National Homelessness Awareness Month: What You Need to Know

As Community Housing Network (CHN) observes National Homelessness Awareness Month (HAM), we draw attention to the increasingly widespread problem of homelessness and housing insecurity that is impacting communities across the country.

On a single night in 2022 in Michigan, an estimated 8,206 people were experiencing homelessness, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Of those experiencing homelessness, a reported 11 percent were unsheltered. 

CHN understands that feelings around homelessness are complicated. While many people feel empathy for their community and are angry that the solution is not easily accessible, some members of the public still feel discomfort or fear around people experiencing homelessness. Many blame homelessness on the person experiencing it rather than the shortage of affordable housing, lack of a living wage, childhood trauma, expensive and inaccessible healthcare, or the countless other reasons that make a person vulnerable to losing their home. 

CHN continues to combat the narrative that all people experiencing homelessness have a substance use disorder or have a mental illness. Advocates agree there is a need for more addiction and mental health treatment in the homeless community, though it’s most effective once someone is safely housed. 

Our organization is keenly aware of systemic racism and inequities that limit economic opportunity and sustain the wealth gap. Nationally, Black people comprise 40 percent of the homeless population, despite being only 13 percent of the general public. Racism has not only forced people of color into homelessness, but it keeps them trapped there longer, making it harder to find a place to live, secure a job, or gain access to supportive services.

CHN advocates with public officials to enact policies that support housing instead of criminalizing homelessness. There is a strong connection between imprisonment and homelessness. Research shows that some people without housing are ticketed, arrested, and jailed under laws that treat their life-sustaining conduct – such as panhandling, sleeping in public, loitering and sidewalk sitting – as civil or criminal offenses. Securing housing after experiencing incarceration is a great challenge. 

Just last month, the U.S. received failing grades on the Human Right to Housing Report Card 2023, which assesses the current level of U.S. compliance with the human right to housing in the context of American homelessness. In doing so, the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty (NLCHP) primarily considers the steps the federal government has taken to end and prevent homelessness, with reference to state and local practices where relevant.

According to international standards, the human right to housing consists of seven elements.

1. Security of tenure: Guaranteeing legal protection against forced eviction, harassment, and other threats.
2. Accessibility: Prioritizing disadvantaged groups and affording them full and sustainable access to adequate housing. 
3. Affordability: Keeping the financial costs of housing at such a level that the satisfaction of other basic needs is not threatened or compromised. 
4. Availability of Services, Materials, and Infrastructure: Facilitating essential services for health, security, comfort, and nutrition. 
5. Habitability: Providing inhabitants with adequate space and protecting them from the cold, damp, heat, rain, wind, or other threats to health and structural hazards. 
6. Location: Locating adequate housing to allow access to employment options, health-care services, schools, childcare centers, and other social facilities. 
7. Cultural Adequacy: Housing construction, building materials, and policies that enable the expression of cultural identity and diversity of housing.

CHN has been working with local, state, and federal entities to conceive and develop projects to add nearly 1,000 affordable housing units across the state and continue to pursue ways to address the national housing shortage. 

A lot has been done to improve how people are placed into housing, but there is a lack of extensive or organized effort to help prevent people from losing their housing. The National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) reports that even as record numbers of people are being housed, a greater number of them are falling into homelessness.

Steve Berg, chief policy officer at NAEH, told NPR in July that only one in four Americans who qualify for a federal housing subsidy actually get it. Most low-income renters, according to Berg, must rely on market-rate housing, but the U.S. hasn’t built enough housing for more than a decade, since the market crash of 2008. A report, The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes, released in March by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), indicates there is a national shortage of 7.3 million affordable and available rental homes for extremely low-income renters.

Combine that tight market with the worst inflation in a generation last year and it’s no wonder there have been double-digit rent spikes in many places around the U.S. 

Last year, the share of nationwide renters spending at least 30 or 50 percent of their income on housing reached a record high. And some markets have seen a major share of their low-cost rentals disappear.

As CHN transitions leadership roles, the organization will continue to prioritize housing development. CHN’s new president, Kirsten Elliott, has spent her career developing affordable housing communities because she knows that without adequate housing, we cannot keep ourselves safe. 

“Despite our nation’s wealth and progress, the fact that many individuals still find themselves without a home is profoundly troubling,” she said. “Homelessness is not merely a condition or something caused by the individual who finds themselves homeless; it’s a stark reminder of the numerous barriers that obstruct the path to stable housing. At Community Housing Network, we are not deterred by these challenges. Instead, we are energized to innovate, to dismantle these barriers with unwavering resolve.” 

CHN can’t do it alone, though. Our community has a great network of social service providers, yet the need for services far exceeds our capacity. As we adjust to address increased needs in our local community, our organization is asking for more urgency, creativity, and collaboration to help us address pressing needs and help people in crisis. We also see the need to prevent the causes of homelessness, a much more daunting challenge.

Funding is crucial for supporting housing development, but homelessness isn’t just a housing problem. It is essential to invest in services that help prevent homelessness in the first place. Nonprofit organizations, like CHN, are working to increase staffing by compensating their employees across the spectrum of human services equitable wages to show them we value the work they do and that we believe in the lives they’re saving.

Beyond that, let’s meet community members where they are. This involves overcoming the stigma that exists surrounding homelessness and supporting the development of low-barrier and low-income housing in your neighborhoods. 

The “Not in my backyard” (NIMBY) bias that spans race, wealth status, and geography, is one of the largest hurdles to overcome. Communities put a lot of effort into opposing affordable housing development projects often based on irrational fears and misinformation. The idea that low-income housing will increase crime and create traffic congestion, tax burdens, overcrowded schools, environmental issues, and lower property values is a key driver of backlash. 

As a part of our mission, CHN proactively engages the community to dispel these myths and build local support for our programs that support unhoused people as well as the development of affordable housing in new geographic areas. 

Each one of us can play a role in ending homelessness. There are several ways to get involved and support CHN’s efforts in partnership with other community-based organizations. 

• Check out Michigan’s Campaign to End Homelessness Action Plan to learn more about the state’s strategies and goals for ending homelessness in Michigan.
• Volunteer your time at local shelters or food banks. You can also volunteer with organizations that provide supportive services, like CHN.
• Donate money or goods to organizations that support those experiencing homelessness. 
• Advocate for policies that support affordable housing initiatives. The Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness (MCAH) has a Legislative Action Committee that works to overcome the knowledge gap between decision-makers and the homeless population through engagement and education, and by hosting public awareness events.
• Educate yourself and others about the issues surrounding homelessness. CHN hosts several classes that guide first-time homeowners through the buying process as well as provide practical and useful guidance for renters around being a successful tenant, protecting your rights, and recognizing and reporting rental discrimination.

“We’re dedicated to streamlining our services, enhancing our effectiveness, and ensuring that access to essential information and vital housing is not just a possibility, but a reality for those in need,” said Kirsten. “Together, we envision a future where community and compassion pave the way to a home for everyone.”