Homelessness is the Black Sheep of Politics

Homelessness is the Black Sheep of Politics

Here in America, homelessness has exploded in the past few decades. Yes, in recent years, the incidence of chronic homelessness (the people who have struggled on our streets the longest) is being reduced through an innovative approach that immediately houses homeless people. But the sad fact in America is that on any given night nearly three-quarters of a million people are homeless.

Despite this recent downturn in the economy, America still possesses enormous riches. American private wealth, the value of the assets we hold, stands at $48.8 trillion. In simple terms, we have the capacity as a country to end homelessness.

But we don’t. Why? The leaders in our country, particularly politicians, just don’t have the political will to invest in ending this social problem.

Here are my five top reasons why homelessness in America is the black sheep of politics:

1. Can you say “bank”?

Resolving homelessness is expensive. We all know that the main solution to homelessness is housing, an expensive solution even in this real estate downturn. We are talking billions of dollars that political leaders are not willing to spend, even when experts show it is cheaper to house homeless people than to allow them to live on the streets at high cost to our emergency rooms, paramedics, and law enforcement.

2. The silent political bloc has no influence

Most homeless people do not vote. We all know that politicians spend on those with the most influence.

I once told the mayor of a popular beach resort that if there were a fire and hundreds of homes burned down, he and his City Council would do everything, and spend anything, to house his upwardly mobile, now-homeless citizens. But there is no such political will to house the hundreds of homeless people who flock to his tourist attraction. He agreed.

3. No instant solutions

Even if political leaders were willing to invest billions of dollars, the construction of hundreds of thousands, if not millions of housing units won’t be accomplished in one or two political terms. The next generation of leaders will get the credit. Political leaders need to show solutions within their term of office.

4. Resolving homelessness is a bad sound bite

In this day and age of CNN, MTV, and Apple commercials, whoever can market the best 30-second sound bite attracts the most money and attention. The reasons for and solutions to personal homelessness are complicated. It is like describing why your wayward son is not living in that perfect American family behind that white picket fence.

How do you describe and explain the solutions to domestic violence, post-traumatic stress syndrome, substance abuse, and/or mental illness in mere seconds? It is much easier to promote an anti-drug campaign with a simplistic slogan like “Just Say No.” Or an educational campaign with “No Child Left Behind.”

5. Finger pointing is less expensive

No one wants to take the blame for social ills. It means political suicide. Blaming the one who is homelessness is so much more convenient. Homeless people are lazy, crazy, and are choosing to live on the streets- who wants to invest money and political capital in them?

No wonder why we allow hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens to languish on our streets like this is a Third World nation. It is much easier to just ignore them.