A quiet war is being waged in cities across America. The battle lines aren’t drawn with tanks or soldiers but with anti-camping laws, hostile architecture, and the steady drumbeat of propaganda that tells us homelessness is a personal failing rather than a systemic one.

The numbers are staggering. 771,480 people were recorded as homeless in 2024—an 18% spike in a single year, the highest ever recorded. Each of those numbers represents a person, a life unraveling under the weight of an economy that has declared them disposable.

The question is not why so many people are homeless. The question is: why are we so determined to blame them for it?

A Game Designed for You to Lose

The American Dream is built on a simple promise: work hard, follow the rules, and you will be rewarded. But what happens when the rules themselves are a trap? When full-time jobs don’t pay enough to cover rent, when medical debt can wipe out a lifetime of savings overnight, when a single eviction can brand someone as “unrentable” for years?

For many, homelessness isn’t a failure to participate in the system. It is the result of playing the game exactly as instructed—only to find out that the house always wins.

Is it truly a moral failing to refuse to participate in an economy that offers no path to security?

We don’t ask these questions. Instead, we repeat the tired mantra: Why don’t they just get a job?

The Leech Narrative: Who Is Really Exploiting Whom?

Homeless people are accused of being “leeches” on society, yet the true parasites wear suits and sit in boardrooms. Wage theft by employers exceeds the cost of all street-level theft combined. Tax loopholes for billionaires drain more public funds than any food stamp fraud ever could. Corporations inflate rents and suppress wages while receiving massive government subsidies, but we are told to blame the man sleeping on a park bench.

The goal of this narrative is clear: dehumanize the most vulnerable so we do not question the actual systems of exploitation.

Homelessness as Rebellion Against the Absurd

Albert Camus wrote that “The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.”

In an absurd society where human worth is measured by economic output, to refuse participation is itself a radical act. The homeless, in their suffering, expose the absurdity of a system that claims to reward hard work while ensuring that millions will never escape precarity.

Of course, this is not to say homelessness is a choice. No one would choose starvation, untreated illness, or exposure to violence. Given a fair playing field, every person would seek security, dignity, and fulfillment. But when that field is rigged, when survival itself is contingent on selling oneself into a broken system, what option remains?

Policy of Erasure: How We Punish the Poor for Existing

Rather than address homelessness, governments are choosing to erase the homeless themselves:

• Urban camping bans criminalize sleeping in public spaces while shelters remain at full capacity.
• Anti-panhandling laws make asking for help a crime.
• Hostile architecture—spiked benches, gated doorways, and metal bars under bridges—ensures that suffering is out of sight, out of mind.
• Police sweeps destroy personal belongings and force homeless individuals into even more precarious conditions.

The cruelty isn’t accidental. It’s strategic. The goal isn’t to fix homelessness—it’s to make it disappear, at least from public view.

A Call to Action: What Needs to Change

Policy Changes That Work

• Housing First Programs: Implementing Housing First initiatives can reduce public costs associated with emergency services and improve housing stability for chronically homeless individuals. [Source]
• Affordable Housing Expansion: Addressing housing affordability is crucial, as a significant portion of low-income households in OECD countries spend over 40% of their disposable income on rent. [OECD Report]
• Eviction Prevention & Rental Assistance: Providing rental assistance and implementing eviction prevention programs can help maintain housing stability and reduce the risk of homelessness. [Urban Institute Report]
• Healthcare & Mental Health Access: Integrating healthcare services with housing support can improve health outcomes and reduce public costs. [Urban Institute Study]

How You Can Help

Beyond policy, individuals play a vital role in reshaping the narrative and supporting effective solutions. Volunteering not only benefits those in need but also enhances the well-being of volunteers. Engaging in community service has been linked to reduced stress, improved mental health, and increased life satisfaction. [Volunteerism & Mental Health Study]

Take action today:

• Volunteer: Support homeless outreach programs, shelters, and food banks. [Find Opportunities Near You]
• Advocate: Contact local representatives and demand investment in housing solutions rather than criminalization. [Learn More]
• Support Direct Aid: Donate to organizations that provide permanent housing solutions. [Pathways to Housing], [National Alliance to End Homelessness]

Homelessness as a Mirror of Our Failures