I met Pablo (street name) sleeping outside in Manchester, New Hampshire. He has been homeless for six years now. Pablo starts off by sharing how homeless people cannot stay in one place too long. Otherwise, they become a target. Instead of putting resources behind evidencebased solutions proven to work, politicians continue to push for the criminalization of homelessness.

Pablo wanted to do this interview to be a voice for the homeless, he says, because the homeless have no voice. Homeless people get kicked around. Pablo added that the stereotype people latch onto that homeless people are drug addicts or alcoholics. He continued that some of that may be true, but his next statement is profound. Pablo said, "For whatever reason, we're here; we're not going away."

Think about that for a moment. The leading cause of homelessness is a lack of affordable housing, followed by a lack of a living wage, racism, a broken criminal justice system, broken foster care, domestic violence, not enough, drug treatment or mental health facilities, and many other reasons the causes of homelessness, but the facts remain, no matter what the cause of a person's homelessness is, unless we do something to help people get off the streets in the housing, homelessness is not going away.

A case in point is Pablo said Manchester police came and woke him up at 2 o'clock in the morning. They were NOT offering support and a place to go. The police just said if he came back, he'd be arrested.

Pablo is 65 years old. He once had a house, but after some bad decisions and a divorce, he ended up sleeping outside. Sadly, the population of elderly homelessness continues to grow. The day after this interview, I was speaking at an event where I talked about homeless shelters, which are starting to look like nursing homes. A street nurse came up and thanked me for saying that. She said they have problems finding bottom bunkbeds that are near an outlet so that they can run oxygen for the seniors who need it. Think about that., homeless shelters are filled with people who need oxygen to survive, and there are not enough bottoms or bunkbeds with electrical outlets near them.

Homelessness is continuing to get worse. That much we can guarantee. As it gets worse, so is the push for criminalization, which does nothing to solve homelessness. This is an urgent crisis. Every one of us must contact our legislators and put pressure until they prevent and solve homelessness.

Finland Solved Homelessness: Here's How (Spoiler: It's More Than Housing First)    • Finland Solved Homelessness: Here's H...  

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About Invisible People

There is a direct correlation between what the general public perceives about homelessness and how it affects policy change. Most people blame homelessness on the person experiencing it instead of the increasing shortage of affordable housing, lack of employment, childhood trauma, lack of a living wage, or the countless reasons that put a person at risk. This lack of understanding creates a dangerous cycle of misperception that leads to the inability to effectively address the root causes of homelessness.

We imagine a world where everyone has a place to call home. Each day, we work to fight homelessness by giving it a face while educating individuals about the systemic issues that contribute to its existence. Through storytelling, education, news, and activism, we are changing the narrative on homelessness.

This isn’t just talk. Our groundbreaking educational content reaches millions of people every month. Our real and unfiltered stories of homelessness shatter stereotypes, demand attention and deliver a calltoaction that is being answered by governments, major brands, nonprofit organizations, and everyday citizens just like you.

However, there is more work to be done on the road ahead. Homelessness is undoubtedly one of our biggest societal issues today and will only continue to grow if we don’t take action now.

Invisible People is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to educating the public about homelessness through innovative storytelling, news, and advocacy. Since our launch in 2008, Invisible People has become a pioneer and trusted resource for inspiring action and raising awareness in support of advocacy, policy change and thoughtful dialogue around poverty in North America and the United Kingdom.