Homelessness is often referred to as a crisis in our country’s media. But the word “crisis” falls short of adequately describing the set of problems. Saying that there are several crises relating to homelessness is more accurate.

There is a housing crisis, where housing expenses in metropolitan areas are insurmountable for the average person and government- funded affordable housing projects are just not enough.

There is a crisis of race, where African Americans make up over 40 percent

of the homeless population while only making up 12 percent of the general population.

There is a crisis of income inequality, where the top 1 percent of income earners take in 20 percent of the total income.

These are only a few of the crises that cause homelessness. There are others, like gentrification and redevelopment. Lack of education is a big one. But the common theme among all these crises is that there is always disparity. There is always a separation between human beings. This separation allows us to look at people on the other side as “others”— as those different than us when, in truth, human beings will always have more in common with each other than not.

Let’s clear up some misconceptions about people experiencing homelessness.

Misconception: Getting a job will keep you from being homeless.

Fact: Anyone who has seen a rent bill come due knows that many times, a job is not enough. This holds especially true for big, high cost cities like Washington, D.C. Not to mention that it is not easy to find a job when you do not have an address to put on an application.

Misconception: Most homeless people are addicted to drugs or alcohol.

Fact: The most prevalently used drug amongst people experiencing homelessness is marijuana, which is neither addictive nor harmful when consumed in moderation. Most homeless alcohol and drug addicts are addicted because of their homelessness, not homeless because of their addiction.

Misconception: Social programs that help homeless people — affordable housing, healthcare, nutritional assistance — are expensive.

Fact: Social programs are expensive, but they cost very little when compared to the amount of money the United States pours into other things, like the military.

Just as with the crises, there are many more misconceptions that contribute to the demonization and criminalization of people experiencing homelessness. In order to fix the crises, we must first get rid of our misconceptions so that we can better understand the people experiencing the problem.

The first battle in the war on homelessness does not start with building new shelters.

It is not about building more affordable housing, though that certainly would not hurt the situation. The first battle is one of humanization.

More often than not, pedestrians walk right by homeless people without a glance. That has to be the first thing to change.