Kennedy on the Homeless Crisis

By Deb Sur, The Kennedy Beacon

During a campaign trip to San Francisco in June, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took to Instagram to post a video that broke down how some of his solutions at the federal level will lead to ending the homeless crisis in America.

According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness’ 2023 report, homelessness is now at a record high. In 2022, more than 420,000 people were homeless in the U.S., and nearly 128,000 are chronically homeless, which means their condition is essentially permanent.  

Standing in front of a tent in the middle of a homeless camp in the Mission District, Kennedy noted that this is just one of hundreds of street corners in San Francisco that has been occupied by homeless people, plastic shanties, tents, and people sleeping in the open air. 

Mental illness and drug addiction, he said, are part of the problem. “We can solve the homeless problem in this country,” he added. “If you look at West Virginia, it has one of the highest addiction rates in the country but homelessness is [only] a minor problem there.”

Kennedy said homelessness has its own “ideology,” noting, “Only one in forty people in this country are receiving housing vouchers.” He added that more Section 8 vouchers from the federal government will provide immediate housing for people in need. 

Created by the Housing and Community Development Act of 1978, and also known as the Housing Choice Voucher program, Section 8 is intended to help eligible low and moderate-income families receive rental assistance based on the number of household members and total family income. 

However, it was not established to contend with hundreds of thousands of people who are already living on the streets. 

Kennedy’s ideas on countering America’s homeless problem may likely take shape alongside his economic policy because he has already acknowledged how homelessness overlaps with other social problems such as mental illness, drug addiction, domestic abuse, and poverty.

“Homelessness” is something of an umbrella term that covers a spectrum of living conditions from those who live on the streets, in subways, cars, or parks, to those who may need to temporarily double up with their family members, couch-surf with friends, and improvise various ways of getting by without their own residence. Those without a home who stay in long-term shelters often have access to shared kitchens and restrooms. But those without a long-term shelter or who are seeking respite in a nightly shelter are deprived of such facilities and often find themselves living on the streets or in tents at homeless encampments. 

Lack of affordable housing is typically cited as the reason behind America’s homeless crisis, with soaring rents in the midst of rising inflation often pushing those with few resources out of their homes. Unemployment and low wages, which are linked to domestic violence and substance abuse, are exacerbated by the lack of adequate support services. State and local governmental attempts to rein in the problem consistently fail and in some states, such as New York, California, Washington, and Massachusetts the crisis is intensifying. In the greater Los Angeles area, as many as 75,000 people are homeless on any given night. 

One way to keep homeless numbers down is proper intervention before people are actually on the streets. Kennedy has said on multiple occasions that providing these housing vouchers is “more important than funding wars, it’s more important than funding overseas adventures." 

"We need to rebuild our nation from the ground up,” Kennedy said, “And that’s what I’m going to do as president.” 

Indeed, a central theme in Kennedy’s campaign is the need to rebuild the middle class. But as he elaborates on his economic policies, which include a $15 minimum wage, stronger unions, and benefits for so-called gig workers who work 40 or more hours a week for companies like Uber, he has yet to expand on the specifics of what he intends to do about the homelessness crisis, beyond providing housing vouchers.

Similar to Kennedy’s proposal, President Joe Biden’s budget fiscal year 2024 seeks to enhance the Section 8 voucher program. However, taking this approach is a tough climb in places like California, where average incomes are only slightly above the national average, but real estate is three times higher. 

Tomi Gomory, associate professor of social work policy and homelessness in the College of Social Work at Florida State University, says that permanent housing and Section 8 vouchers should not be seen as the only solutions to homelessness. The crisis, he says, cannot be solved simply by throwing dollars at the problem without addressing its root causes, as proven by the failure of President Biden’s policies. 

Gomory said that most of the money goes to homeless organizations rather than to homeless people.”We have these very, very arrogant, condescending views of people who are poor, and the homeless, much more so,” he said. “They're almost not quite human.” 

An expert on homelessness, Gomory studied policies at the local, state, and federal levels, and has worked on a HUD project to create a model for more stable housing. Gomory said, “The people who are on the streets may not be exactly the same folks who will stay in permanent housing,” suggesting that the problem goes far beyond just economics. 

Pointing out that a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution for homelessness is impossible, due to a lack of homogeneity among the unhoused, he asked, “How do you validate actual homelessness to [determine] who are the appropriate groups that should get vouchers?” 

He suggests that renaming and redesigning some of the vouchers “to target primarily the homeless, as opposed to other targeted specialized categories,” would be a good approach. “A serious randomized, anonymous survey about what people on the streets actually want,” is necessary to help us better understand how we can address the needs of the homeless population in the future.  

Former President Donald Trump, now entrenched in legal battles while still focused on his 2024 presidential run, appears little interested in laying out new policy positions. Notorious for his attention-grabbing punitive measures with respect to crime and social issues, the Republican candidate is proposing to ban urban camping. Instead, he wants to set up tent cities and provide support for those placed in them; he even plans to imprison anyone who resists. Poverty, to Trump, is a crime punishable by incarceration. 

With CEO salaries 270 times higher than that of the average worker, and a growing population of unsheltered working poor, America needs a leader with courage and vision. Kennedy, more than any other candidate, inspires hope for economic fairness and social justice. As most of his supporters say at rallies, he is indeed the only candidate genuinely interested in helping America’s poor. 

Please check back with The Kennedy Beacon for more reports on Kennedy’s solutions to the homelessness crisis.