Written by: Nicole Harris-Armstrong
Last updated: February 7, 2025
Housing cannot be both a profitable asset and a human right. Homelessness is growing yearly in America and has hit a record high in 2024. Homelessness has seen a third increase in two years, and I have witnessed homelessness increasing in the community that I live in. Americans who are homeless are human beings but oftentimes are not seen as they have become the invisible class. There is a famous beautiful poem written by Emma Lazarus that is located at the base of the Statue of Liberty. The poem resonated with me in writing this blog post. She wrote:
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
This is the America that I remember our country to be, but in the turn of the century it seems that these words have been lost and forgotten.
Situation: Housing Cannot Be Both a Profitable Asset and a Human Right
Per huduser.gov 2024 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report to Congress, in a single night in January 2024 over 770,000 people were experiencing homelessness, or a lack of adequate nighttime residence. This is an 18% increase of people experiencing homelessness since 2023. In this report, homelessness was defined as people living in emergency shelter, transitional housing programs, safe havens, or in unsheltered locations in America. On top of these locations, homeless people that are unaccounted for can also be found in locations not meant for habitation such as sleeping under bridges, cars, bus or train stations, airports, camping grounds, sidewalks, or abandoned buildings. Also not included in these statistics are people that live with their parents, friends, or relatives. These people are fortunate to have the support of people willing to shelter them, but are technically considered homeless, as they cannot afford to buy a house on their own.
Some homeless people are living in high density living situations, as they need to double up to live in a motel, tiny corporate communal apartments, or with family members. Oftentimes, the homeless need to live in dangerous and unsanitary living conditions, and there are many barriers for homeless people to have access to health care and social services. Per the CDC, the homeless are at higher risk for infectious and non-infectious diseases. Homeless people are at increased risk for respiratory infections as well as blood borne pathogens. Due to stress, uncertainty, and threats to safety, they are at risk for increased mental illness, such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD.
Statistics: Housing Cannot Be Both a Profitable Asset and a Human Right
Rising inflation, increase in rents, lack of affordable housing, stagnant wages, loss of jobs, inability to pay rent, loss of benefits, the opioid epidemic, mental health, and natural disasters all contribute to housing instability in America amongst low- and middle-class families. We as a country are experiencing record levels of homelessness amongst families with children, couples, as well as individuals. Per huduser.gov, most individuals experiencing homelessness were between the ages of 25 and 64 (84%). One third of people experiencing homelessness were women, and two thirds were men. Families with children have seen the largest increase (39%) in homelessness between 2023 and 2024. Single income families are also part of this vulnerable population. Women and girls make up 58% of all people in families experiencing homelessness. Nearly 150,000 children are experiencing homelessness in America which is a 33% increase over 2023. In 2024, one out of every four people experiencing homelessness was a child under 18 years or young adult between the ages of 18-24 years. Out of all of the populations experiencing homelessness, children under 18 years saw the largest increase by 32% followed by young adults 25-34 years increased by 24% from 2023-2024. Some veterans that fought for our country are also homeless, but those numbers are improving. One in five people experiencing homelessness are over the age of 55 years old, which points to potential age discrimination amongst hiring employers which goes against civil rights enacted in ADEA of 1967 and well as for benefits OWBPA of 1990. On top of these things, people who have disabilities or a previous conviction have limited employment opportunities to achieve a high-level income, which makes this population more susceptible to homelessness as well.
Workers’ Rights, Earning a Fair Wage, and Housing Inflation
States with the highest rates of homelessness are New York and California. The numbers of homelessness is growing in states that in the past had affordable single family homes to purchase or rent, as well as affordable apartment rentals. Some property management software companies, landlords of apartments, as well as landlords of single family homes have proven through their acts of rapid spikes in rental increases that they do not have the self discipline to keep housing affordable for the people that live in this country. The landlords are trained business owners with the ultimate goal to make money at all costs. Landlords are not elected representatives that are there to protect and serve the people of this country, so some of them do not care if you lose your job, are trying to live off of a single income, or do not have a fair wage to pay for inflated housing conditions they along with others have created. These types of landlords are inhumane, and are not socially responsible to the people that live in this country. Our elected representatives however are elected to represent, serve, and protect all people, including low and middle class people that live in our country, not just wealthy asset rich people.
Housing cannot be both a profitable asset and a human right. People in America are no longer are able to earn a fair income in relation to the high costs of housing. The surprising thing is that some of the recent homeless populations are educated, but their wage does not cover the cost of inflated housing. As it stands, you can hold down a full-time job or even two full-time jobs, and still not be able to afford housing. Even people with six figure incomes are living paycheck to paycheck in certain areas of our nation. Estimates are showing that about a half of all people experiencing homelessness are working.
Growing up in America, I believed in our nation because we were a nation that fought for workers’ rights. I am not really seeing that happen anymore, as workers are not winning but rather losing when their rights get trampled on. Wages should be fair and just, even in economically challenged times. Employers are getting away with exploiting labor and treating employees unfairly, as they know that they can get away with it as the justice system will not stop them. Laws and states shape how the society will treat human beings, and the legal system could be more fair and just. The legal system could do better in promoting policies of freedom to protect the working class, as well as the most vulnerable of our society.
Exploiting inflation enriches the wealthy and has in turn oppressed the less fortunate. America has changed due to these acts, as they have led to societal imbalance, and has not made the nation better. People are afraid rather than secure as the threat of eviction looms with those that struggle to pay for housing. Parents are faced with impossible choices such as deciding which bill they will pay, or how they will put food on the table. They are wondering how they will keep their lights lit, and how they will provide basic necessities. Dignity is not being preserved which can lead to hopelessness and despair. All human beings are somebody in their creator’s eyes, as he loves all of his children. God sees and hears the cries of the oppressed. One bible verse I have been reading is Psalm 127:1-2
Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is useless. Unless the lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good. It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.
Housing Can Be a Risky Investment
Some people say to move if housing becomes too unaffordable where you live. The problem with this thought process is that some people are not in a position to uproot their entire lives and move. Some people have families or jobs that keep them in a certain location for a certain period of time. Besides the fact, moving does not fix the root cause of the problem, but enables the problem to continue on. Similar to a disease, housing inflation starts small in a limited geographical area, and eventually spreads to states that are deemed as value properties. So not only do the greedy infect the original host with the financial disease of housing inflation, the infection spreads everywhere and affects all people. The housing market is unhealthy, and once the damage is done it is very difficult to undo.
One thing that some people do not realize, housing can be a risky investment. Deregulation and the rise of risky lending caused the Great Recession. The Great Recession proved to our country what a risky investment housing can be. After the Great Recession, rather than accepting the loss in the decision of making a risky investment, some people decided it was better not to accept the loss by renting out their inflated single-family homes instead. Following this line of thought, many other speculators also decided they wanted to rent out single family homes which inflated the entire housing market. On top of these acts, real estate rentals are placed on the stock market for further speculation. The speculators figure if you can’t afford to buy a home, speculate on the stock market instead. The problem with this line of thought is that people do need shelter and a place to live. Many people do not speculate on the stock market, and do not benefit from inflated housing assets. There are many people that are living paycheck to paycheck, and do not have extra money to invest in the stock market. There are corporations designed to make renting a house appealing to those that are not aware or concerned about the housing crisis. I feel that thought process will change once people see that their own children or future generations cannot afford to buy a house and need to live with them. If the path that we are currently on is allowed to be continued, many people in our nation along with future generations will lose real wealth and the potential for a prosperous future. Monopolies and inflation occurred after the downturns in the economy from Great Recession as well Pandemic, and the working-class people of this country continue to suffer from those who scheme and are corrupt. Personally, I feel that the economy is not set up to be fair and is not socially responsible. Housing cannot be both a profitable asset and a human right.
Leader Debates on How to Fix the Housing Crisis
Sadly, most debates amongst our leaders fail to recognize this contradiction that housing cannot be both a profitable asset and a human right. In housing, one of the biggest issues is a demand that does not decrease. When there is a downturn, we have an economy that bails out the housing market. That is not the way capitalism is supposed to work, as it leads to speculation and an irrational exuberance. Reducing demand from speculators is the key to this housing crisis. Adding supply helps, but demand from speculators is the root cause of the problem. Something needs to change if we as a nation want to say we are good and loving towards its people. There are other countries that are doing better than America regarding their homeless housing statistics, so there is room for improvement. There has been progress and bipartisanship to solve the housing crisis in this country, but there could be more done. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has a website that helps provide resources to people who are homeless.
The Vision of the Statue of Liberty
When people from all over the world go to see the Statue of Liberty in New York, there is an excitement and a feeling of joy. The reason people feel hopeful around the Statue of Liberty is because it is a national symbol that enlightens the world with ideals of independence, ending all types of servitude and oppression. The Statue of Liberty has a broken shackle chain at her feet which is a representation of freedom from oppression and bondage. The broken chain also represents democracy, the end of slavery, and the union of victory. All throughout world history, freedom was not just freely given, and people have needed to fight for their independence. American heroes who fought for liberty, justice and freedom would talk about America being a place of hope in achieving the American Dream; a place where all people have value and worth because human beings are created by God; and a foundation where people have basic human rights with ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The America I remember growing up is an America that strives to do better for its people. I hope the leaders of our nation also remember who our nation once strived to be.
I hope you will be able to see that something needs to give as this is an unsustainable path and is not working for many people that live in this country. My hope in writing this blog is to make America a better place to live, and more affordable again. I have written related posts the last few weeks that titled Home Prices are Inflating Faster than Incomes in America, The Real-Life American Monopoly Game, and The Opioid Epidemic: Shed Some Light in the Darkness of Despair in which I would encourage you to read, a Resource page to help people in need, as well as a Basic Bills Tracker and Budget Planner in which you can find directly on my blog Shop page and on Etsy.