One of the greatest things about the internet is our ability to build new connections with people worldwide from all walks of life. The internet has made Invisible People’s homeless support group on Facebook possible. It’s also allowed us to learn so much about one another and how to support each other better.
A couple of years ago, I made a friend from Denmark, Tony. He’s a young person in college. He was in disbelief when I told him about my background and life in America. He couldn’t imagine how the “greatest country in the world” could look like this.
As an American, I am equally in disbelief. In fact, I was envious of him. I couldn’t imagine free healthcare or free higher education. I couldn’t imagine renting an apartment for a couple hundred bucks and being able to focus on my studies without worrying about what I was going to eat or making rent every month.
My friend, Akaki, had studied and lived in Sweden. I remember a conversation we had several years ago about how homelessness is non-existent in Sweden.
Friends overseas often express shocking disbelief when I tell them about how bad homelessness is in the United States.
They can’t imagine our government letting homelessness get so out of hand or how such a wealthy country couldn’t keep their citizens, at the very least, inside. It makes no sense to them.
To me, homelessness results from societal sickness. Somehow, Americans have taken to understanding and even accepting homelessness as a “necessary evil,” a simple and very sad fact of life. Americans of every class or income have come to accept that so many adults and children cannot afford a place to live. This attitude towards homelessness has only made matters worse.
At any moment, our federal government could make homelessness rare. The cure for homelessness is simple. It’s housing. Permanent supportive housing benefits taxpayers, homeless people, and entire communities. As it stands, shelters and showers are not enough. We need permanent housing.
We will not solve homelessness until we stop averting our eyes from homeless people. We must stop accepting that some Americans deserve to die on the streets — because they don’t.
In a New York Times piece, we learn that the U.S. government provides more than $70 billion in tax breaks to homeowners annually. That includes a deduction for mortgage interest payments and a free pass on some capital gains from home sales.
Let’s solve homelessness instead of subsidizing mansions.
There’s no debate whether or not the money is there; it’s just a matter of prioritizing homelessness over helping the rich, and most wealthy Americans continue to get richer.
Americans of every class, wealth, and status must decide that we are no longer willing to let children grow up in tent cities and crowded shelters. Americans must decide that no elderly man or woman deserves to sleep on public park benches. It’s not a question of whether we’re able to solve homelessness. Because we know we can. The question is, are we going to do it?
Tony likes to tell me all the time, “Come to Denmark.”
When I was younger, I often dreamed of leaving the country – finding somewhere better. But this is home. New York City is home. The greatest city in the world, some would argue, with the greatest homeless crisis.
Admittedly, I let this city bring me to my knees. I fought off some of the worst this city has to offer, including homelessness.
Simply put, I want better for us. I don’t want my homeless friends dying on the streets. I don’t want my housed friends to lose their homes because they’re living paycheck to paycheck, spending most of their income on housing each month in New York City.
We deserve better. Every day, we wake up, get on that express train, and ride into the city to make rich people richer. Then we take in that asphalt, feet moving quickly, to get home to our tiny apartments. And every month the stability of our floorboards is tested. No, friends. We deserve better. We have to decide it’s time to make it better.
Help Us Make the Truth Louder
Invisible People is on the frontlines of the growing homelessness crisis, where evidence-based solutions take a backseat to political agendas. We’re the only newsroom dedicated to shedding light on homelessness and its related issues. As we kick off our Fall Pledge Drive, your support is crucial. We need your donation to amplify the truth and counter the narrative of criminalization, all while addressing the skyrocketing rents.
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