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Houselessness, human dignity, and the right to survive

The July 2019 interview on “Glen’s Parallax Perspectives” series. provides  information and insights about the growing number of people who do not have reliable places to live.

Two savvy guests – Jamie Joy and Tye Gundel – take a fresh look at problems and solutions related to homelessness.  (We explain why “houselessness” is a better term.)  We dispel some of the myths that interfere with realistic understanding and smart solutions.

Instead of talking about the topic from afar, one guest is houseless. The other co-founded a great local grassroots organization,“Just Housing,” in 2016 and has been working with houseless folks and allies.  These guests and others work to

  • inform the public and local governments,
  • conduct effective advocacy for solving the problems, and
  • provide smart, effective direct services for houseless people.

We understand that people’s first need is for a decent, stable place to live.  Local governments need to recognize this basic human right – and to reform public policies instead of using heavy-handed policing to criminalize poverty and disrupt makeshift communities.

Workable solutions do exist, and our society can end houselessness if we muster the political will.  We need to reject stereotypes and understand the problems accurately.  Houselessness is a social and economic issue rather than a law-enforcement issue.  We need to work for long-term solutions (changing our society’s values, attitudes and economy), and we need short-term solutions to meet immediate needs so every person will have a decent, reliable place to live.  Research proves that stabilizing a person’s housing is the first step before dealing with personal or behavioral problems.

A crucial first step toward solving the problem is to bring the affected people directly into the conversation.  Houseless people themselves have first-hand knowledge and insights.  This interview’s houseless guests have shown that they can help our society solve problems.

Watch insightful and important programs on your computer or TCTV

Everyone everywhere can watch this interview or see a summary of what we said (plus get a list of links to further information) through Glen’s blog, www.parallaxperspectives.org.  Cable TV subscribers in Thurston County can watch on Thurston Community Television (TCTV) Mondays at 1:30 pm, Wednesdays at 5:00 pm, and Thursdays at 9:00 pm.  Questions?  Contact Glen Anderson, at (360) 491-9093 glenanderson@integra.net

 

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