The number of people becoming homeless or losing their homes has gone up significantly in recent years. They are working-class individuals who may have made your pizza, unclogged your sink or fulfilled your Amazon order.
As one young man living in his car told a reporter, “There are so many of us who don’t fit into the box of what you’d think is homeless.”
Yet, effective solutions to address the root causes of why people become unhoused remain in short supply. This became evident after the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
On June 28, the court ruled that an Oregon city had a right to ban unhoused people from sleeping in public spaces, issuing costly tickets to discourage them from setting up shelter. Then, a few weeks later the governor of California announced a directive to state agencies to clear property of homeless encampments, prompting them to seek the help of local service providers.
To address homelessness, you need compassion and a respect for humanity. Reprisals, fines or even a carrots-and-sticks approach is likely to backfire. The most vulnerable among us especially need to be treated with the utmost respect and sensitivity, in order to reduce the likelihood of continual poverty, devastation and lack of productivity.
That’s why Islamic Relief USA, a non-profit humanitarian and advocacy organization, will hold its annual Day of Dignity event with the Yusuf Shah Islamic Center on in Mount Vernon at the 4th Street Playground, located on the corner of East 4th Street and 7th Avenue on Saturday, Aug. 24. Individuals can receive food, hygiene kits, health care and legal services, among other things.
The event has evolved over the years to address the needs of many other segments of our population besides the unhoused, particularly the working poor or people who are just struggling to make ends meet.
Prices have soared in the last couple of years. The supply chain snags in the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic unleashed the largest hike in the inflation rate in four decades, resulting in record price hikes for just about every essential good and service, transportation, clothing, electronics and even school supplies.
But there’s no doubt that housing costs have especially seen some backbreaking price hikes. In general, one of the major reasons for the housing crisis is the little supply of affordable housing, a result of zoning decisions made at the local level. That mostly prevents the creation of multifamily or higher density housing. The results of this constrained supply means higher prices due to strong. Over the past four years, rents have risen 32%.
Mount Vernon’s housing costs are high, with the median monthly rent being $2,400. The city tried addressing the affordability Gap with a guaranteed income program, which was made possible with funds it received through the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
In Mount Vernon’s one-year guaranteed income program, 200 families received $500 per month, or $6,000 for the year. The data showed that the money, which was tracked through debit card transactions, was spent toward basic needs like food, child care, transportation and prescription drugs, among other necessities.
While the program was effective, it was a temporary solution and was primarily designed to help recipients pave the way to self-destination. Day of Dignity has a similar goal in mind.
As in previous years, we don’t expect this event to serve as a one-trick pony, the elixir that will cure a person’s economic or social travails. Day of Dignity is at best a starting point on the road to redemption. Elected officials have been known to pay a visit, as it provides them first-hand interactions with constituents who may feel marginalized, underrepresented or just plain neglected.
But we remind all who are interested in social policy — nonprofits can only do so much.
Ahmed Shehata is the chief executive officer of Islamic Relief USA, a nonprofit humanitarian and advocacy organization that works frequently in Mount Vernon.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Day of Dignity shines a spotlight on housing affordability