Comparsion Of Donald Burns And David Dileo's Ending Homelessness

Humans need access to shelter to survive. Unfortunately, many do not have access to this luxury. The U.S. Census reports that around 653,100 people have experienced homelessness in 2023. However, this is a lower estimate than activists have found. Still, the fact is, there are too many homeless people in America. In Donald Burns and David DiLeo’s book Ending Homelessness: Why We Haven't, How We Can, published in 2016, they calculated that 16% of unhoused individuals are women, around 30% are families with children, 59% are people of color, and about 30% are veterans. Although these numbers are estimates, the statistics show the variety of people who experience homelessness. The scale of this epidemic proves it is not a nuanced problem, so a

This definition of modern homelessness was created in the 1980s during the recession when homelessness became a public issue. Until that point, there was not a clear outline of what made someone homeless. This is in part due to how being homeless often works. As Burns and DiLeo point out in their book, “one would need a definition of homelessness that extends in time beyond one day or night and also takes into account a pattern of unstable housing mixed with sleeping arrangements that meet the definition of literal homeless” (Burns and DiLeo 49). Sometimes a low-income person can be homeless at times, meaning that although they may not have a home for themselves, they have places to go for shelter. These can be homeless shelters, family, or friends' houses. The fact is that these people do not have a regular home creates an unstable environment that prevents them from escaping

These policies prevent a stable location for unhoused individuals to stay. The article, “Engaging Unhoused Community Members” written by Greg Townley, co-founder of PSU's Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative, et al. shows that “Nationwide, cities have enacted policies that restrict survival behaviors among unhoused people in public spaces, including laws against loitering, sitandlie ordinances, and camping restrictions” (2). These policies make unhoused individuals prone to incarceration, which prevents these people from becoming housed. The criminalization of the unhoused also creates negative public opinion. The most obvious and simple solution, providing housing and support for the homeless, is denied because of the criminalization and subsequent poor image of the homeless. Tiny house communities foster a supportive environment where the unhoused have reliable shelter, access to food, and access to a community that creates a welcoming