The U.S. has a massive and growing problem with homelessness. More than 770,000 people are estimated to have experienced homelessness in 2024, the highest number ever recorded. No end is in sight because of a harsh reality that has nothing to do with construction timelines. The reality is that not everyone is housing ready.
This fact is hard to read because we don’t want it to be true. But it is the truth. If we’re ever going to sustainably stop the cycles of homelessness, poverty, incarceration, and addiction in this country, we must start telling the truth. Housing alone cannot solve homelessness now – it’s too late and the problem is too large. Homelessness is a complex people issue, not simply a supply issue.
For decades, our country has committed itself to a Housing First system and methodology that is coming up short. Housing First says a person cannot stabilize and move forward without having a consistent and safe place to sleep at night. It also says that it is a necessary first step, because if people can’t get into a stable environment, we cannot expect them to change their behaviors or circumstances.
Over time, we have warped the Housing First narrative to suggest the only solution to these massive social issues is to build permanent supportive housing, which is expensive and time consuming. We’ve extrapolated Housing First methodology to mean that offering apartment keys to an unhoused person will solve their homelessness. And that the issue to solve for is Affordability. Why? Because that is something we can create solutions around with minimal personal investment.
I have traveled the country, met with, and listened to tens of thousands of people impacted by homelessness, addiction, and the justice system and I can assure you that we are entirely missing the mark here.
Four walls and a roof will not, in most circumstances, solve a person’s homelessness. For those who simply need access to housing, things like rapid rehousing, rental assistance, and housing vouchers exist to help. However, for most people who have experienced chronic or cyclical homelessness, housing alone is not enough, and it never will be.
Three quarters of a million people experiencing homelessness have faced significant trauma as a result of being unhoused, often leading them to use substances as a means of survival or coping, with many also carrying unresolved childhood trauma. While not all are addicts, substance use often exacerbates barriers to housing and progress, making it harder to break the cycle. Successful exits from homelessness and addiction require more than just housing; people need structure, accountability, and community support to address their root causes and provide lasting stability.
This is exactly why we see excessive issues of “cycling” in homelessness across the country and affordable units sitting empty and unused, despite being attached to a voucher. People need community – a place to embed while they navigate how to take their next steps.
At Pallet Shelter, we believe that providing immediate, supportive community is a crucial first step. Our mission is to offer a safe, dignified space for individuals experiencing homelessness where they can rebuild their lives within a supportive community. We drive toward relatability and peer interaction. Giving people a shared experience in a managed care environment, not isolating them into apartments in trap neighborhoods and buildings, is a far more successful and financially sustainable strategy than moving people to isolation.
It is time for all of us to be honest about the fact that what we are doing is not working. We need to stop trying to cover up our fallacies with excuses. We cannot support or sustain the ongoing investment needed to maintain what we’ve engineered as a viable solution.
As we look to the future, we are eager to collaborate with the new Trump administration and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner to bring fresh ideas and strong leadership to the table. Together, we can tackle homelessness head-on, ensuring that our efforts are both effective and sustainable.
Homelessness can and should be solved in our lifetime. It is possible, but it requires a solution that is scalable, focused, and has strong leadership. We must be willing to admit we’re doing it wrong and be ready to shift our approach. We must be willing to embrace innovation, overcome our biases, and stop pretending that the status quo is working.
Amy King is the Founder and CEO of Pallet, a public benefit corporation working to end unsheltered homelessness and give people a fair chance at employment.
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