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Homelessness in Georgia, an issue we would rather ignore. But must not.

“I envision a Georgia in which every child, woman and man can achieve their full potential. We must institute data driven, effective programs which address the unhoused and aid them in transforming their lives.”- Dr. Chante Washington, CEO/Founder of Regional Impact Health Foundation

Every American knows that there are unhoused people living in their state. But it is easier for the average American (especially those not in big cities) to simply state that there are no homeless near me. And, if there are, it is their choice to be that way.

However, homelessness is not going way just because we have decided to ignore it. In fact, over the last 5 years, the rate of people unhoused has increased in 46 states. Georgia’s increased 1.4%, putting us in the middle regarding homeless growth (https://usafacts.org/articles/which-states-have-the-highest-and-lowest-rates-of-homelessness/ ). It is no accident that areas like California, DC and Hawaii have the most unhoused per capita. Rents are outrageous in these locations.

A 2020 report by the General Accounting Office discussed the issue, including the lack of good data (https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-20-433.pdf ). GAO estimated that over a half million people (0.2 percent of the U.S. population) were unhoused. These people are mostly in big cities and urban areas (59%). Suburbs account for about a fourth (24%), while only 18% are rural.

In our tribalistic society, where cities are blue and rural areas are red, this geographic division makes it even more challenging to address this humanitarian issue. In that we currently have a MAGA controlled national government, let’s examine what Trump’s first term Council of Economic Advisors stated were the causes of homelessness (https://www.nhipdata.org/local/upload/file/The-State-of-Homelessness-in-America.pdf ). Specifically-“(i) the higher price of housing resulting from overregulation of housing markets; (ii) the conditions for sleeping on the street (outside of shelter or housing); (iii) the supply of homeless shelters; and (iv) the characteristics of individuals in a community that make homelessness more likely.”.

In my view, this report (like many MAGA initiatives) does not come up with realistic, specific recommendations. Instead, it dances around the problem, vaguely advocating “greater local flexibility and innovation”, plus politically oriented positions like stronger policing, increased self-sufficiency, getting the poor to work, and reducing illegal drugs entering the USA.

In his second term, Trump has clearly followed many of the policy initiatives recommended by the Heritage Foundation. That right wing think tank emphasizes that- “Treatment-first approaches are more successful at improving the well-being of homeless people by reducing drug use and increasing employment stability.”

The contrary view is that housing comes first, that it is “connected to market forces,” and then the other items can be addressed (https://www.thenation.com/article/society/homelessness-grants-pass-liberal-real-estate-market/ ). In other words- “privately appropriated real estate development and speculation, on the one hand, which push housing costs up, and the expansion of low-wage employment and underemployment” are the underlying causes.

Housing the unhoused should not be political. The problem is that we Americans are not living up to our potential. As a society, we are better than this.