ways to help homeless essay

Essays About Homelessness: Top 8 Examples Plus Prompts

Everyone has heard of homeless people at some point in their lives; if you are writing essays about homelessness, read our top essay examples and prompts.

Poverty is one of the greatest evils in the world. Its effects are seen daily, from people begging on the streets to stealing to support their families. But unfortunately, one of the most prominent and upsetting diversity is homelessness. Homelessness is a significant problem in even the most developed nations, including the U.S. and Canada. Despite all the resources used to fight this issue, countries often lack the means to reduce homelessness significantly. With the proper aid, homelessness can be entirely eradicated in the future. 

If you want to write essays about homelessness, keep reading to see our essay examples and helpful writing prompts.

2. A journey with the homeless by Sujata Jena

3. i chose to be homeless: reflections on the homeless challenge by emily kvalheim, 4. my experience being homeless by scott benner, 5. what people get wrong when they try to end homelessness by james abro, 1. causes of homelessness , 2. how can homelessness be reduced, 3. mental illness and homelessness, 4. reflection on homelessness, 5. is homelessness a “personal problem”.

Are you looking for more? Check out our guide packed full of transition words for essays

1. That Homeless Man is My Brother by Megan Regnerus

“But the subtext of my friend’s statement is really Why should I give money to someone who’s lazy; who isn’t willing to work for money like I do?’ And to that I say, her opinion that people who ask for money are freeloaders who could work but choose not to, is based on assumption. It relies on the notion that the two things that shape us into able-bodied adults who can hold down a regular job, nature and nurture, are level playing fields. And they’re not.”

Regnerus writes about a friend’s claim that the homeless are “lazy,” reminding her of her homeless brother. She cites genetics and circumstance as contributing factors to homelessness. Despite the other woman being her friend, Regnerus strongly refutes her belief that the homeless are non-disabled freeloaders- they should be treated with empathy. For more, check out these articles about homelessness .

“I realize that the situation of poverty and homelessness is a huge social problem around the world. But when I meet them, I face fellow human beings, not some abstract “social problem.” The very phrase, “What would Jesus do at this scene?” haunted me.  I ventured to ask their names, age, where they came from, where they live (street, bridges, cemetery) and the reason they are on the streets. Their stories are poignant. Each one has a unique story to tell about his/her reason to be homeless, how they were forced to leave distant rural villages to live on the city streets. I tried to listen to them with empathy.”

In her essay, Jena remembers the homeless people in Manila, Philippines. She can see them beyond some “aspect of society” as human beings. She empathizes with them extensively and recalls the words of Jesus Christ about loving others, particularly the neediest.

“I, too, have not been compassionate enough, and I have allowed my prejudices to distort my view of the homeless. One woman, who sat across from me at a feeding program, talking to herself erratically, may have seemed strange to me before the Homeless Challenge. But when I really saw myself as her equal, and when I took the time to watch her get up and laugh as she danced to the music playing in the background, I thought she was beautiful. She had found her own happiness, amidst despair.”

Kvalheim details her experiences during an immersion challenge with the homeless. She recalls both the discrimination and generosity she experienced and her experiences with other homeless people. She was amazed to see how they could stay positive despite their terrible circumstances. We should be thankful for what we have and use it to help others in need. 

“As my funds dwindled, and the weather got colder, I sought shelter at Father Bill’s in Quincy Ma. When you are homeless, sometimes very small things mean a lot. A dry pair of socks, shoes without holes, a pocketful of change. You begin to realize how much you value your personal space. You begin to realize other people want space too. A lot of people have issues or have suffered in one way or another and you can see their pain. I think that there are people who for a variety of issue are chronically homeless and a larger portion of homeless are transitioning through a series of bad events.”

Benner’s essay, written for the company ArtLifting, reflects on his experience of being homeless for a brief while. Then, he and his wife grew ill, and Benner sought refuge at a homeless shelter after his company shut down. After that, he realized how his struggles were very different from those of others and the value of the more minor things he previously took for granted. Luckily, he escaped homelessness by making art with the help of ArtLifting. 

“The court denied my sister’s request and named me our mother’s legal guardian, but it appointed my sister as guardian of her property.  In 2009, when my mother passed away, my sister evicted me. The day I was scheduled to move out, I stood in a convenience store, dazed, as I stared at microwaveable meals.  These would be my new staple when I moved into the motel room. My phone rang—my sister.  She told me she needed me out of the house in a couple of hours—she was a real estate agent and a client wanted to see the house. ‘No hard feelings,’ she said.”

Similar to Benner, Abro narrates the circumstances surrounding his homelessness. After his mother’s death and a conflict with his sister led to his eviction, he ended up homeless. While his situation was unfortunate, he believes that there are many people worse off than him and that something must change to address the housing and poverty crises in America.

Top 5 Prompts On Essays about Homelessness

For your essay, it would be interesting to write about how people become homeless in the first place. Research the different causes of homelessness and elaborate on them, and be sure to provide sources such as statistics and anecdotes. 

What solutions to homelessness can you think of? In your essay, propose at least one way you think the homelessness problem can be solved or at least reduced. It must be concrete, realistic, and defensible; be sure to explain your solution well and defend its feasibility, backing up your claims with facts and logic. 

Homelessness and mental health can be linked—research into declining mental health and how homelessness can impact a person’s mental well-being. Make sure to use research data and statistics to show your findings. Conclude whether poor mental health can cause homelessness or if homelessness causes poor mental health.

You can write about what homelessness means to you in your essay. Perhaps you’ve heard stories of homeless people, or maybe you know someone who is or has been homeless. Use this essay to highly the effects of homelessness and how we can work together as a society to eradicate it.

Many say that homeless people “choose to be homeless” and are underachievers; otherwise, they would simply “get a job” and lift themselves out of poverty. Is this true? Research this topic and decide on your stance. Then, write about whether you agree with this topic for a compelling argumentative essay.

If you’re still stuck, check out our general resource of essay writing topics .

Martin is an avid writer specializing in editing and proofreading. He also enjoys literary analysis and writing about food and travel.

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How to Help the Homeless in Your Community

Table of contents, understanding the complexity of homelessness, building relationships and establishing trust, collaborating with local organizations, providing essential services, offering healthcare and mental health support, employment and skill development, transitional and permanent housing solutions, education and empowerment programs, combatting stigma and fostering inclusion, advocating for policy change, conclusion: a compassionate call to action.

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Home — Essay Samples — Social Issues — Homelessness — Persuasive Speech about Helping The Homeless

Persuasive Speech About Helping The Homeless

• Categories: Homelessness Poverty in America Social Justice

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Published: Mar 16, 2024

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5 Essays About Homelessness

Around the world, people experience homelessness. According to a 2005 survey by the United Nations, 1.6 billion people lack adequate housing. The causes vary depending on the place and person. Common reasons include a lack of affordable housing, poverty, a lack of mental health services, and more. Homelessness is rooted in systemic failures that fail to protect those who are most vulnerable. Here are five essays that shine a light on the issue of homelessness:

What Would ‘Housing as a Human Right’ Look Like in California? (2020) – Molly Solomon

For some time, activists and organizations have proclaimed that housing is a human right. This essay explores what that means and that it isn’t a new idea. Housing as a human right was part of federal policy following the Great Depression. In a 1944 speech introducing what he called the “Second Bill of Rights,” President Roosevelt attempted to address poverty and income equality. The right to have a “decent home” was included in his proposals. Article 25 of the Universal Declaration also recognizes housing as a human right. It describes the right to an “adequate standard of living.” Other countries such as France and Scotland include the right to housing in their constitutions. In the US, small local governments have adopted resolutions on housing. How would it work in California?

At KQED, Molly Solomon covers housing affordability. Her stories have aired on NPR’s All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and other places. She’s won three national Edward R. Murrow awards.

“What People Get Wrong When They Try To End Homelessness” – James Abro

In his essay, James Abro explains what led up to six weeks of homelessness and his experiences helping people through social services. Following the death of his mother and eviction, Abro found himself unhoused. He describes himself as “fortunate” and feeling motivated to teach people how social services worked. However, he learned that his experience was somewhat unique. The system is complicated and those involved don’t understand homelessness. Abro believes investing in affordable housing is critical to truly ending homelessness.

James Abro is the founder of Advocate for Economic Fairness and 32 Beach Productions. He works as an advocate for homeless rights locally and nationally. Besides TalkPoverty, he contributes to Rebelle Society and is an active member of the New Jersey Coalition to End Homelessness.

“No Shelter For Some: Street-Sleepers” (2019)

This piece (by an unknown author) introduces the reader to homelessness in urban China. In the past decades, a person wouldn’t see many homeless people. This was because of strict rules on internal migration and government-supplied housing. Now, the rules have changed. People from rural areas can travel more and most urban housing is privatized. People who are homeless – known as “street-sleepers” are more visible. This essay is a good summary of the system (which includes a shift from police management of homelessness to the Ministry of Civil Affairs) and how street-sleepers are treated.

“A Window Onto An American Nightmare” (2020) – Nathan Heller

This essay from the New Yorker focuses on San Francisco’s history with homelessness, the issue’s complexities, and various efforts to address it. It also touches on how the pandemic has affected homelessness. One of the most intriguing parts of this essay is Heller’s description of becoming homeless. He says people “slide” into it, as opposed to plunging. As an example, someone could be staying with friends while looking for a job, but then the friends decide to stop helping. Maybe someone is jumping in and out of Airbnbs, looking for an apartment. Heller’s point is that the line between only needing a place to stay for a night or two and true “homelessness” is very thin.

Nathan Heller joined the New Yorker’s writing staff in 2013. He writes about technology, higher education, the Bay Area, socioeconomics, and more. He’s also a contributing editor at Vogue, a former columnist for Slate, and contributor to other publications.

“Homelessness in Ireland is at crisis point, and the vitriol shown towards homeless people is just as shocking” (2020)#- Megan Nolan

In Ireland, the housing crisis has been a big issue for years. Recently, it’s come to a head in part due to a few high-profile incidents, such as the death of a young woman in emergency accommodation. The number of children experiencing homelessness (around 4,000) has also shone a light on the severity of the issue. In this essay, Megan Nolan explores homelessness in Ireland as well as the contempt that society has for those who are unhoused.

Megan Nolan writes a column for the New Statesman. She also writes essays, criticism, and fiction. She’s from Ireland but based in London.

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About the author, emmaline soken-huberty.

Emmaline Soken-Huberty is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon. She started to become interested in human rights while attending college, eventually getting a concentration in human rights and humanitarianism. LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, and climate change are of special concern to her. In her spare time, she can be found reading or enjoying Oregon’s natural beauty with her husband and dog.

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How To Help The Homeless In The Us - 10 Practical Ways In 2023

By: Nikola Tanevski

Last modified: Mar 23, 2023

It's no secret that homelessness is a problem in the United States. While the situation may seem daunting, there are things that ordinary citizens can do to help . This list of beautiful ideas can assist you and your children learn how to aid the homeless in your area. Here are ten practical how to help the homeless in your community .

10 practical ways to help the homeless in 2022 

Respond with kindness and humanity.

The first and most important way to help homeless people is to treat them with kindness and respect . It can be easy to forget that homeless individuals are just like everyone else and deserve to be treated. Try to engage in conversation, and get to know them as a person. You may be surprised at how much you have in common. Sometimes, people need someone to talk to. Listening can be one of the most helpful things you can do for a homeless person. Just letting them know that someone cares can make a world of difference .

Donate Necessities

One of the best ways for helping the homeless is to donate food . Food banks are always in need of donations , and your contribution can help feed people who are struggling. Non-perishable foods like canned goods and boxed meals are always appreciated, but you can donate fresh fruits and vegetables if you can access them.

Another way to help the homeless is to donate clothes and blankets . Many homeless people do not have access to clean clothes or warm blankets. Winter can be especially tough, so donating coats, hats, gloves, and scarves can make a big difference. You can also donate other items like socks, underwear, and shoes.

Toiletries are another essential donation for homeless people . Things like soap, toothpaste, and deodorant can make a big difference in someone's day. If you have any unused hotel toiletries, those would be especially appreciated. You can also donate feminine hygiene products, often not available for free at homeless shelters .

If you have children , they may wonder how they can help the homeless. One great way is to donate toys that they no longer play with. Homeless shelters often have playrooms for children , and your child's old toys can bring joy to other kids who are going through tough times.

One of the best ways to help the homeless is to start a fundraiser . There are many different ways to do this. For example, you can hold a bake sale, car wash, or garage sale. You can also ask for donations from family and friends. All the money you raise will help the homeless in your community . 

Develop lists of shelters and resources

If you see a homeless person on the street, one of the best things you can do is give them a list of homeless shelters near me . This way, they will know where to go to get help . Many cities have online databases that list all of the available resources. You can also find lists of resources in your local phone book. If you live in an area with many homeless people , keeping a list of resources in your car can be helpful. That way, if you see someone who looks like they need help , you can give them the information they need to get off the street.

Related: Where Should You Park Your Car Overnight?

Volunteer Your Time

If you have some free time, consider a homeless shelter volunteer . These shelters always need volunteers to help with meal preparation, cleaning, and providing companionship. You can also volunteer at a food bank or clothing closet. Giving your time can make a big difference in the lives of homeless people . Many homeless people need help getting back on their feet but don't necessarily require money. Professional services like counselling, job placement assistance, and health care are often in high demand at homeless shelters . If you have any skills that you can offer to the homeless population, consider volunteering your time . You may be able to help someone get back on their feet and get their life back on track.

Read more: US Hospitals Take a Step to Help Homeless Patients

Tutor Homeless Children

One of the best ways to help homeless children is to tutor them. Many homeless children have difficulty in school because they move around so much. As a result, they may not have access to an excellent education to fall behind their peers. You can help by tutoring homeless children in subjects like reading, maths, and science. In addition, you can mentor them and help them with their homework if you have some extra time.

Organize an Outing for Children

Many homeless children don't have the opportunity to do things other kids take for granted, like going to the park or swimming. You can help by organizing an outing for homeless children in your area. This can be as simple as taking them to the park for a picnic or swimming at the local pool. Giving them a chance to have some fun can make a big difference in their lives.

Give money to panhandlers .

While it's not always the best idea to give money to panhandlers, it can be an excellent way to help the homeless if you have some extra cash. If you give money to a panhandler, make sure you give it directly to them and not through an intermediary. Also, be aware that scam artists often pose as homeless people . If you're unsure whether the person is genuinely homeless, it's best to err on the side of caution and not give them any money.

Recruit local businesses to help

Many businesses are willing to help the homeless, but they may not know how. You can help by recruiting local businesses to donate items or services to homeless shelters . For example, you can ask restaurants to donate food or request a local grocery store to donate clothes . So many businesses are happy to help the homeless but need someone to ask them.

Employ the homeless 

If you own a business, consider hiring the homeless. This is a great way to help people get back on their feet. Not only will you give them a chance to earn money, but you'll also be helping them to regain a sense of self-worth and purpose. If you're unsure where to find qualified applicants, you can contact a local homeless shelter for help .

Advocate for the homeless

If you want to help the homeless, one of the best things you can do is to advocate for them. This means speaking up for their rights and working to ensure that they have access to the resources they need . You can start by contacting your local representatives and telling them about the problem of homelessness in your community . You can also join or start a petition to raise awareness about the issue. Speaking up for the homeless can help make a difference in their lives.

Bottom Line

There are many ways to help the homeless. Whether you give your time or money, you can make a difference in the lives of struggling people . Just remember that not all homeless people want or need money. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is to offer your time and skills. By helping the homeless , you can make a positive difference in your community . These are ten key points on how to help the homeless in the US. Thank you for your time.

Read more: How Many Veterans Are Homeless in the US 2022

How to help the homeless people without money?

There are many ways to help the homeless without money. You can give your time by volunteering at a local homeless shelter or by tutoring homeless children. You can also advocate for the homeless by contacting your local representatives and telling them about the problem of homelessness in your community. You can also join or start a petition to raise awareness about the issue.

What do homeless people need?

Homeless people need many things, but some of the most important are food, shelter, and clothing. They also need access to resources like job training and mental health services. Giving your time or money can help homeless people get the resources they need to get back on their feet.

Should you give money to the homeless?

It's not always the best idea to give money to panhandlers, but if you have some extra cash, it can be an excellent way to help the homeless. If you give money to a panhandler, make sure you give it directly to them and not through an intermediary. Also, be aware that scam artists often pose as homeless people. If you're unsure whether the person is genuinely homeless, it's best to err on the side of caution and not give them any money.

What is a nice thing to say to a homeless person?

Say  "hi" or "hello"  or try to acknowledge the person somehow. It's good to hear kindness. But, regardless of your greeting, it's essential to look the person in the eye when speaking and smile.

What do homeless people spend their money on?

Homeless people often spend their money on food, shelter, and clothing. They may also spend it on resources like job training and mental health services. Giving your time or money is the most efficient way how to help the homeless in the US.

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How to Help the Homeless

Last Updated: January 24, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Dan Bodner . Dan Bodner is a Transitional Shelter & Homelessness Expert and the CEO & Founder of QuickHaven Transitional Shelters. With over 20 years of experience, he specializes in executive leadership, product development, and innovation, which have helped him develop modular tiny homes to improve the lives of those affected by homelessness. Dan earned a BA from Vassar College and an MS from the University of Texas at Austin. There are 15 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 394,883 times.

There are lots of other ways to help homeless people. Donating food and clothing to homeless shelters is a great way to help. You could also volunteer your time with such an organization. Educate yourself and others about homelessness and share facts about homelessness with others. Use letters to your local newspaper, blog posts, and social media to spread the word about how homelessness is a problem and what others can do to help.

Supporting Nonprofit Organizations

• Consider leaving a donation to an organization that supports the homeless in your will. [1] X Research source
• You can also donate to local churches, temples, mosques, and other religious institutions that offer help to the homeless.

• Winter weather clothing (such as hats, mittens, coats, and boots)
• New underwear and socks
• Travel-sized hygiene items (toothpaste, soap, etc.)
• Professional clothing (a hurdle to overcoming homelessness is looking presentable at job interviews)
• First aid items (such as Neosporin, Band-Aids, antibacterial cream, and hand sanitizer)
• Secondary medical items (such as sunscreen, heavy duty lotions like Bag Balm, allergy medication, and tissues)
• Bus passes (great for helping them get to job interviews)
• Linens (i.e. twin sheets, towels, pillows and pillow cases)

• Before making your donation, contact the homeless organization and find out which items they need most.
• Alternately, you could buy (or make) lunch for a homeless person you encounter on the street.

• Donating toys is an especially good idea around the holidays, when homeless kids often have few gifts to look forward to.

• Pack boxes with foods for distribution to homeless people
• Serve hot food at a soup kitchen
• Help homeless people transition to working a job and paying bills
• Train homeless people in a skill like gardening or playing an instrument
• Use your skill set to assist the homeless in other ways (for instance, by giving homeless people free haircuts or tutoring homeless kids)

Creating Awareness

• If you have children, start by educating them. If you volunteer for an organization that supports the homeless, ask if you can take your child along so that they can see firsthand the hardships of homelessness.

• Incorporate video and photos on your blog as well as text.

• Advertise the food or clothing drive by putting up flyers around town and by asking your local newspaper to place a notice about the drive in upcoming editions.
• Restaurants are good places to host food or clothing drive bins, since they generate a lot of foot traffic. People will remember to bring along some canned or boxed food next time they visit.
• If you’re organizing the drive on behalf of or in conjunction with a particular nonprofit that supports the homeless population, ask them ahead of time what sort of foods or clothing items you should encourage people to donate. Include this information on the sign you attach to your bins or boxes.

Using Political Activism

Taking Direct Action

• Be sure, however, that you don't take advantage of them. Pay homeless people a reasonable and fair amount of money.

• Many homeless organizations have printable maps or resource lists that you could print and give to the homeless person in question.
• Showing that you care in this way is a great way to help homeless people feel that they matter.

• Be sure to relay information about the person’s exact location, their manner of dress, and their appearance.

• Mentally ill and struggling on the street
• Having a psychotic episode
• A danger to themselves or others
• Intoxicated
• In danger because of weather conditions
• Engaging in unlawful drug activity. Request police intervention for crime in progress. [15] X Research source

Seeing Homeless People as Individuals

• Continually evaluate your own ideas about homelessness and keep an open mind.

Expert Q&A

• You may also be interested in taking steps to end Hunger in the United States. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Encourage people to donate items to a food/donation drive by saying, "The class that gets the most donations will earn a pizza party!" This will get people motivated to help out. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

• Don't put yourself in danger. When in doubt, let professionals help. Thanks Helpful 6 Not Helpful 0
• Always go with another person when passing out food etc. Never do this alone. Thanks Helpful 6 Not Helpful 1
• Be wary giving money directly to homeless people. Giving them food, drink, and donating money to charities that support the poor is a far better option. [20] X Research source Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0

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• ↑ http://nationalhomeless.org/taking-action/giving/
• ↑ https://nationalhomeless.org/taking-action/get-involved/
• ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK218236/
• ↑ http://www.coalitionforthehomeless.org/ending-homelessness/proven-solutions/
• ↑ https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2014/11/24/a-home-to-the-homeless/
• ↑ http://www.coalitionforthehomeless.org/take-action/what-should-i-do-if/#13
• ↑ http://www.coalitionforthehomeless.org/take-action/what-should-i-do-if/#1
• ↑ http://www.coalitionforthehomeless.org/take-action/what-should-i-do-if/
• ↑ http://www.coalitionforthehomeless.org/take-action/what-should-i-do-if/#2
• ↑ https://www.seattle.gov/police/need-help/drug-activity
• ↑ https://www.homelesshub.ca/about-homelessness/homelessness-101/myths-and-questions-about-homelessness
• ↑ https://nationalhealthfoundation.org/people-experiencing-homeless-deserve-kindness-too/
• ↑ http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-38221721

About This Article

The easiest way to help homeless people is to donate money or supplies, like winter clothing or bedding, to your local homeless shelter. You can also donate food, such as canned or boxed goods, to a soup kitchen or buy a meal for a homeless person you pass on the street. Additionally, try volunteering in your community by serving food at a soup kitchen or helping at an organization that trains homeless people for jobs. To make an even bigger impact, organize a clothing or food drive to encourage others to make donations. For advice on how to raise awareness about the issues surrounding homelessness in your community, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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City of Boston workers clear encampments in the area known as Mass and Cass.

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Alvin Powell

Harvard Staff Writer

Experts cite complexity of problem, which is rooted in poverty, lack of affordable housing but includes medical, psychiatric, substance-use issues

It took seven years for Abigail Judge to see what success looked like for one Boston homeless woman.

The woman had been sex trafficked since she was young, was a drug user, and had been abused, neglected, or exploited in just about every relationship she’d had. If Judge was going to help her, trust had to come first. Everything else — recovery, healing, employment, rejoining society’s mainstream — might be impossible without it. That meant patience despite the daily urgency of the woman’s situation.

“It’s nonlinear. She gets better, stops, gets re-engaged with the trafficker and pulled back into the lifestyle. She does time because she was literally holding the bag of fentanyl for these guys,” said Judge, a psychology instructor at Harvard Medical School whose outreach program, Boston Human Exploitation and Sex Trafficking (HEAT), is supported by Massachusetts General Hospital and the Boston Police Department. “This is someone who’d been initially trafficked as a kid and when I met her was 23 or 24. She turned 30 last year, and now she’s housed, she’s abstinent, she’s on suboxone. And she’s super involved in her community.”

It’s a success story, but one that illustrates some of the difficulties of finding solutions to the nation’s homeless problem. And it’s not a small problem. A  December 2023 report  by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said 653,104 Americans experienced homelessness, tallied on a single night in January last year. That figure was the highest since HUD began reporting on the issue to Congress in 2007 .

Abigail Judge of the Medical School (from left) and Sandra Andrade of Massachusetts General Hospital run the outreach program Boston HEAT (Human Exploitation and Sex Trafficking).

Niles Singer/Harvard Staff Photographer

Scholars, healthcare workers, and homeless advocates agree that two major contributing factors are poverty and a lack of affordable housing, both stubbornly intractable societal challenges. But they add that hard-to-treat psychiatric issues and substance-use disorders also often underlie chronic homelessness. All of which explains why those who work with the unhoused refer to what they do as “the long game,” “the long walk,” or “the five-year-plan” as they seek to address the traumas underlying life on the street.

“As a society, we’re looking for a quick fix, but there’s no quick fix for this,” said Stephen Wood, a visiting fellow at Harvard Law School’s Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology and Bioethics and a nurse practitioner in the emergency room at Carney Hospital in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston. “It takes a lot of time to fix this. There will be relapses; there’ll be problems. It requires an interdisciplinary effort for success.”

A recent study of 60,000 homeless people in Boston found the average age of death was decades earlier than the nation’s 2017 life expectancy of 78.8 years.

Illustration by Liz Zonarich/Harvard Staff

Katherine Koh, an assistant professor of psychiatry at HMS and psychiatrist at MGH on the street team for Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, traced the rise of homelessness in recent decades to a combination of factors, including funding cuts for community-based care, affordable housing, and social services in the 1980s as well as deinstitutionalization of mental hospitals.

“Though we have grown anesthetized to seeing people living on the street in the U.S., homelessness is not inevitable,” said Koh, who sees patients where they feel most comfortable — on the street, in church basements, public libraries. “For most of U.S. history, it has not been nearly as visible as it is now. There are a number of countries with more robust social services but similar prevalence of mental illness, for example, where homelessness rates are significantly lower. We do not have to accept current rates of homelessness as the way it has to be.”

“As a society, we’re looking for a quick fix, but there’s no quick fix for this.” Stephen Wood, visiting fellow, Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology and Bioethics

Success stories exist and illustrate that strong leadership, multidisciplinary collaboration, and adequate resources can significantly reduce the problem. Prevention, meanwhile, in the form of interventions focused on transition periods like military discharge, aging out of foster care, and release from prison, has the potential to vastly reduce the numbers of the newly homeless.

Recognition is also growing — at Harvard and elsewhere — that homelessness is not merely a byproduct of other issues, like drug use or high housing costs, but is itself one of the most difficult problems facing the nation’s cities. Experts say that means interventions have to be multidisciplinary yet focused on the problem; funding for research has to rise; and education of the next generation of leaders on the issue must improve.

“This is an extremely complex problem that is really the physical and most visible embodiment of a lot of the public health challenges that have been happening in this country,” said Carmel Shachar, faculty director of Harvard Law School’s Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation. “The public health infrastructure has always been the poor Cinderella, compared to the healthcare system, in terms of funding. We need increased investment in public health services, in the public health workforce, such that, for people who are unhoused, are unsheltered, who are struggling with substance use, we have a meaningful answer for them.”

“You can either be admitted to a hospital with a substance-use disorder, or you can be admitted with a psychiatric disorder, but very, very rarely will you be admitted to what’s called a dual-diagnosis bed,” said Wood, a nurse practitioner in the emergency room at Carney Hospital.

Kris Snibbe/Harvard Staff Photographer

Experts say that the nation’s unhoused population not only experiences poverty and exposure to the elements, but also suffers from a lack of basic health care, and so tend to get hit earlier and harder than the general population by various ills — from the flu to opioid dependency to COVID-19.

A recent study of 60,000 homeless people in Boston recorded 7,130 deaths over the 14-year study period. The average age of death was 53.7, decades earlier than the nation’s 2017 life expectancy of 78.8 years. The leading cause of death was drug overdose, which increased 9.35 percent annually, reflecting the track of the nation’s opioid epidemic, though rising more quickly than in the general population.

A closer look at the data shows that impacts vary depending on age, sex, race, and ethnicity. All-cause mortality was highest among white men, age 65 to 79, while suicide was a particular problem among the young. HIV infection and homicide, meanwhile, disproportionately affected Black and Latinx individuals. Together, those results highlight the importance of tailoring interventions to background and circumstances, according to Danielle Fine, instructor in medicine at HMS and MGH and an author of two analyses of the study’s data.

“The takeaway is that the mortality gap between the homeless population and the general population is widening over time,” Fine said. “And this is likely driven in part by a disproportionate number of drug-related overdose deaths in the homeless population compared to the general population.”

Inadequate supplies of housing

Though homelessness has roots in poverty and a lack of affordable housing, it also can be traced to early life issues, Koh said. The journey to the streets often starts in childhood, when neglect and abuse leave their marks, interfering with education, acquisition of work skills, and the ability to maintain healthy relationships.

“A major unaddressed pathway to homelessness, from my vantage point, is childhood trauma. It can ravage people’s lives and minds, until old age,” Koh said. “For example, some of my patients in their 70s still talk about the trauma that their parents inflicted on them. The lack of affordable housing is a key factor, though there are other drivers of homelessness we must also tackle.”

The number was the highest since the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development began reporting on the issue to Congress in 2007 .

Most advocates embrace a “housing first” approach, prioritizing it as a first step to obtaining other vital services. But they say the type of housing also matters. Temporary shelters are a key part of the response, but many of the unhoused avoid them because of fears of theft, assault, and sexual assault. Instead, long-term beds, including those designated for people struggling with substance use and mental health issues, are needed.

“You can either be admitted to a hospital with a substance-use disorder, or you can be admitted with a psychiatric disorder, but very, very rarely will you be admitted to what’s called a dual-diagnosis bed,” said Petrie-Flom’s Wood. “The data is pretty solid on this issue: If you have a substance-use disorder there’s likely some underlying, severe trauma. Yet, when we go to treat them, we address one but not the other. You’re never going to find success in the system that we currently have if you don’t recognize that dual diagnosis.”

Services offered to those in housing should avoid what Koh describes as a “one-size-fits-none” approach. Some might need monthly visits from a caseworker to ensure they’re getting the support they need, she said. But others struggle once off the streets. They need weekly — even daily — support from counselors, caseworkers, and other service providers.

“I have seen, sadly, people who get housed and move very quickly back out on the streets or, even more tragically, lose their life from an unwitnessed overdose in housing,” Koh said. “There’s a community that’s formed on the street so if you overdose, somebody can give you Narcan or call 911. If you don’t have the safety of peers around, people can die. We had a patient who literally died just a few days after being housed, from an overdose. We really cannot just house people and expect their problems to be solved. We need to continue to provide the best care we can to help people succeed once in housing.”

“We really cannot just house people and expect their problems to be solved.”  Katherine Koh, Mass. General psychiatrist

Koh works on the street team for Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program.

Photo by Dylan Goodman

The nation’s failure to address the causes of homelessness has led to the rise of informal encampments from Portland, Maine, to the large cities of the West Coast. In Boston, an informal settlement of tents and tarps near the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard was a point of controversy before it was cleared in November.

In the aftermath, more than 100 former “Mass and Cass” residents have been moved into housing, according to media reports. But experts were cautious in their assessment of the city’s plans. They gave positive marks for features such as a guaranteed place to sleep, “low threshold” shelters that don’t require sobriety, and increased outreach to connect people with services. But they also said it’s clear that unintended consequences have arisen. and the city’s homelessness problem is far from solved.

Examples abound. Judge, who leads Boston HEAT in collaboration with Sandra Andrade of MGH, said that a woman she’d been working with for two years, who had been making positive strides despite fragile health, ongoing sexual exploitation, and severe substance use disorder, disappeared after Mass and Cass was cleared.

Mike Jellison, a peer counselor who works on Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program’s street team, said dismantling the encampment dispersed people around the city and set his team scrambling to find and reconnect people who had been receiving medical care with providers. It’s also clear, he said, that Boston Police are taking a hard line to prevent new encampments from popping up in other neighborhoods, quickly clearing tents and other structures.

“We were out there Wednesday morning on our usual route in Charlesgate,” Jellison said in early December. “And there was a really young couple who had all their stuff packed. And [the police] just told them, ‘You’ve got to leave, you can’t stay here.’ She was crying, ‘Where am I going to go?’ This was a couple who works; they’re employed and work out of a tent. It was like 20 degrees out there. It was heartbreaking.”

Prevention as cure?

Successes in reducing homelessness in the U.S. are scarce, but not unknown. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, for example, has reduced veteran homelessness nationally by more than 50 percent since 2010.

Experts point out, however, that the agency has advantages in dealing with the problem. It is a single, nationwide, administrative entity so medical records follow patients when they move, offering continuity of care often absent for those without insurance or dealing with multiple private providers. Another advantage is that the VA’s push, begun during the Obama administration, benefited from both political will on the part of the White House and Congress and received support and resources from other federal agencies.

The city of Houston is another example. In 2011, Houston had the nation’s fifth-largest homeless population. Then-Mayor Annise Parker began a program that coordinated 100 regional nonprofits to provide needed services and boost the construction of low-cost housing in the relatively inexpensive Houston market.

Neither the VA nor Houston was able to eliminate homelessness, however.

To Koh, that highlights the importance of prevention. In 2022, she published research in which she and a team used an artificial-intelligence-driven model to identify those who could benefit from early intervention before they wound up on the streets. The researchers examined a group of U.S. service members and found that self-reported histories of depression, trauma due to a loved one’s murder, and post-traumatic stress disorder were the three strongest predictors of homelessness after discharge.

In April 2023, Koh, with co-author Benjamin Land Gorman, suggested in the Journal of the American Medical Association that using “Critical Time Intervention,” where help is focused on key transitions, such as military discharge or release from prison or the hospital, has the potential to head off homelessness.

“So much of the clinical research and policy focus is on housing those who are already homeless,” Koh said. “But even if we were to house everybody who’s homeless today, there are many more people coming down the line. We need sustainable policies that address these upstream determinants of homelessness, in order to truly solve this problem.”

The education imperative

Despite the obvious presence of people living and sleeping on city sidewalks, the topic of homelessness has been largely absent from the nation’s colleges and universities. Howard Koh, former Massachusetts commissioner of public health and former U.S. assistant secretary for Health and Human Services, is working to change that.

In 2019, Koh, who is also the Harvey V. Fineberg Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership, founded the Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health’s pilot Initiative on Health and Homelessness. The program seeks to educate tomorrow’s leaders about homelessness and support research and interdisciplinary collaboration to create new knowledge on the topic. The Chan School’s course “Homelessness and Health: Lessons from Health Care, Public Health, and Research” is one of just a handful focused on homelessness offered by schools of public health nationwide.

“The topic remains an orphan,” said Koh. The national public health leader (who also happens to be Katherine’s father) traced his interest in the topic to a bitter winter while he was Massachusetts public health commissioner when 13 homeless people froze to death on Boston’s streets. “I’ve been haunted by this issue for several decades as a public health professional. We now want to motivate courageous and compassionate young leaders to step up and address the crisis, educate students, motivate researchers, and better inform policymakers about evidence-based studies. We want every student who walks through Harvard Yard and sees vulnerable people lying in Harvard Square to not accept their suffering as normal.”

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How Can I Help the Homeless? 5 Ways to Help Today

In a world of quick fixes and instant gratification, issues such as homelessness can seem insurmountable. But homelessness is a problem that can be solved through deliberate, collective actions. Together, small actions can make a huge difference. But we truly can’t do it without you and the collective support of our community!

Here are 5 ways you can help – today!

1. stay informed.

Street Reach , available for iPhone and Android  and send real-time information to trained specialists. Then, the Street Outreach teams offer life-saving resources to those in need. Street Reach also offers educational resources for those wishing to know more about homelessness in Greater Cincinnati.-->

Sign up for our email newsletter . Email is the most immediate – and economical! – way to keep you connected to our coordinated efforts to end homelessness, information on the important work being performed in our community, and ways  you  can make a difference by joining us in the fight to end homelessness in our community.

2. Understand the Causes of Homelessness and Who is Homeless

Homelessness doesn’t exist in a vacuum. And most people who experience homelessness don’t necessarily become homeless overnight. From our experience, most people do not become homeless for only one reason. Rather, many complicated problems create a perfect storm, leading a person to homelessness.

So, before we can solve homelessness, we have to first understand and identify what homelessness is. The many contributing factors are often not what we might think. For example, homelessness is normally a short term crisis (30-45 days), not a long-term situation. Youth are more likely to be homeless. In fact, 23% of all people experiencing  homeless in Greater Cincinnati are under the age of 18. And 51% are under the age of 35 .  And locally, African-Americans are grossly over-represented among the homeless, indicating a host of problems that disproportionately affect black families.

For fast facts, historical perspectives, and a deeper look into the causes of, and solutions for homelessness, check out our Data  page. There, you’ll find up-to-date statistics of how many people are experiencing homelessness, today, in Cincinnati.

3. How can I help the homeless? Give your Financial Support

By giving your financial support – of any amount – your money goes exactly where it’s needed most.

The largest source of funding for our local homeless services system is the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. But these funds may be used only for narrowly-defined purposes. Therefore, we turn to our supporters to strengthen our community’s response to homelessness. Please consider a donation  today!

Your donation will have an immediate – and lasting – impact on the children, families, and individuals experiencing homelessness in our community. 

4. How can I help the homeless? Share Information and Educate Others

Before you do anything else, educate your friends and family about the realities of homelessness. Help dispel myths, and tell them how they can fight to end homelessness. Your voice, echoed among your social networks, can have tremendous influence with your peers and colleagues. Small, collective social actions can change public perception, inform and influence dialogues, and change the law.

Connect on social!

We are available to speak with companies, community groups, and churches to help educate everyone on the causes of homelessness and how they can help. Contact us today !

5. How can I help the homeless? Donate Your Time – Become a Volunteer

First and foremost, we encourage everybody to safely volunteer for one of our many partner agencies throughout Greater Cincinnati in the work they do. From serving a meal at a shelter, to sorting clothing, your time is one of the most valuable resources you can provide. Volunteering connects you to your neighbors and community, and helps build lasting relationships that help break the cycles of poverty and homelessness.

In addition, when volunteers are not available, organizations have to pay someone to prepare and serve meals. In turn taking funding away from helping people get back into housing. So, find an organization that lights your passion, such as working with homeless families with children, homeless veterans or homeless youth, and reach out today! Oh, and bring a friend along, too.

Do reach out to the agency of your choice and see what help they need now.

And a bonus – 1 More Way You Can Help

Lastly, download our  Street Reach App !

Street Reach is an app for Android or iOS. Letting you to report people experiencing homelessness to our  Central Access Point Helpline  Intake Specialists. All we need is a general description of the person/persons and a location.

Download now!

Android:  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.endhomelessness.streetreach

iPhone:  https://apps.apple.com/us/app/street-reach-mobile/id1545070420

Next, we’ll send a trained Street Outreach Worker to that location. To check on them, and help them start their journey back to stable housing.

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Why mental health and social services are as crucial as physical shelter to address the homelessness crisis

• Paul Constant is a writer at Civic Ventures and cohost of the " Pitchfork Economics " podcast.
• He spoke with Josephine Ensign, a professor and former policy worker, about the homelessness crisis.
• Ensign says social services are critical to address the mental health needs of unhoused people.

It's difficult to even begin to have a conversation about homelessness in America anymore.

Even in progressive cities like Seattle and San Francisco, coverage of our historically high levels of homelessness has become so hyperpartisanized that it's impossible for people to agree on the causes of the housing crisis, let alone work together to find solutions. Where some people see homelessness as strictly an economic failure, others position each case of homelessness as an individual failure, blaming it on untreated mental illness or a drug addiction problem. 

Let's be clear that simply building large amounts of housing will not solve our housing crisis, as some urbanists claim. But neither is homelessness a personal failing free from systemic economic pressures. A Zillow study from 2017 found that homelessness increases in cities where rents exceed a third of the average income, and each rent increase of $100 is associated with a corresponding jump in homelessness of anywhere from 6% to 32%. Given that median rents in some cities have skyrocketed by up to 91% over the past decade, that's a minimum of tens of thousands of Americans who are being pushed out into the street for the first time every year. 

Related stories

University of Washington Professor Josephine Ensign joined the "Pitchfork Economics" podcast to discuss her 40-year career working with homeless populations around the world as a researcher, nurse, and policy worker. Her latest book, " Skid Road: On the Frontier of Health and Homelessness in an American City ," specifically explores the history of homelessness in Seattle.

How did we get to a point when nearly every American city is dotted with tent encampments? Ensign cites the "steady defunding of [Department of Housing and Urban Development] services, in terms of support for low-income housing redevelopments" that has taken place through the latter half of the 20th century, as well as "the gentrification of inner city areas that have displaced, especially, persons of color and people living intergenerationally in poverty," and the "deinstitutionalization of people with pretty severe mental health issues and developmental issues" that took place in the late '70s and throughout the '80s.

In short, there's no one smoking gun to point to as the root cause of America's homelessness crisis. Instead, a wide array of policy failures, worsened by American leaders' 40-year love affair with trickle-down austerity, have led to this moment. (For proof, consider the fact that European nations with robust social safety nets don't have the same growing number of unhoused people as we do.)

A universal healthcare system alone would resolve many of the issues that push Americans onto the streets, and which exacerbate their problems once they're on the street.

With rents and housing prices rising astronomically, we obviously need much more affordable housing in American cities right now. It's cheaper to house homeless people than it is to put them through the endless piecemeal cycle of homeless shelters and triage services that cost taxpayers somewhere between $30,000 and $80,000 per homeless person per year . But the fact is that physical shelter needs are only part of the problem. 

"It's not just a problem with inadequate low income and supportive housing," Ensign said. "It is also the sense of belonging, the sense of community, the community supports in terms of health and social services, that are needed for people to be safe and healthy and happy in low-income and long-term permanent housing." 

People experience trauma before they're forced into homelessness, and they experience trauma while they're homeless. If we don't have systems in place to address that emotional damage, homeless populations will continue to rise.

So what would Ensign do if she could establish policies to ameliorate homelessness in a major American city? "The biggest thing that I would fund is ongoing supportive services in shelters and day shelters and outreach programs," she said, including high-quality mental health and substance abuse programs for homeless families and individuals, "because if they're not quality, if they're not sustainable, it actually does more harm than good for people trying to become more stable in housing and health."

"With quick interventions and appropriate counseling and treatment for the child and for the family," Ensign said, those traumas "can be overcome and can actually become sources of strength." 

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Woman Made Her Home Inside a Grocery Store’s Rooftop Sign, Police Say

She had set up flooring, a computer and a coffee maker. The unidentified woman had been living in the store in Midland, Mich., for about a year, the authorities said.

By Aimee Ortiz

A woman found living in the rooftop sign of a grocery store in Michigan had set up the small space to call home with flooring, a Keurig coffee maker and a computer, the authorities said.

The unidentified 34-year-old woman, who was not formally charged with anything, had been living there for about a year, Brennon Warren, a spokesman for the Midland Police Department in Midland, Mich., said in an email.

The police were called by store staff members on April 23 around 2 p.m. after contractors who were working on the roof found her, Officer Warren said.

It is unclear how she was getting up and into the triangular sign on the rooftop of a Family Fare store, he said, estimating the building to be between 15 to 20 feet tall and the space where she had been living to be about 10 to 15 feet in length, five feet wide and approximately six to eight feet “at its highest peak.”

She was told that she was not allowed to live there, and she left without incident, Officer Warren said. He noted that the “store was going to work with her on retrieving all of her property at a later time.”

In addition to the flooring, the Keurig and the computer, the woman also had a mini desk, a printer, a pantry and other miscellaneous items inside the sign, he said. He did not recall exactly what she had for bedding.

“I personally have never encountered a situation like this, and neither have my colleagues,” Officer Warren said.

The woman was provided with information on homeless services in the area, but “she did not wish for any of those,” he said.

SpartanNash, the company that operates Family Fare , said in a statement that it was “proud of our associates for responding to this situation with the utmost compassion and professionalism.”

The statement continued: “Ensuring there is ample safe, affordable housing continues to be a widespread issue nationwide that our community needs to partner in solving. Out of respect for privacy for the individual involved, we will not be sharing further comment.”

Saralyn Temple, the executive director at Midland’s Open Door, a crisis shelter and soup kitchen, said that her organization has seen an increase in the number of people seeking help “in a variety of ways.”

Ms. Temple said that last year the organization regularly saw about 40 people come in for lunch. “Now we’re seeing in the 50s every day for lunch,” she said.

“The reality of it is people are living in very unique places,” Ms. Temple said. “While the living in the Family Fare sign is a sensational thing, it’s not something that’s new to us who work with the homeless community.”

The organization sees “people weekly who are living in tents in the woods, or who are living in their cars, or who are living in storage units,” she said. “So people are resorting to all sorts of things that are in no way safe.”

Midland is about 130 miles northwest of Detroit. The city had a population of about 42,500 in 2022, according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau , and roughly 9 percent of its residents were living in poverty.

Living below the poverty line often renders people “invisible,” Ms. Temple said, and can mask the extent of the need for housing and food in the population.

Aimee Ortiz covers breaking news and other topics. More about Aimee Ortiz

Here Are Two Key Ways to Help Columbia’s Homeless Population Essay

The phenomenon of homelessness in the U.S. is not endemic to Missouri; quite the contrary, it has affected a range of states. However, the issue of homelessness and its long-term effects have been particularly prominent in Missouri, in general, and in Columbia, in particular. Indeed, according to the recent reports, the number of people suffering from of poverty in Columbia, Missouri has reached 288 (Dunlap, 2021). Though the specified number might seem insignificant, it is indicative of a broader and quite troubling trend. By introducing an outreach program aimed at providing vulnerable groups and populations at risk with cheaper housing options, as well as expanding the reach across entire Columbia, one will be able to address the issue of poverty in the target area.

Examining the current issue further, one will recognize the presence of multiple contributors to the issue of homelessness. Among these, socioeconomic and financial issues represent the core of the problem, leading to a rise in unemployment, lack of education opportunities, and the associated decline in financial well-being (Pattillo et al., 2022). Therefore, the introduction of tools for reaching out to vulnerable populations and providing them with the resources needed to gin the required assistance will be needed (Pattillo et al., 2022). In turn, the proposed program will facilitate the specified opportunity by providing cheaper housing options along with communication frameworks for supporting vulnerable community members and offering them the requires resources.

By introducing a program that will allow introducing cheaper housing options and reaching out to vulnerable communities and groups at risk, one will be able to reduce homelessness rates in Columbia, Missouri. In addition, core socioeconomic, sociopolitical, technological, and sociocultural factors contributing to the exacerbation of the issue need to be revisited. The proposed solution will allow gaining an in-depth insight into the problem of homelessness in Columbia, Missouri, thus, offering adequate help to the target demographic.

Dunlap, C. (2021). Here are two key ways to help Columbia’s homeless population . Columbia Tribune . Web.

Pattillo, M., Banks, E., Sargent, B., & Boches, D. J. (2022). Monetary sanctions and housing instability . RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences , 8 (2), 57-75. Web.

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"Here Are Two Key Ways to Help Columbia’s Homeless Population." IvyPanda , 28 Feb. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/here-are-two-key-ways-to-help-columbias-homeless-population/.

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IvyPanda . 2024. "Here Are Two Key Ways to Help Columbia’s Homeless Population." February 28, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/here-are-two-key-ways-to-help-columbias-homeless-population/.

1. IvyPanda . "Here Are Two Key Ways to Help Columbia’s Homeless Population." February 28, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/here-are-two-key-ways-to-help-columbias-homeless-population/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Here Are Two Key Ways to Help Columbia’s Homeless Population." February 28, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/here-are-two-key-ways-to-help-columbias-homeless-population/.

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