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Ryan Hammer

Professor Ferrara

Intro to Rhetoric and Composition

6 May 2024

Addressing Homelessness: Drugs, Housing, and Systemic Injustice

Walk through any major city in America, and there are a few things in common: huge

buildings, fancy restaurants, and a sickening amount of homeless people. On any given night in

America, there are 653,104 homeless people (USAFacts). To put that in perspective, that is more

than two states and the capital currently (“Select a State”). When surveying college students,

52% of partcipants said they feel uncomfortable when walking by a homeless person. Instead of

treating these people with compassion and empathy, we ignore them and avoid eye contact. We

think, “They’re lazy, they don’t have a job, they’re mentally ill,” instead of thinking of the

reasons why they’re homeless. The homelessness crisis in the US is primarily fueled by the US

government’s mishandling of the current housing crisis, the drug crisis, and the impacts of

systemic racism.

The US government has created many programs to aid the less fortunate, however, many

of these programs are ineffective or underfunded. Section 8 is a government-subsidized program

for families, the elderly, and people with disabilities designed to help out in housing, giving

vulnerable populations aid in paying for housing. These vouchers are flexible and can be applied

to either private or public housing (“Housing Choice Voucher”). Sounds like a good idea, right?

According to research, “Only one in four US households that are eligible...receive one, because

of a lack of federal funding to provide subsidies for all who are eligible.” (Garcia et al. 165).

Although the program would provide extremely necessary housing for families and at-risk
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populations, 3 of every 4 families around the country who are significantly below the median

household income cannot receive vital funding for housing. This underfunded program would

not be as much of an issue if the housing crisis in the US was not so inflated.

The National Low Income Housing Coalition found that there is a shortage of 7.3 million

rental homes at affordable prices. According to their research, “Only 34 affordable and available

rental homes exist for every 100 extremely low-income renter households" ("The Gap”). Along

with a one-in-four chance to receive funding for housing, there is only a one-in-three chance that

there is a home that is affordable in your area. The government needs to create more housing

opportunities and increase spending on programs like Section 8, to give more financial support to

families and sensitive populations who need help with housing.

Along with underfunded programs, the US government’s role in reducing opportunities

and crippling the black community needs to be stated when discussing homelessness. De facto

segregation and discrimination laws have had significant and sustaining effects on the black

community. An estimate conducted by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development

concluded that 53.7 African Americans experienced homelessness per 10,000 people. White

Americans, in comparison, were estimated to have 12.9 homeless people per 10,000 people

(“USAFacts”). Approximately, African Americans are four times more likely to experience

homelessness. Despite only making up around 15% of the population, there are more homeless

per 10,000 than white populations, which make up about 75% of the population (U.S. Census

Bureau Quickfacts: United States.). The imbalance between black and white populations brings

up the question of segregation and racism in the US, how much of the current homelessness in

the black community can be blamed?

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Some may say that now, in 2024, there is no discrimination against or laws prohibiting

black Americans from succeeding. Some say it’s their culture. Others say there is a guaranteed

equal opportunity in America, not an equal outcome. Black people were first brought to the US

as slaves, less than everyone else. After they gained their “freedom,” the southern part of the US

instituted laws called Black Codes, designating where they could live and work. That is not

freedom. By the time that the US outlawed segregation in 1964, the US was still very much

segregated (“Segregation in the United States - Meaning, Facts, & Legacy.”). How can

minorities be expected to be as successful as white populations when they did not have legal

equal rights until 60 years ago? How can we blame minority culture when they were prevented

from living, working, eating, and even using the bathroom in certain places as others? How can

we say they have equal opportunity? Would you expect a sports team to win when down by 100

points? Would you expect a sprinter to win after being held back 20 seconds in a 30-second race?

When discussing homelessness in the black community, it is of the utmost importance to mention

their history of being discriminated against because it can help explain many of the problems in

the black community and their struggle to obtain housing. A possible solution to the injustice

facilitated by the federal government could be specific programs focused on uplifting unfortunate

areas of inner cities and predominantly minority neighborhoods. By helping to provide more

affordable housing in the US, there may be a change in culture in black communities that can

help uplift them from poverty.

The effect that stable housing can have on developing children and emerging adults is

immense and cannot be understated. In The Association between Housing Stability and

Perceived Quality of Life among Emerging Adults with a History of Homelessness, researchers

aimed to investigate the effect stable housing had on young adults. They concluded that “stably
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housed interviewees felt significantly safer, more comfortable, and more autonomous than

respondents who were not stably housed at the time of interview,” and that unstably housed

individuals reported “negative experiences due to a combination of preexisting and unmanaged

health problems and the locations where they slept resulted… negative effects on their physical

and mental wellbeing.” (Palimaru et al. 12-13). The relationship between mental and physical

health and housing is clear and demonstrated through this research. If housing can improve the

lives of the homeless this significantly, why isn’t the government doing more? Again, there are

653,104 people currently homeless in the US. If housing affects people's health drastically, why

isn’t it at the forefront of every politician’s agenda?

Along with better physical and mental health benefits, the participants documented an

increase in motivation to stop using drugs and try to climb the social ladder. One participant in

the survey was quoted as saying, “Since I’ve been housed I stopped smoking, because I wanted a

better job and they were drug testing” . Another participant who struggled with

methamphetamine, a highly addictive and illegal stimulant, said similarly, “It just makes me

want to try and do better for myself. Now, I can do normal things like watch TV. I just have more

positive things to do now. When I was homeless, it was an everyday thing... Now I think about

rehab a lot more” (Palimaru et al. 11). Housing helped motivate these individuals to better their

lives. Instead of worrying about where they were sleeping that night, hanging around bad

crowds, and worrying about their next high, they can instead go to work, try to elevate their

lives, and even just relax and watch TV. These effects can change generations by allowing these

underprivileged emerging adults to create a life and a family for themselves with stable jobs,

housing, and families, thus creating a safer country.

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As discussed, housing helped motivate the homeless to get clean and stop doing drugs.

The question now is: how severe is the drug problem in homeless populations? Los Angeles

County calculated that 37% of deaths from unhoused individuals from 2019–2021 were from

drug overdose, the leading cause (County of Los Angeles). Another study researched the deaths

of homeless people in San Francisco from 2016 to 2018 and found that in 2018, 52% of the

homeless deaths were from alcohol and drug overdoses. 76% of all toxicology reports done from

that time revealed multiple drugs were present before death (Cawley et al. 991). For homeless

populations, drugs are a crutch; they make life more bearable. They relieve pain and make the

victims forget about where they have to sleep that night or where their next meal is.

These drugs, however, are extremely potent and fatal. Over the 3-year span studied in San

Francisco, the tests for fentanyl increased five times, and today fentanyl is a common street drug.

According to the DEA, "two milligrams of fentanyl can kill someone. Pills today contain a range

of.02 to 5.1 milligrams (more than twice the lethal dose)” ("Facts about fentanyl"). Overdose

deaths using synthetic opioids (fentanyl and similar drugs) drastically increased by 55.6% from

2020 to 2021. (“Facts about Fentanyl”). With drugs being transported into the US in kilograms,

fentanyl is being transported in incredibly deadly amounts. The US government must find new

ways to stop drugs from getting into the country and research more effective ways to provide

people with rehab.

Addressing homelessness and drug issues is not an easy task, but there are steps to take to

start the healing process. Currently, the leading ideas on combating drug and homelessness issues

are the Housing First and Harm Reduction approaches. The first time I learned about these

policies was through a TED talk. Lloyd Pendleton gave his The Housing First approach to

homelessness talk in November 2016. Early on in his talk, Lloyd shared his original ideas on the
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Housing First model. He says, “Now that is one stupid idea. That's just going to encourage them

to continue that behavior. Just tell them to stop….Pfft! This is unrealistic. You can't end

homelessness. There's too many personal choices and factors beyond our control” (4:44-5:10).

Immediately, Pendleton admits that he had doubts about the program. But the results had him

convinced after one conference. An agency in New York City tried this model, gave the people

housing, let them do drugs and drink in their houses, but had numerous opportunities for rehab.

In twelve months, 85% of the chronically homeless, mentally ill people who were invited were

housed. Using these programs in Utah, over a ten-year span, chronic homelessness was reduced

by 91%. One issue with low income housing is the fact that when low income housing comes to

areas, property value in those areas decrease. From my research, 40% of people disagreed and

16% of people strongly disagreed with the statement, “I would be open to low income housing

coming to my area.” To ensure that low income housing can be built locally, a tax break could be

provided to people where the housing is built.

Today, Harm Reduction and Housing First programs are the gold standard for solving the

problems of homelessness. According to the article, Housing and harm reduction: What is the

role of harm reduction in addressing homelessness?, the best way to combat homelessness is to

use these programs effectively by truly committing to them. These programs have worked in

single cases in different cities but have just started to be used at the federal level. These two

programs, in tandem, have been proven to prevent homeless deaths and overdoses and house the

unhoused. Reducing homelessness can no longer be treated with hate, criminalizing those

addicted to drugs or living on public property, but treated with compassion. The reason Housing

First and harm reduction programs work so well is because they give homeless people the right
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to feel safe and are treated as real people. It is time we started using humility and compassion in

our policy to provide a significant change for the better.

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Works Cited

Cawley CL;Kanzaria HK;Kushel M;Raven MC;Zevin B; “Mortality among People Experiencing

Homelessness in San Francisco 2016-2018.” Journal of General Internal Medicine, U.S.

National Library of Medicine, 9 Apr. 2021, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33835316/.

Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.

County Of Los Angeles. “County of Los Angeles.” COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES, COUNTY OF

LOS ANGELES

//Lacounty.Gov/Wp-Content/Uploads/2022/01/LAC_Header_Logo.Dk_.Png, 12 May

2023,

lacounty.gov/2023/05/12/new-public-health-report-shows-sharp-rise-in-mortality-among-

people-experiencing-homelessness/. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.

“Facts about Fentanyl.” DEA, www.dea.gov/resources/facts-about-fentanyl. Accessed 30 Apr.

2024.

“The Gap.” National Low Income Housing Coalition, nlihc.org/gap. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.

Garcia, Cheyenne, et al. “Homelessness and Health: Factors, Evidence, Innovations ...”

HealthAffairs, Feb. 2024, www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2023.01049.

Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.

“Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8).” USAGov, www.usa.gov/housing-voucher-section-8.

Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.

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Palimaru, Alina I., et al. “The Association between Housing Stability and Perceived Quality of

Life among Emerging Adults with a History of Homelessness.” Health & Social Care in

the Community, Hindawi, 10 Mar. 2023, www.hindawi.com/journals/hsc/2023/2402610/.

Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.

Pauly, Bernadette (Bernie), et al. “Housing and Harm Reduction: What Is the Role of Harm

Reduction in Addressing Homelessness?” International Journal of Drug Policy, vol. 24,

no. 4, July 2013, pp. 284–290, doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2013.03.008.

“Segregation in the United States - Meaning, Facts. & Legacy.” History.Com, A&E Television

Networks, 28 Nov. 2018,

www.history.com/topics/black-history/segregation-united-states. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.

“Select a State.” Rank List: States in Profile,

www.statsamerica.org/sip/rank_list.aspx?rank_label=pop1. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.

“U.S. Census Bureau Quickfacts: United States.” United States Census Bureau,

www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045221. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.

USAFacts. “How Many Homeless People Are in the US? What Does the Data Miss?” USAFacts,

28 Mar. 2024,

usafacts.org/articles/how-many-homeless-people-are-in-the-us-what-does-the-data-miss/.

Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.