Tackle the root causes of homelessness

Mecklenburg County Commissioner Pat Cotham recently said: “There’s a difference between getting rid of a problem and dumping people or really being thoughtful and sensitive and trying to help them.”

I concur.

Homelessness is an issue of compassion and humanity. Homelessness is not solved by merely giving someone a place to live temporarily. The idea that New York would transport a homeless person to another jurisdiction — as a report revealed last month — without doing anything to help address the root cause of homelessness is appalling.

My family and I have experienced and witnessed the realities of homelessness.

We have a close relative who had mental health struggles that led to years of homelessness. This was someone we cared about deeply, whose mental health and addiction struggles took her from being successful to a place where she lost everything. She went out for a walk one afternoon and never came home. Missing persons reports and police assistance did not find her. Years later she reached out and was ready for help. She had wandered across half the country. We made sure she received the mental healthcare and addiction recovery services she needed. This was successful in large part because she admitted she had a problem and trusted us to help her.

We knew a couple with a daughter who lost all sources of income and was evicted from her home. We opened our home to her family for several months. It took months to find employment. In addition to having a roof over their head and food to eat, we assisted in the job search, giving advice and helping with networking in the community.

I share these stories to focus on a critical point. We must not only address the immediate and physical needs of those who are homeless. More importantly, we must address the root causes that ultimately contribute to homelessness.

We know there isn’t enough affordable housing in the U.S., but housing alone does not address the causes of homelessness.

Physical and mental health challenges, disabilities, alcoholism, and addiction as well as domestic violence, trauma, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can make it difficult to maintain stability. These can lead to homelessness. When someone does not have access to affordable healthcare and mental healthcare, or to education and vocational opportunities, these challenges are exacerbated.

The latest U.S. government report on homelessness shows that shifting from faith-based to government solutions is preventing Americans from finding support. We are preventing the free market from providing effective solutions and leaving vulnerable people reliant on the government.

Some organizations that have produced the best outcomes in addressing the root causes of homelessness are private organizations such as the Dream Center, the Doe Fund, and the Charlotte Rescue Mission.

The Council of Economic Advisers detailed conditions in its report on “The State of Homelessness in America,” released in September. It found that “rent controls” may have priced homeless Americans out of an affordable home; permissive policies increase homelessness; and those with no connection to a church or the faith community are 60 percent more likely to become homeless.

It’s high time big cities stop putting a band-aid on a gushing wound and tackle the root causes of homelessness. Instead of dismissing the success of private and religious organization in helping people to overcome their skill limitations and mental health and addiction issues, city, state and federal government should be partnering with these groups to win the war on poverty and homelessness.

Shame on the leadership in New York who thought it would be better to provide temporary and ultimately ineffective assistance, instead of offering real help and healing.