How to tackle homelessness

When we talk about homelessness we are actually talking about two things at the same time.

First we are talking about how to improve the safety and standards of public spaces.

Second we are talking about how to help people who are suffering.

Improving Safety & Standards in Public Spaces

We are all called to follow the same set of standards regardless of our circumstances. This is the backbone of society.

It's tempting to let certain behavior slide out of sadness or guilt however this doesn't help the suffering or create a strong society.

If we feel sadness our call to action is to volunteer at a shelter, or be a better person to the people in our lives. It is not to accept anti-social behavior.

Improving Homeless Programs

We can improve our homeless programs by better defining the problems that lead to homelessness. From here we can design programs for each group.

The more focused a program is, the easier it is to measure, the easier to measure, the easier to improve.

Problem 1 - Situationally Homeless

This group includes people who are experiencing a life event that has resulted in loss of housing.

Examples:

• Fleeing domestic abuse
• Sudden economic hardship
• Natural disasters
• Runaway youths

Problem 2 - Severe Mental Illness

This group includes people who have a severe mental illness and due to that are unable to be independent. Severe mental illness blocks a person from accurately perceiving reality. This makes a person unable to make choices within their best interest.

Problem 3 - Addiction

This group includes people who were previously independent however now are suffering from drug addiction.

More thoughts coming soon..