BY MARY ROACH
More than half a million people in America are experiencing homelessness, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Many experts predict that this number is significantly higher as tracking for this statistic can be difficult. This extreme number does not even include those who are at risk of losing their homes. Unfortunately, the total number of people experiencing homelessness is growing and will continue to grow, especially as we see the aftereffects of the pandemic surfacing, causing government funding to dwindle. Experiencing homelessness is not a crime. It shouldn’t influence how we view people or negatively impact an individual’s worth to society. Yet regardless of whether we show personal empathy (and many of us don’t), the infrastructure and policies in place reflect that people experiencing homelessness are of lesser value than people who are housed.
Last month I was walking around Manitou Springs, Colorado, finishing some early Christmas shopping, and I noticed several anti-homeless structures. For example, several benches had metal dividers in the middle to prevent people from sleeping on them, spikes in the sidewalk hindering sitting, and other forms of hostile architecture. In the public, many people believe that a simple solution would be to encourage those experiencing homelessness to seek respite in shelters. While working at Catholic Charities with a large population of people experiencing homelessness, I have learned that the shelter system is dangerous, unreliable, and lacks empathy. People who stay in shelters must be inside at a certain time, leave at a certain time, cannot bring in their food, cannot bring in their pets, can only shower at certain times, and can be exposed to bedbugs, rats, and various other communicable diseases. Much of what I hear about the shelter system, a place meant to act as a temporary home, also includes threats to personal safety. Would you be willing to risk your safety for a roof over your head?
People experiencing homelessness remain members of society and more importantly members of our communities; therefore, it is our responsibility to dignify each person and improve their quality of life to the best of our ability. This can look different for everyone. I cannot walk in downtown Colorado Springs without someone recognizing me for the work I do at Catholic Charities. While it becomes a chore to explain each time to my friends why people experiencing homelessness know me by name and approach me to say hi, I will never ignore or disregard anyone. I mindfully use “people-first” language which places the person above any situation they may be facing. Even a simple smile can make someone’s day, especially if that someone is continually viewed as invisible within our society. Instead of referring to homelessness as an issue and willing “the homeless problem” to disappear, our goal should be to dignify people experiencing homelessness by ensuring that unhoused is not synonymous with unwanted.
Mary Roach is an employee of Catholic Charities. As the Navigation Program Manager, she works with frontline staff and clients coming to the Marian House for services.
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