We hate homelessness, but we love homeless people., and the most shocking location that’s representative of poverty in America we find homeless people in is Lafayette Square, the park directly across the street from the White House. We visit Lafayette Square every time we are in Washington, DC. It doesn’t matter who the president living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is; there are always homeless people near. Just walking to the White House, it’s heartbreaking seeing the amount of street homeless people suffering just blocks away, knowing our national lawmakers can solve homelessness, but housing as a solution to solving homelessness has now become a political wedge issue., so humans are left to die outside.
The White House represents the power and wealth of this great country of ours, yet there are millions of Americans who do not have adequate housing or access to healthcare. Many suffer from food insecurity, and as Milton shared in this video, just trying to find a bathroom is a huge challenge for homeless people.
Milton is 58 years old. He’s lived outside for a few years. Milton told us that his homelessness started after losing a job and challenges after a relationship. He shared he thinks shelters provide a purpose, but with all the different people, Milton is more comfortable sleeping outside. He does go into a shelter when the weather is cold, but only then.
Milton says a local church is helping him find housing. This is where you can help. We all need to advocate to fix the affordable housing crisis. For every $100 increase in medium rent, homelessness increases by 9%. If we don’t prevent and solve homelessness now, homeless numbers will continue to skyrocket out of control.
