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08/28/2019 | 7m 25s | Video has closed captioning.
In Maslow's hierarchy of needs he lists shelter at the base of the pyramid making it one of the few things most essential for survival. Today over half a million people live without permanent shelter across the United States. If we were founding our country today, would we ensure life, liberty, and shelter for all citizens? Toussaint visits a Minneapolis shelter to find out more.
Aired: 08/28/19
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- In America we have plenty of well-known rights.
The right to say what we want, - In America we have plenty of well-known rights.
the right to bear arms, the right to not incriminate ourselves in court.
But what about the right the right to not incriminate ourselves in court.
(triumphant trumpeting) to a house?
(paper ripping) (rippling music) In the 1940s, a psychologist named Abraham Maslow put forward this theory of the hierarchy of needs.
In the 1940s, a psychologist named Abraham Maslow The stuff all human beings need to survive.
At the base of the pyramid, the things most crucial to survival are food, water, sleep and shelter.
How important in the hierarchy of needs, is shelter?
- I would argue that shelter is among the most important.
If we do housing well, that means - I would argue that shelter is among the most important.
that healthcare outcomes improve.
That means public safety improves.
That means employment outcomes improve.
That means public safety improves.
That means education outcomes improve.
That means public safety improves.
We're able to make use of some of our great education resources if we've got families in stable housing.
- If you apply that idea today, it means that more than half a million people in this country, on any given night, it means that more than half a million people are going without one of the most basic things they need to survive.
- Our housing crisis has turned into a very visible problem for the city of Minneapolis.
- For the last couple days we've all been feeling the brutally cold weather, but imagine if you didn't have a place to live.
You didn't have heat.
That is the actual reality for about 200 men, women and children who are living at a homeless encampment.
That is the actual reality for about 200 men, - How did that happen?
How did the encampment happen?
- Yeah, so what we saw last year at Franklin and at Hiawatha, first of all, was really, one way of looking at that is that it was a concentration and a gathering of something that is happening every night across the city, now.
of something that is happening every night People started to gather on that spot.
It was organic, it was word of mouth.
People started to gather on that spot.
And 10 tents became 20 tents, became 40 tents, became more than 100 tents.
- Many countries across the world have decided a situation like this is unacceptable.
And they've put in place countless laws and programs basically saying a safe place to live, is a fundamental human right.
Right up there with the freedom of religion and all the others.
It got us thinking.
If we made America from scratch today, It got us thinking.
is this something that we would take up?
When our country was founded on the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, When our country was founded on the right what kind of life did the founding fathers think that we all had a right to?
Two centuries ago, land was cheap and homes were something you built yourself out of logs and mud.
Today, housing is driven by economics.
And if you want a home, you need to buy into the system, Today, housing is driven by economics.
often at levels average people can't afford.
Which has led to the creation of countless non-profit and humanitarian organizations that are trying to give everyone a housing option regardless of their income.
that are trying to give everyone a housing option - We have been successful in rehousing 1000s of households.
- Wow.
- We have been successful in rehousing - In our country what we suffer from is actually the fact that as we are doing that work with an individual or a family, is actually the fact that as we are doing that work there is another one down the street who is getting pushed out of housing.
The problem is, is that their folks are losing housing at a slightly higher rate than we are rehousing them.
- But in a country with the self-made, self-sufficient person is held as the gold standard, - But in a country with the self-made, there are plenty of reasons people don't believe housing is a right.
Is there a stigma that people with housing have in regards of homelessness that they just don't know about homelessness?
Like when we think about homelessness, we just think, "Oh, this person doesn't have a house."
What is a way to clear that stigma up or get people educated to what exactly homelessness is?
What is a way to clear that stigma up - That's a fabulous question and I'm glad you asked.
This sort of crisis, as we were talking about, the types of crisis we were talking about before, it can effect many, many people.
When I look at what folks who are staying it can effect many, many people.
with our shelter here, what their path looks like it can effect many, many people.
versus mine, oftentimes I think about the crises it can effect many, many people.
that I've been able to navigate.
it can effect many, many people.
And the difference between my situation and theirs it can effect many, many people.
was very simply that I had a family it can effect many, many people.
that was able to step in and support me when I was in crisis.
that was able to step in and support me And that is sometimes the only difference for folks.
that was able to step in and support me So I would say volunteering, getting into shelters and into places where service is being offered is the absolute best way to eliminate that stuff.
- A group of tents first showed up is the absolute best way to eliminate that stuff.
about a month ago along a wall next to Hiawatha Avenue near Franklin Avenue.
about a month ago along a wall Here's what it looks like today.
- Most of the people staying at the wall of forgotten natives homeless encampment are American Indian.
The City Council on Wednesday approved this site where temporary shelters will be set up with the goal of getting the camps residents where temporary shelters will be set up into more stable long-term housing.
- You already said that this has already been happening anyways.
- You already said that this - Exactly.
Was this situation just something that became visible to the public?
- Largely yes, there was also, obviously, a very significant native movement.
The native community saying, a very significant native movement.
"Hey, this is our land, technically, "that we're being evicted from "and not being able to get into.
"We want people to know that, we want that to be heard."
- Though it's been made into an incredibly complex and contentious issue here, - Though it's been made into an incredibly complex there are other places in the world where homelessness has been all but eradicated.
In Finland, that has meant providing where homelessness has been all but eradicated.
a home for everyone.
An effort called Housing First.
a home for everyone.
Housing First has been employed by the United States too, a home for everyone.
though not on a nationwide scale, like Finland.
a home for everyone.
What is Housing First?
- Housing First is a evidence-based practice that we have in the United States - Housing First is a evidence-based practice whereby there are no pre-conditions put on someone entering housing.
- Since 2007, homelessness across our country has decreased by more than 14%.
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Critics worry this kind of effort could place the burden on people who are already housed.
could place the burden on people As well as create unsafe residential areas.
And we need to tackle the other elephant in the room.
The many reasons from chemical dependency, to mental health issues, that prevent people from staying in housing even when it's provided.
In order to understand it, you really have to take a step back for a second In order to understand it, you really have and think about what it is to be homeless.
One of the things that we like to try and help people think about to understand the issue is if you think about things that are hard in life as a housed person, to deal with.
So if you've got someone in your family who is dealing with substance abuse issues.
So if you've got someone in your family If you've got mental health things or physical health things happen within your families.
Those are all very challenging things to deal with in a stably-housed family, in a stably-housed setting in a community, fair enough?
- Yeah.
in a community, fair enough?
- You take away the stability of housing and those things become damn near impossible to deal with.
- Critics to this approach often say it costs too much.
But to be fair, we need to talk about how much money we're spending on those who don't have homes.
But to be fair, we need to talk about how much money On things like public safety, emergency room visits and other crisis services.
If we remove the crisis, could we actually save money?
and other crisis services.
Do you believe that we could end homelessness?
- (sighs) Those were bold words that I first heard probably about 12 years ago.
I don't know, is the answer to that question.
What I do know is that resolving homelessness on a individual basis, is really not rocket science.
The answer to, how do we get people, on a individual basis, is really not rocket science.
how do we solve for homelessness?
Is housing, and it's housing with the right amount of services, Is housing, and it's housing the right type of services for the right amount of time, depending on each person's situation.
- Do you think the U.S. should provide a roof depending on each person's situation.
over everyone's head?
depending on each person's situation.
Or would that cause more problems for U.S. cities?
Let us know in the comments.
Or would that cause more problems for U.S. cities?
