People Value
To begin with, a little context. I present capitalism to people reentering the workforce after significant personal and vocational setbacks. I refer to it as the Marketplace, and my point of view is this: like it or not, our American way of life (the “System”) is based on capitalism. Anyone reentering the workforce with misconceptions or grievances about how things work in this respect is at a significant disadvantage. Therefore, some Marketplace orientation fits and increases the odds of success.
Secondly, the recent SCOTUS decision on homelessness is disrupting what has become the status quo. Suddenly, there’s action, policy changes, and encampment sweeps. This is a significant turn, if not a tectonic one, causing quite a stir. Reentry and all aspects of homelessness in America will be impacted.
The SCOTUS decision is a catalyst, setting events in motion. Cracks and spaces have opened in discussions and understandings related to this issue as stakeholders’ positions and points of view are refined, defined, and defended. This is good as it challenges the existing state of things and creates an opportunity for meaningful change.
It’s too early to know how this will shake out—hopefully for the better—for those homeless and everyone else. From a street-level programmatic perspective, I am (somewhat) optimistic yet cautious about predicting significant, large-scale policy changes.
We’ll see.
In the meantime, we can expect more talk of homelessness's root cause(s), such as substance addiction, mental health issues, and the lack of housing—and of course, all these factors (and more) are significant. Yet, as is often the case in our society, the primary structural reason is missing: a lack of money, wealth, and capital. Those with the means and resources can experience the same addiction or mental health problems yet do not (rare exceptions aside) become homeless. Their issues play out off the street, behind closed doors.
In our form of capitalism, human beings gain value through economic participation; otherwise, they have no intrinsic value. Other systems (religious, social, political, etc.) ascribe value to the individual, but truth be told, none are the tail that wags the US Dog. Our economic system categorizes people as Creators (those creating the profit-making entity), Producers (those doing the work in/for the entity), and Consumers (those buying/using the products/services produced by the entity). Individuals must participate in one or more of these categories to have economic value.
Indeed, this is an oversimplification to make a point. In our system, capital flows toward more capital or the potential for more. So here’s the real challenge with fixing homelessness: No capital or wealth exists (there), so there’s no organic flow. Capital and resources must be rerouted against the current.
Milton Freidman said there are four ways to spend money:
Spend your money on yourself.
Spend your money on someone else.
Spend someone else’s money on you.
Spend someone else’s money on someone else.
Addressing and ending homelessness relates to numbers two and four.
In terms of fixing homelessness, I am optimistic about philanthropy, number two. There is real potential for effective and efficient approaches that are innovative, practical, and outcome-based, an area that needs far more study and amplification. To be clear, all approaches to fixing this problem should have one shared goal: to help people become independent, self-sufficient citizens in good standing.
I am not keen on number four, spending someone else’s money on someone else, as this is what the government does. I am not at all anti-government, but I am against inefficient, bloated programs (which I have certainly been a part of) that can’t seem to manage vexing problems like homelessness. Politics, bureaucracy, and competing agendas lead to inferior outcomes and enormous inefficiency such as this. All the while, a random group of thoughtful 10-to-12-year-olds could offer clear-eyed, common-sense solutions after studying the problem amongst themselves for an hour or two. Yes, I know, another oversimplification. I hope you get my point.
I believe in each human's intrinsic value—just because they are human, a person. And yet I have to recognize where I live, in the US, where the rules and dictates of capitalism and the Marketplace are unavoidable. So, I watch this current turn of events with a strong desire that government resource allocators wise up and offer workable, effective, and affordable solutions, but I’m not holding my breath.
In the meantime, I believe Number Two, spending your money on someone else, is the only practical solution. For fixes to work, to help people and reduce this seemingly intractable problem (it isn’t), there needs to be program/facility control and tight obstruction-free coordination with related service providers, which is impossible (well, nearly…) when the government gets involved.
I have worked and managed in such an environment—it’s effective and efficient, and it moves people toward the goal:
To be an independent, self-sufficient citizen in good standing.
Onward!