D057 Advocate for Housing Solutions
Housing should be a basic human right. Just as food and clothing are needed to survive, so is a roof over your head. Unfortunately, housing is not seen as a basic human right. Many people in the United States are one paycheck away from being evicted. Studies have found that a median rent increase of $100 per month could increase homelessness in a city by 32%. It is cheaper to pay the rent for someone than to house them in a shelter. Once housed, someone has a community support system. That is not available in shelter, and is difficult, at best, when you are living on the streets or in a car.
Housing vouchers work. They have lifted more than one million people out of homelessness. A voucher will pay a percentage of the rent. The voucher is paid by government funds. The person takes the voucher, finds an apartment, and pays a small percentage of their rent themselves, allowing them to focus on food, clothing and staying housed. One of our largest voucher programs in Section 8. Most people seeking Section 8 vouchers have been on waiting lists for years, sometimes decades. Some areas have closed their lists, and the lists have been closed for over ten years.
To combat homelessness, we need many strategies. First, we need the right for everyone to be able to have a shelter bed to sleep. No one should have to sleep outdoors and battle the elements or be arrested because they have no where to go. Then, we need more supportive housing, and more fair and affordable housing. We need to end the ability of landlords to reject rental applicants because their source of income is not what a landlord wants-such as income through public benefits or VA benefits. Finally, we need vouchers for those who can be housed to get housing, affordable housing.
Explanation
Housing should be a basic human right. Just as food and clothing are needed to survive, so is a roof over your head. Unfortunately, housing is not seen as a basic human right. Many people in the United States are one paycheck away from being evicted. Studies have found that a median rent increase of $100 per month could increase homelessness in a city by 32%. It is cheaper to pay the rent for someone than to house them in a shelter. Once housed, someone has a community support system. That is not available in shelter, and is difficult, at best, when you are living on the streets or in a car.
Housing vouchers work. They have lifted more than one million people out of homelessness. A voucher will pay a percentage of the rent. The voucher is paid by government funds. The person takes the voucher, finds an apartment, and pays a small percentage of their rent themselves, allowing them to focus on food, clothing and staying housed. One of our largest voucher programs in Section 8. Most people seeking Section 8 vouchers have been on waiting lists for years, sometimes decades. Some areas have closed their lists, and the lists have been closed for over ten years.
To combat homelessness, we need many strategies. First, we need the right for everyone to be able to have a shelter bed to sleep. No one should have to sleep outdoors and battle the elements or be arrested because they have no where to go. Then, we need more supportive housing, and more fair and affordable housing. We need to end the ability of landlords to reject rental applicants because their source of income is not what a landlord wants-such as income through public benefits or VA benefits. Finally, we need vouchers for those who can be housed to get housing, affordable housing.