My home is about six blocks from one of the busiest streets in my city. I’ve seen people walk by with nothing but a bag from the nearest shelter, a shopping cart of their possessions, and the weight of the world on their shoulders. Homelessness has never felt so near to me as when I’m sitting on my front porch watching it walk by.
According to data from the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, almost two million people in the United States experienced homelessness at some point in 2022. Of those people, a quarter had no access to temporary housing provided by the government or other organizations. For these people, this means nights spent in tents and abandoned buildings, being subjected to poor living conditions impacting their physical and mental health, and lacking basic amenities such as sanitation and medical care.
But this is a problem that spans much more than just numbers. It’s an issue that spans from Publix shopping carts to the tents you see on the side of the interstate on your daily commute. These statistics help us understand the scope of the problem, but they don’t help the people in these situations. These are statistics that tell us that we aren’t doing enough, and that our systems are falling short.
The Systemic Problem
In my hometown, there’s a psychiatric hospital where patients are discharged after treatment often with little to nothing but a bottle of prescription medication and basic instructions for continuing care, and limited support after they leave. These people are expected to build their life back up, but they often lack the stable connections and resources needed to help them transition back into normal life, pushing them into a cycle of instability that often results in homelessness, where access to basic necessities often depends on luck or charitable intervention.
Often, these struggles are not the result of personal shortcomings, but of inadequate systems that fail to provide support to people in need. When people leave these temporary programs such as hospitals and shelters without long-term support such as housing and access to consistent treatment, and don’t have a guarantee of future employment, they often find themselves facing the same issues they were before.
The Importance of the Neighbor
Where larger systems often struggle to meet the needs of the homeless, local community organizations can often fill in the gaps. The Red Bank Community Food Pantry, operating here in Chattanooga, is one example, running entirely on volunteers. The pantry partners with local grocery stores and food banks, collecting surplus food and collaborating with other local businesses and organizations. Their coordinator described their service as “neighbors serving neighbors”, emphasizing the value that collaborative work can bring to a community.
These organizations play a crucial role in supporting our communities and people in need, and provide lifelines for those facing immediate hardship. While these efforts cannot fully address gaps in affordable housing, reliable health care, and stable employment that leave people vulnerable, they serve as vital stepping stones toward long-term solutions to economic inequality. To truly ensure everyone’s needs are met, broad systemic changes must be made to complement the work of these community-driven initiatives.
Whether I’m sitting on my front porch or driving through the city, I still see people gathered at the bus stops and around shelters or passing down the street. Knowing the gravity of the issue and the struggles they face makes it heavy, but it can also serve as a reminder of the tenacity of our communities when it comes to caring for our neighbors.
As it was put by the coordinator of Red Bank Food Pantry:
“If you want to make a difference in your community, put yourself in places where you see faces and hear stories of neighbors who are different from you. Chattanooga is beautifully filled with nonprofits that provide opportunities to be in relationship with kids in need, lonely older adults, those who struggle with substance abuse, refugees and immigrants, etc. In our current culture that 'others' humans instead of seeking relationships with those that are not in our normal circles, we need a rising up of people that set politics aside and step into getting to know each other.”