Homelessness in the Bay Area

Before we drafted the bill, we were asked to partner with the Department of Housing and Urban Development to participate in a survey of homeless persons. For three hours on a brisk night in November, we marched the streets of Washington, D.C., identifying and asking homeless individuals whether they attempted to find shelter at a HUD homeless facility. Our findings were astonishing. Most of these individuals did not know shelters were available, or were turned away altogether. Among the most memorable individuals, I can recall a veteran of World War II having lost everything after losing an ongoing battle with post-traumatic stress disorder. I recall a drug addict who had given up on rehab. Most vividly, I recall a woman suffering from severe depression following a divorce and losing custody of her two children. These individuals had simply lost their way, but were not out of reach.

After several months of working tirelessly on nights and weekends, we managed to draft and garner bipartisan support for the bill before it was brought before the committee for a vote. Awaiting the vote with a hopeful grin, I proudly stood behind the members of Congress with talking points in hand as they debated the fine points of the bill. To my surprise, rather than collaboratively working to fine-tune the bill, many of the members focused on political differences rather than finding consensus on policy for the greater good.

Discouraged by the bill’s defeat, I solemnly returned to my desk, trashed my talking points and loosened the stiff knot on my suit tie. I learned a difficult lesson to grasp that day. Addressing homelessness is among the least of favorable issues for many legislators. Quite frankly, that is because it is always an issue for which leaders in politics will be criticized. Moreover, it is not a profit-driven issue, and thus is not strongly supported by special interest groups. The end result is a cohort of federal agencies tasked in part with overlapping and duplicative goals of addressing homelessness that ineffectively address the problem.

Consider the Department of Veterans Affairs, an agency that administers homeless assistance and services for our wounded heroes. The agency continues to face its own battles in trying to provide quick and effective shelter and treatment for veterans who need it most. Last year, the 15-member commission tasked by Congress to reform the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reported several deficiencies that, despite a significant increase in funding over the past two years, continue to plague the agency. Some of these deficiencies include “flawed governance,” “insufficient staffing” and “inadequate facilities.”

Some suggest that merely increasing state and federal funding is the cure all to our homeless population. I would direct them the alarming discrepancy in the skyrocketing homeless population in the Bay Area and the money our state expended on addressing homelessness in the past fiscal year. In fact, the city of San Francisco funneled more than $275 million on homelessness and supportive housing in fiscal year 2018. Nevertheless, the homeless population continues to increase.

The problem is not merely a shortage in funding. The problem is in large part attributed to the lack of affordable housing here in the Bay Area. The State Legislative Analyst’s Office tells us that we need to build more than 100,000 new rental units per year to make room for the state’s growing population. The more housing units we build, the more residents will have affordable housing alternatives from which to choose. More affordable housing options would enable many undergoing financial hardship or facing a mental illness to outlast the battle and avoid falling into homelessness.

I do not suggest that affordable housing is the solution for all homeless people as many are in need of supportive housing, transitional and mental health facilities. Nonetheless, for those who are able-bodied, affordable housing would provide such persons with an opportunity for a fresh start. The bottom line is that, to address the homeless population, we must concurrently address the affordable housing shortage in our state. To that end, we must begin to implement the means of market-based solutions, rather than legislating or funding our way through the problem.

A native of Pacifica, Jonathan Madison worked as professional policy staff for the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Financial Services, from 2011-2013. Jonathan works as an attorney and can be reached via email at jonathanemadison@gmail.com.