The Fallacy of "Build it and they will Come"

More and more I am hearing from community members and local officials that “homeless people are flocking into our town or city because we have services here.” There is this strange perception that “the homeless” are all from somewhere else and are being imported or rushing into our neighborhoods for shelter, meals and housing.

This is a dangerous misperception and one that allows local towns and cities to turn their backs on their own responsibility to help and support members of their community and point fingers at neighboring communities, or in the case of LA County cities, to blame Skid Row for “sending us their homeless”.

The truth is, there is not some factory in Skid Row which produces homeless people that are then sent all over the county! The facts and research show that the vast majority of people experiencing homelessness choose to stay in their own neighborhoods. We have a crisis in all our communities – an increasing lack of affordable housing as well as stagnant wages – which is creating a perfect storm of homelessness everywhere. Let’s stop blaming our neighbors and recognize that the issue is ours.

We do not say “let’s stop building clinics and hospitals because that just causes sick people to come to our town”. We know that there are people within our communities who need help – whether it be doctors and hospitals because they are sick – or services to help them exit homelessness.

The truth isn’t “build it and they will come” – the truth is “they are members of our community and they’re here already – let’s do all we can to help them.”