Council for the Homeless thanks The Columbian for its recent editorial, “More housing is the only answer to homelessness.”
As noted in the editorial, Clark County can only make true progress toward housing all its residents by creating more housing. Your editorial also correctly challenges myths about people who are unhoused: that they live on the streets because of drug and/or alcohol use, and that people move here to “take advantage” of our friendly environment for the unhoused. Local and national data show that neither of these myths is true.
To learn more about the root causes of homelessness, please watch the YouTube video “Dr. Gregg Colburn, Keynote, Making Home Possible Event.” In it, housing expert Gregg Colburn explains the twin triggers of homelessness: very low housing vacancy rates, and high rental rates. Both factors are present here in Clark County.
Housing is a human need like having food to eat and air to breathe. It will take our entire community to ask the difficult questions and to do the hard work to end homelessness. It is possible if we work together.
Enough affordable housing means people can weather the crises in their lives without becoming homeless. Prioritizing steps needed to create more affordable housing is essential.
