they are. By giving people a foundation, we enable them to build themselves into the people they want to become. The people who have experienced the most loss and challenging times are often the first to help others because they know what it's like. These 600,000+ people deserve our support, and when they get back on their feet, they will repay our investment in them tenfold with the good they pour back into their communities. Our society conditions us to dehumanize people experiencing homelessness. We can’t individually help every person we see who is homeless, so we walk past them every day. Living in a society that doesn’t value human life more than money feels wrong. I can’t fix the housing crisis, although I think my plan would be an improvement. I founded Cherry WIllow Apparel to show the world how beautiful its homeless citizens are. The people on the street are no different from those in homes. They are brave, they face the unknown everyday. They are strong, they’ve been weathered by a society that has outcast them. They are kind, many will give what little they have to people that have less. Please consider supporting people experiencing homelessness by showing them you care. Engage with them and share their stories. Buy some really cool merchandise that gives back to the most vulnerable in our society. Think about how a person who is homeless would feel when they see you supporting a brand created for them. Even if you don’t engage with them, they’ll know you support ending homelessness, and hopefully, that will bring a smile to their face. The world could use a few more smiling people, and by supporting Cherry Willow Apparel, you can bring a smile to someone who could use one!
