Local Programs Restore Connection, Resilience, and a Sense of Belonging, Proving That Housing Justice Begins With Community
As one housing advocate recently explained, “Bottom-up activities at the block level may do more to assist with resilience and community sustainability than big government programs.”
Mass evictions are sending renters out of their homes in droves in Orlando, Florida, and Philadelphia, PA. Rampant wildfires and astronomical rental costs have left hundreds of thousands of Californians on the streets. Homelessness is a systemic issue tied to flaws in the structures and holes in the safety nets that should ideally keep us afloat.
Some wait for a lifeline in the form of government assistance, which is crucial to turning economic issues around.
Still, others are taking a proactive, grassroots approach by challenging the very ideologies that make homelessness possible, such as othering and individualism. By embracing neighborhood activities that promote unity and empathy, these small community-based organizations are creating sustainable outcomes for all. Free from the barriers of isolation and consumerism, we see one another in our true forms — as neighbors, fellow human beings, and even friends.
Homelessness and Humanity: A Deeper Look at the Invisible Crisis
Invisible People has conducted countless interviews with people enduring the challenge of homelessness. No two paths are identical.
Some people became homeless as a result of a loss, whether it was a job, a spouse, a relative, or a supplemental source of income. Others became homeless because of an illness and the lack of societal support. Some individuals returned as veterans of war and wound up with no stable place to stay. Some retired onto the streets. Some people were even born into homelessness and knew nothing other than an unsheltered life.
Regardless of the circumstances, there is a common thread in the seclusion and othering they experienced.
“I felt isolated,” said one formerly homeless interviewee.
“I had no friends,” added another.
Studies show that 52 million US adults struggle with loneliness. Those pangs grow increasingly worse as social safety nets slip out from under us. When people fall between the cracks, they often fall alone, making it that much easier for homelessness to erase them from public view altogether.
We’re already so busy not seeing each other.
Cool Block Programs Instill a Necessary Sense of Community Pride
Invisible People reporters have spoken extensively with experts, historians, and advocates. All agree that othering plays a massive role in perpetuating homelessness.
It is only through an intense process of dehumanization that we can allow millions of our fellow human beings to sleep on the sidewalks outside. That same process erodes the social bonds that community members use to help one another in times of desperation. Without those bonds, people in need are unlikely to seek the help that could prevent a potential disaster.
This is how one missed paycheck can give way to an eviction, or one tumultuous storm cloud can send an entire town reeling into financial ruin.
Transition Town Greater Media’s Cool Block/Cool Cities program is one sterling example of a movement that aims to change the way we see each other. By connecting individuals at the block level, this collaborative effort is all about “place-making, community-building, local ecosystems, sharing economies, and developing collaboration muscle with your neighbors who live next door, across the street, or in your apartment building.”
“Our country is suffering from a loneliness crisis,” explained Skip Shuda of Transition Town Greater Media, which operates under the acronym TTGM. “Many of us do not know our neighbors. Asking for help is not something we are accustomed to.”
Shifting the mindset from that of individualism and consumerism to a more collective mentality has a positive impact that makes sharing the goal. Through programs like Cool Block and Transition Streets, neighbors are feeling connected again and taking an active role in their cities by:
- Practicing Disaster Resiliency
- Fostering Neighborhood Livability
- Tackling Environmental Issues
- Combatting the Hunger Crisis on a Community Level
- Learning About Food, Water, and Energy Systems
- Participating in Local Food Production
These tactics and more make it possible to create a sustainable community that can, if necessary, exist without additional assistance. Taking the lead through direct action is yet another useful tactic in the fight to end homelessness. The goal is achievable. It’s not out of reach.
Re-Establishing a Sense of Community Undercuts the Othering that Makes Homelessness Possible
“Building community connections through programs like Cool Block, Transition Streets, or simply recruiting neighbors to start an annual block party helps remove barriers between neighbors,” Shuda said in an exclusive exchange with Invisible People reporters. “After participating in a Cool Block program (a hyper-local study group that gathers periodically for a potluck meal and a conversation about preparedness), our neighborhood suddenly has group texts asking to borrow tools or cooking ingredients, shared rides to doctor appointments, dog sitting help, and so much more.”
While these connections might not seem groundbreaking at first glance, they chip away at the seclusion and disconnectedness that make homelessness possible, all while fostering a sense of neighborhood pride.
“At the same time, as we broke down barriers of isolation, we learned about disaster preparedness, energy conservation, water stewardship, and growing our own food,” Shuda continued. “Bottom-up activities at the block level may do more to assist with resilience and community sustainability than big government programs.”
Hitting Home: Group Efforts Embody Neighborhood Success
By fostering community bonds, real positive change is already underway. TTGM and its partners have already achieved the following milestones:
- Generated $15,000 in revenue for struggling local businesses facing post-pandemic closures
- Created a two-year solar energy initiative that now includes 50 Pennsylvania households
- Connected local nonprofit organizations to help one another in their endeavors
- Cross-connected 49 municipalities to help locally owned small businesses and restaurants
- Conducted numerous “reskilling workshops” aimed at teaching lost or lesser-known skillsets like furniture making, foraging, bicycle repair, sewing techniques, weatherization, and more
Remind Your Legislators That Housing for All Makes Communities Stronger
Homelessness is a solvable social ill. Now is not the time to lose hope. It is the time to come together, unified, resilient, and prepared. Remind your local legislators that the human right to housing should be upheld in all communities, including yours.