Facing Homelessness Is Closer Than You Think

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As I watch the city go by on my commutes around downtown I often see fellow Portlanders speak about the homeless community with disdain. Perhaps the tents don’t match the aesthetics of the city or the encampments make them feel unsafe. Whatever the reason, people on the street deserve to live in dignity without sweeps disrupting their living situations and without people harassing them. What the average middle-class person may not realize is how they have much more in common with a homeless person than they do with the 1%. The cost of living in the United States is only climbing higher as the years go on whilst the minimum wage slowly crawls along to match it leaving Americans across the nation to strategize their spending habits to avoid being financially vulnerable or even on the streets themselves.

The causes of homelessness are a myriad of factors, some may be because of vices turned addictions, some may be from the lack of support systems, and for a lot of people, it's the cost of living. Something as simple as a hospital bill can cripple the lower and middle classes. Is the tragic cost of living not evident in how we utilize GoFundMe to help pay bills? A functioning economy in society should not have its citizens begging for help online, although that is often what it comes to. I urge everyone to look upon those struggling with kindness and compassion as the times we are living in are less than ideal economically and one may find themselves 

If you can and are willing to contribute, check out the website for the Rent Well program. This program helps homeless people in the long term by teaching them how to be good tenants. If successful in the program, these people are matched with landlords and can receive housing.

Check out the details of the Rent Well program here: 


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