When it comes to homelessness, it’s really easy to fall into generalizations and assumptions about why people are homeless, how our community is responding to homelessness, and what is proven to work when it comes to making homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring. Here are some of the most common myths and assumptions that I have heard about homelessness in my public service career over the last 15 years.

Myth 1: People experiencing homelessness are lazy. Being homeless is actually a lot of work just trying to survive day to day. Most people don’t know this, but a significant amount of individuals experiencing homelessness hold down jobs but can’t afford housing. As the housing rates in our community climb, wages have been stagnant. Additionally, being without a home to regularly rest, sleep, wash and do laundry makes it really difficult to keep a job or to move up in the job market.

Imagine having to carry all of your belongings with you each day, or searching for a place to hide them so they don’t get lost or stolen? People experiencing homelessness often have to walk miles every single day to access resources like showers, laundry, meals, or regular appointments with doctors or case managers. Even finding water or a bathroom can be a challenge, especially recently, since many locations still have limited interactions due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Myth 2: Drugs are the biggest issue leading to homelessness. According to a 2017 nationwide study by the National Coalition for the Homeless, approximately 26% of individuals experiencing homelessness have a drug problem. This issue is dwarfed by the statistic that 33% of individuals experiencing homelessness experience disabling mental health concerns.

Myth 3: People want to be homeless. In all my years of working with the homeless, I have never encountered an individual who wanted to remain homeless who did not suffer from significant mental illness. Being homeless is really hard and scary. Additionally, being homeless is dangerous and very likely to end with premature death. National statistics show that even when people experiencing homelessness are resistant to services, they are not resistant to housing options. Some people choose to sleep outside rather than sleep in a shelter due to various reasons, but when it comes to permanent housing options, these options are almost never refused.

Myth 4: Individuals come from out of state to access our resources. In Utah County, over 80 percent of our homeless community have lived here for at least a year. Many were born in Utah County and have family here. It’s often that I hear from a case worker that they went to elementary school with people they are working with. These are our own. They are our community. They are our brothers, sisters, cousins, and neighbors.

Myth 5: We have no plan to end homelessness. When it comes to ending homelessness, our state goal is to make homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring. This means that we have data-informed practices to ensure we have fewer people homeless for the first time, make sure that people who experience homelessness do not remain homeless for a long time, and keep those who exit homelessness from becoming homeless again. In the last several years, an unprecedented amount of coordination has taken place on a city, county, region and state level.

Additionally, we have a statewide data system that helps us collaborate on services for individuals experiencing homelessness. The State of Utah has a Strategic Plan that is designed to help make homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring. Meetings happen regularly on a city and state level to ensure that we are creating and abiding by best-practice standards and providing uniformity across the state.

No matter where an individual goes for help across the state, we are able to coordinate services to make sure we are meeting their needs and not duplicating services. There are no one-size-fits-all approaches to making homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring. For example, housing interventions are tailored to an individual’s specific ability and needs.

Someone experiencing homelessness due to loss of income or temporary illness may be able to have their housing situation resolved with an initial push of case management or rental assistance. Individuals who are profoundly disabled need additional support to become housed and to maintain housing.

Service agencies across the state are striving to promote self-reliance, when self-reliance is possible, and to provide the necessary supports when individuals are experiencing lifelong disabilities.

There are many other misconceptions about homelessness that continue to circulate. If you have questions or want to learn more about homelessness in our community, reach out to homeless service providers and volunteer or ask questions. If you’d like to be directed to an agency that works with homelessness or you have additional questions, please feel free to reach out to me at heatherh@unitedwayuc.org.

You can also help those who experience homelessness by donating to the Utah County Housing First Fund at Donate today at http://unitedwayuc.org/housingfund. All donations go towards removing barriers to permanent housing for local homeless individuals and families.

As we become educated as a community and focus on unified solutions to make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring, we have the opportunity to change the lives of those around us for the better.