Let’s Talk About It

If you met Marilyn two years ago, you might have thought she had the perfect life. She was college educated, married, and had a couple of kids – one of whom was in school on a full academic scholarship. Then things began to unravel. There were marital difficulties and financial challenges. Her husband left and the car was repossessed. Marilyn could not pay the rent and eventually her family lost their apartment.

In Brian Goldstone’s forthcoming book There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America, he writes “Today, the threat of homelessness is most acute not in the poorest regions of the country, but in the richest, fastest-growing ones.”

Many factors can threaten housing stability for families and individuals. Soaring rents, insufficient wages, schedules that change weekly, lack of medical benefits, to name a few. We need to let go of any preconceived notions about who faces homelessness and understand that each family has a unique history behind their situation.