Andrew Jowers: Don't get caught up in the politics of homelessness
The plight of homelessness and the lack of affordable housing in my opinion is a national disgrace. The evidence is overwhelmingly clear.
It is well documented that America is one of the most prosperous nations on earth but still has a severe shortage of affordable housing with far too many Americans being homeless nightly. Many of our fellow citizens suffer because they lack a safe place to live. Far too many Americans fail to view this problem as serious because there is no one that they know is homeless.
Have you noticed that most empty buildings and underpasses have been boarded up or closed in with chain link fence? Why? Is it because the homeless use them as shelters? Most Americans only see the homeless when they commute to and from work, and then it’s a quick glimpse, which is all too fast, and they vanish out of view. The homeless are not just people down on their luck, but they are teenagers, struggling families and even military veterans. These folks have lost the greatest thing of all, a place to call home. They are just like us, human beings.
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Homelessness has been with us a long time, especially in large urban centers. We cannot blame one group or lay this problem at the feet of one political party, whether Republican, Democrat or Independent. It’s our failure! We allowed it to exist and now it’s getting worse. Yes, we have stayed silent too long.
Most Americans are unaware of their local homeless shelters that is sometimes right down the street or on the next block. They still do not see the homeless. I wonder, if homelessness and the lack of affordable housing is a causality of American carnage, how is it possible today, in the 21st century, that homelessness exists at all in the most prosperous nation on earth and was allowed to worsen during a worldwide pandemic? The problem of the lack of affordable housing and homelessness was believed to be only the problem of the unemployed and the poor. Today we must now include the working poor and middle class as well. There are many factors that contribute to homelessness. Therefore, let’s begin by defining homelessness first and discuss the reasons that drive the lack of affordable housing.
Merriam-Webster defines homelessness as having no home or permanent place of residence. This definition falls woefully short in helping us understand the full scope of human suffering. First, it’s time for Americans to take ownership of this national disgrace called homeless. There are documented facts upon facts stated in the Annual Homeless Assessment Report, which is a HUD report to the U.S. Congress, that provides nationwide estimates of homelessness. This report contains information about the demographic characteristics of homeless persons, service use patterns and capacity to house homeless persons. This data is just that, data, numbers, and statistics void of a human face. We must add a face to the homeless. We must add a face to those seeking affordable housing, those who find themselves on the low rungs of the economic ladder.
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It is my opinion that the homeless and those searching for affordable housing are suffering from high levels of poverty as well. How did we arrive at this economic cliff of human suffering? Let’s look back at our history. Race and ethnicity played a pivotal role in creating the huge divisions and discrepancies we see in our society, past and present. We will not solve the problems of the lack of affordable housing and homelessness without truthfully dealing with the greatest ill of all, systematic racism.
Racial disparity and the lack of equity in Black and brown communities contribute to poverty and other social ills. Poverty or the lack thereof dictates how and where one lives. Again, we must tackle this uncomfortable truth. We can no longer ignore it. We must have a serious debate on how to deal with its deadly consequences, which are paralyzing our system. Systemic racism is the most dangerous threat that America faces today. It’s a great drain on our nation’s productivity.
Politicians know and understand this deadly dynamic all too well. Some exploit it, while others disguise it as a struggle between conservatives and Democrats, the far-right and the far-left. The question facing us is this? Will we as Americans accept, acknowledge and repent of our past failures. Every nation has its great, good and, yes, bad history. America has a dark past which we must come to grips with it, no matter how painful it may be. Each of us must resist getting caught up in the political argument and war which paralyzes many of the nation’s elected leaders. The choice before us is, will we change course? Will grassroots Americans, like small town USA, Galesburg, Illinois, change?
Andrew Jowers is a minister in Galesburg. He has contributed to the Many Paths column for the last year.
This article originally appeared on Galesburg Register-Mail: Andrew Jowers: We must face homelessness in Galesburg
