Being Unhoused Isn’t a Choice, It’s More of a System Failure
When people see someone living on the streets, they often assume it was their own doing or a choice they made. But that belief couldn’t be further from the truth. Being unhoused isn’t the result of bad choices. It happens because of broken systems that fail the people who need support the most. The Urban Institute explains that one of the most damaging myths about homelessness is that it’s a choice. In reality, most unhoused people are trapped in a cycle caused by skyrocketing rent, low wages, and the lack of affordable housing. When people are paying most of their income just to keep a roof over their heads, a single emergency, like losing a job or getting sick, can push them into homelessness. This is not an individual failure but a policy failure. Years of neglecting affordable housing, unfair zoning rules, and weak support programs have pushed millions of people to the edge, living just one paycheck away from losing their stability. We...