Brian Goldstone’s “There Is No Place for Us”: An Insight Into Homelessness in America and Why It Affects Everyone

Written by Alexa LoSchiavo. Photographed by Alexa LoSchiavo.

“Before we can fix this crisis, we must understand this crisis,” said Brian Goldstone during his speech on his new book, “There is No Place for Us,” referencing the crisis of homelessness and, more specifically, working homelessness. The “working homeless” is a phrase used to describe people who work just like everyone else — as teachers, home health aides, waitresses, government employees. Yet they too are homeless, living on the streets or in their cars. They too must worry about how to keep warm as the temperatures drop below freezing and how to make sure their kids have access to Wi-Fi for school assignments. As I listened to Goldstone, who spent six years following five working and homeless families living in Atlanta, I was struck by the radical truth of what he had to say, in his book and in his speech. 

“Having a job is no guarantee you’ll have a home,” said Goldstone, letting those words ring out for everyone in the nearly full church. That one phrase changes much of what we’re taught about homelessness. Growing up we’re taught that if we work hard, go to college and get a job, we will have stability and a roof over our heads. We’re taught we are nothing like the people we see laying on the streets everyday in our cities. Often, we’re taught very skewed narratives, that unhoused people are addicted to drugs, lazy or mentally unwell. But that’s just not true and it never was. Goldstone teaches us through his talk that, more and more, working homelessness is becoming a prevalent and dangerous truth which could affect any of us.  

In the modern landscape of the United States, it’s more important than ever to uncover and discuss hard truths like the oppression that allows homelessness to continue, and how dangerous it is, especially now. Goldstone tells us radical statistics which prove that homelessness can affect anyone, no matter how much they adhere to the so-called “American Dream.” He says, “the local minimum wage can’t afford a modest two bedroom,” that “rents have exceeded old prices by 325%,” and that most people have to spend “78% of their monthly income on rent, even if they have a home.” These statistics are deeply shocking and the unfortunate results of an economy that continues to thrive, just not for the working, or even middle, class. 

Working homelessness bleeds into all of our lives and the question remains, how did things get so bad? How is rent, the bureaucracy surrounding aid and shelter and the ability to get back on one’s feet, so hard to navigate for so many Americans? How is it that, in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, so many Americans live on the streets, unsafe and scared? 

The truth is that homelessness is extremely profitable for the wealthy. Raising renters’ prices, monopolizing extended stay hotels where residents are charged exuberantly, or buying properties that force lower-income residents out, are all manufactured in favor of the one percent. Homelessness is not just an issue that is rampantly growing in the United States, it’s also something that is profitable, even optimal for the one percent. Oppression allows the elite to succeed, and the real estate market is actively succeeding by oppressing anyone who is not within the very small demographic that contains the elite. 

Ours does not have to be a society where wealthy citizens thrive on the backs of the working class, selling them lines that if only they worked as hard as them, they would’ve “made it.” There’s no “making it big” when our government, our legislation, and the current climate of our nation is out to suppress and vilify anyone who is marginalized and part of the working class. We need legislation that stops housing moguls from raising rent prices, that focuses on the rights of the renters, that offers right to counsel and focuses on eviction prevention instead of eviction itself. 

We’ve allowed this basic human right to be commodified, sectioned off and sold at the highest price. Housing should not be a privilege, it should be regarded as a basic human right. Goldstone talks about how having a home is necessary for childhood development and long term security. He says that homelessness creates toxic stress in children and adults, contributing to many health risks and difficulty succeeding in society. He tells us that homelessness is something that is dangerously prevalent, but also preventable. It’s shaped at the local level, through city council meetings where people speak back against the elite. It’s shaped through voting to protect the rights of renters, voting to elect councilmembers and government employees who want to change our policies. 

We are all implicated in this crisis. All homeowners, all people able to rent because their parents are helping them, all employees getting minimum wage or just a couple dollars over — we are living in an America that is not built for us. Where we are not being thought of. We are all one health crisis, one fire, one natural disaster, one risky loan away from being part of the homeless population. This is a crisis that has wings, that lives in all of our cities, all of our minds. Everyone deserves the right to affordable, dignified and safe housing, and we must all choose to support policies that protect and serve that right. 

Ways to Help at the Local Level:

Mayor & City Council | Savannah, GA – Official Website

Find Food Assistance in Savannah, GA: A Comprehensive Directory of Food Pantries

COLLABORATIVE APPLICANT – Chatham Savannah Authority for the Homeless