I don’t know how to say it nicely, so I’ll just be direct; we cannot fix homelessness. 

Sorry, I’m not thrilled about it either, but it’s best that we at least admit defeat to ourselves; wallowing in the false hope that *just maybe* the free market will realign itself with human compassion (something it has never done before) only delays the inevitable—the inevitable here being a mass-movement of populist socialism aimed at nationalizing the housing market. 

But that’s not happening. I mean, god, we don’t even have healthcare yet! No, instead, The Supreme Court of the United States is currently hearing arguments on whether or not it should be illegal to sleep outside. Is that not absolutely hilarious, given everything? Record numbers of people are being made homeless by forces wholly outside of their influence, and the highest court in the land is debating the merits of arresting said people for daring to escape into their dreams. A group of unelected millionaires with vacation homes will determine whether or not the police have the right to harass you for the crime of being poor. And don’t you dare offer me some pedantic warbling on how the Supreme Court is sacred or the lynchpin of American democracy or something; I don’t want to hear it. 

But why are people homeless? The median American’s mind, rather than answers, has many coping mechanisms for this question: It’s always  “Oh, because people don’t want to work.” or “Because people abuse drugs.” or some other individualistic nonsense. If you point out to these people that the federal minimum wage would have to be tripled to be capable of covering the rent for an average single-person apartment, all they do is shuffle their feet awkwardly and mumble vague platitudes about hard work and thinking positively. It’s ridiculous! People are homeless because homes are a capitalist commodity—a commodity that is bought up en masse by large property corporations, who then hold sole power over whether or not people are allowed to live in their units. There is simply no reason for a corporation to “give away” houses they own to people who lack them. How will they make money for their shareholders? “Well, Will, they could grow a sense of moral consciousness!” Haha, yeah, maybe. Maybe all of the landlords will come around someday, and recognize they’ve scalped an entire generation of would-be tenants. I’m sure they’ll wipe their tears on hundred dollar bills, while working-class people get hauled away for daring to take a moment’s rest in a public space.

I know this is a bit of a bitter article, and I’m sorry. But again, it’s important to recognize the direness of our reality. Only once we reappraise the causes of injustice in our society can we actually go about the work of amending them.