Aram Ghoogasian: Organizations should address root problems of homelessness
(United Way of Greater Los Angeles)
By Aram Ghoogasian
Oct. 2, 2014 1:37 a.m.
Many homeless people have problems that can’t be solved with a new home; it’s just more complicated than that.
And oftentimes, these complexities don’t get the attention they deserve.
Over the next 15 years, Los Angeles homeless organizations will receive $214 million in funding from public and private backers, much of which will be used to house 1,400 homeless people and implement a tracking and placement system that helps organizations pair the most vulnerable with housing that best fits their needs.
While well-intentioned, this boost falls a bit short. Placing people in housing doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll stay in housing. The danger of losing a newly acquired home is a grave reality for the previously homeless. And even in cases where the homeless are given permanent housing, they may be unable to build and sustain independence, particularly if they struggle with mental illness or drug addiction.
If these people can’t become independent, providing them with a home can only goes so far. Many homeless people will likely live better lives because of the initiative, but the systemic issues that produce and maintain the high levels of homelessness go unaddressed.
It’s necessary to directly tackle the problems that leave people on the streets, not just the issue of providing shelter. These organizations’ efforts should go toward addressing the causes of homelessness both on an individual and systemic level in additional to providing housing.
Homelessness is a product of a society that allows vulnerable people to fall through the cracks. If the root of the issue that causes these people to become homeless goes unaddressed, providing them with housing alone winds up being an exercise in futility.
There are a myriad of ways that people could lose their homes, especially in Los Angeles. George McQuade III, director of communications from the Los Angeles Homelessness Services Authority, said the high cost of living in L.A. is one of the biggest systemic problems. He added that inaccessible medical care and job opportunities are also huge contributors to L.A. homelessness.
Placing homeless people in homes doesn’t prevent the gestation of another poverty-stricken generation or solve these sprawling issues. This new move is a valiant effort and deserves some credit for attempting to tackle a big issue. But the damage caused by the situation these people live in, whether that damage is economic, medical or psychological, is often difficult to fix with a figurative Band-Aid, which is essentially what this grant is.
Charity efforts have been going on for decades, but the homeless population of California actually increased from 2012-2013. External factors like the economy and an increasing population have proven too powerful to combat with initiatives and grants geared toward getting people off the streets. These efforts have been around for a while, and people should be skeptical about their effectiveness.
Though the money raised is technically a positive for society, showing that people are feeling the need to act and alleviate the suffering of others, there are drawbacks that come with the grant. With charity comes an element of nearsightedness. Housing the homeless now may put a dent in the homeless population for the time being, but soon it will be necessary for another grant to help future homeless people when the causes of homelessness go unchecked.
To truly address the problem, jobs and fair wages need to be accessible to those who seek them out. Organizations that help the homeless need to recognize that providing housing does not ultimately address that larger issue. Homeless people can’t be plucked off the street and expected to get a job and radically change their lives immediately. Those who are unable to seek out work and provide for themselves need to be rehabilitated, not left on a city sidewalk to waste away because they can’t afford what should be a right: the opportunity to live free of extreme economic hardship.
When the remedy to a social ill fails to address the larger problem, it prolongs it. When efforts are made to cure homelessness in certain individuals rather than to create conditions under which homelessness is nearly impossible, homelessness will only persist. It’ll take something more radical than throwing money at the problem to solve it.
