Not homeless -- experiencing houselessness
I want us to never forget one core fact: today, too many Americans will watch the sunset without a safe, warm space to sleep.
They're experiencing houselessness. They're not homeless.
Our communities, our towns, and villages are our homes. They are the heart of our families, our friends, and neighbors, some of whom don't know where they're going to sleep tonight.
I'm talking about individuals struggling to get by. I'm talking about far, far too many families and children.
It's all too easy to lose sight of these Americans who are falling through the cracks. Our media cycles don't highlight their strife. The president and his elite friends are so far removed from their struggles.
Even in Massachusetts, one of the richest states in the nation, houselessness continues to be a challenge in many of our communities. But we cannot forget the people struggling with it, we cannot write them off, or ever stop doing everything we can to make their lives better.
That means no more demonizing and disparaging the poor. No more stereotypes. No more generalizing the challenges faced because each situation and each person suffering is unique.
My bottom line: we should be helping those experiencing houselessness get back on their feet, not kicking them while they're down, and we certainly, should not be indifferent to their struggles.
My plan shouldn't be controversial: we must do more at the national level to strengthen the social safety net to better address houselessness, food insecurity, and poverty and many other issues which deserve to be front and center. Because, if you want to work in this country, you ought not to be poor and you ought certainly not to be without a safe space to sleep.
Jim
