While lack of affordable housing, combined with hard (formal court notice) and soft (someone asking you to leave shared residence) evictions are the main reasons people become unsheltered, one needs to dive deeper.

I recently came across a research article from the Journal of Social Distress and Homelessness titled, “Everybody out there in the real world is one paycheck away from being homeless”. The title immediately caught my attention as I often would say similar words when I was speaking with landlords about considering one of our clients as a potential tenant, even though the law states that you must consider everyone who applies. It resonated with some, if we are honest with ourselves, we have all been in a situation where if not for the grace of loved ones or assistance from someone we may not even know; we too, could be without food and shelter.

The article points out that, “The United States has fewer labor protections and wage guarantees than most wealthy industrialized nations; thus, workers can fall into economic hardship by the loss of employment, reduction in work hours, or work-related accidents or injuries. Even when fully employed, low wage workers typically face substantial rent burdens, which place them at risk for being evicted from their homes and ultimately falling into homelessness.”

While we provide wrap around services to our clients, we need to also consider wrap around solutions and policies for the issue of homelessness. Every person has their own unique story and every person has the right to health, safety and the opportunity to build a better future.