The Pandemic Of Homelessness

“People who are homeless are not social inadequates. They are people without homes.”- Sheila McKechnie. Homelessness is pervasive. October 10 2022 marks the 12th annual World Homeless Day. The purpose of World Homeless Day is to draw attention to the needs of people who experience homelessness and provide opportunities for the community to get involved in responding to homelessness. Homelessness is one of the most pressing social issues of the 21st century. The increase cost of housing is perhaps at the foundation of homelessness in many instances. A significant number of individuals are not receiving a livable wage and as a result their housing needs are not being met. Is there an official definition of homelessness? The United States of America Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) defines homeless as: “an individual who lacks housing (without regard to whether the individual is a member of a family), including an individual whose primary residence during the night is a supervised public or private facility (e.g., shelters) that provides temporary living accommodations, and an individual who is a resident in transitional housing. A homeless person is an individual without permanent housing who may live on the streets; stay in a shelter, mission, single room occupancy facilities, abandoned building or vehicle; or in any other unstable or non-permanent situation. An individual may be considered to be homeless if that person is “doubled up,” a term that refers to a situation where individuals are unable to maintain their housing situation and are forced to stay with a series of friends and/or extended family members. According to the United Nations, globally, 1.6 billion people worldwide live in inadequate housing solutions, with 15 million forcefully evicted yearly. It is widely reported that the top five cities worldwide with people experiencing homelessness are: Manila with the highest estimated rate of homelessness at 3 million. Over 61,000 people are homeless in New York. Los Angeles city has a homeless population of 36,000; Mexico City homeless population is estimated between 15, 000-30,000 and Mumbai in India has an estimated homeless population of 20,000. The United Nations states the immediate cause of homelessness is often a specific circumstance in people’s life, but homelessness always has structural drivers. These drivers include poverty, shortage of affordable housing, lack of access to social protection, discrimination, social exclusion and privatization of public services. Additionally, numerous social and economic factors drive the most vulnerable population into being unsheltered. One of which is mental health. Issues associated with mental health, such as bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder and schizophrenia can and do limit an individual’s ability to secure and maintain a job. This will also impact that individual’s ability to maintain his/her housing. Additionally, substance abuse and addiction also hinders an individual’s ability to focus his/her attention on personal care and financial responsibilities. Wars and natural disasters such as earthquakes and hurricanes have also contributed to homelessness in many societies. Last but by no means least; physical health also is responsible for homelessness. In many instances individuals with a severe illness oftentimes have difficulty paying for medical bills, especially, since universal health insurance is not universal in most societies. At times a difficult choice has to be made between paying for medical care or paying for housing needs. Women in particularly find it rather challenging regarding housing needs. For women, domestic violence is a leading cause of homelessness. For women, domestic violence is a leading cause of homelessness. Working Poverty Working poverty refers to a situation where families with at least one person in paid work have a household income that keeps them below an officially recognized poverty line. The International Labour Organization (ILO) states employment should be a vector to lift people out of poverty, but this is only true if job quality is sufficient, including adequate earnings, job security and safe working environments. The relationship between employment and poverty depends greatly on the extent to which decent work is ensured in the labour market. The working poverty rate reveals the proportion of the employed population living in poverty despite being employed, implying that their employment-related incomes are not sufficient to lift them and their families out of poverty and ensure decent living conditions. For the purpose of international comparability, the poverty line used for the measurement of this indicator refers to an absolute international poverty line of US$1.90 per capita per day at purchasing power parity. The minimum wage in Jamaica is currently at $9,000 per 40 hour work week while the exchange rate is $154 Jamaican dollars is needed to purchase US$1. The United Nations confirmed that working poverty rates have increased pushing a further 8 million workers into poverty. The COVID-19 pandemic has also contributed to a significant number of job losses which invariably have led to increased poverty. Homelessness oftentimes leads to the creation of unplanned settlements. There are many associated problems with unplanned communities such as a lack of proper sanitation which can result in the spread of diseases. Additionally, the absence of infrastructural development, such as water, electricity and government services are often lacking in such unplanned settlements. The desperation many homeless individuals face forces them to occupy unused lands in order to build a shelter for themselves and their families. No one is condoning this action; however the root cause must be interrogated as governments seek to find workable solutions to address the issue of homelessness. The pandemic of homelessness needs a collective effort to impact positive change. In addition to highlighting the problem of homelessness, World Homeless Day addresses the need to build adequate housing which is safe and captures all the basic amenities for comfortable living. Housing Solutions Those who are homeless many times are stigmatized and discriminated against. Other vulnerable groups in the society which are disproportionately impacted by homelessness include refugees, migrants and members of the LGBTQ communities. Regrettably, there are those in the society who have harmed or even murdered the homeless. These acts of violence perpetrated against the homeless must be condemned and the justice system must ensure that the rights of the homeless are safeguarded. Homelessness does not discriminate, neither should we. The fear of homelessness hangs over our heads daily. The reality is many of us who have a roof over our heads are only a paycheck from being homeless ourselves. Too often we have an image of a homeless person being one who is old with ragged clothes and a disheveled persona; however, many homeless persons are relatively well dressed managing their 9 to 5 jobs but live in their cars or some transitional housing facility. The rapid commercialization of once residential areas is a cause for concern. As developers change the dynamics of residential communities the swell of homelessness continues unabated eroding the moral and social fabric of societies. Undoubtedly, there is a role for politicians in addressing the needs of the homeless. However, private-public partnerships such as the National Housing Trust, Food for the Poor, real estate developers, the church, urban planners, local government as well as those at the community level must be part of the discussion and solution. Let us for a moment imagine the transformative impact affordable housing would have on the society, on any society for that matter. The transformative impact on generations would be astounding in terms of land ownership as well as breaking the cycle of poverty. Landlessness has been part of the discourse ever since slavery was abolished in 1838. The issue of home ownership in post-slavery societies such as those in the Caribbean is critical to our sense of identity. This ownership also serves as a connection to our ancestors who worked and died as slaves on large plantations. It is the responsibility of governments to address and eradicate all forms of poverty in their societies. Too many individuals are falling through the cracks and are ending up below the poverty line. Governments need to execute more housing solutions and social safety net for the most vulnerable in the society. The discussion regarding homelessness must be done in an atmosphere of dignity and honesty. Let us work in unison to create a society where everyone has a place to call home. Shelter is a basic human need. The time to tackle the problem of homelessness is now. In the words of Michael Shellenberger, homelessness has become a human rights crisis. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo © #WorldHomelessDay #WHD #homeless #Endhomelessnee