In the past year, homelessness has been on a steady increase. While some blame the issue on a lack of shelter, the root cause stems from mental health struggles, rising living costs, low pages, substance abuse, and more. While emergency housing can keep people safe for a night, it doesn’t address the issues that lead individuals into homelessness in the first place. Some believe expanding shelters is the solution, while others argue that without addressing the origin, homelessness will continue to grow no matter how many beds are added.
How Do Shelters Work?
Shelters are designed to offer short term protection by providing beds, meals, and basic services. However, because they operate on limited budgets and high demand, many impose strict rules including curfews, sobriety requirements, no pets, and separation from partners or belongings. While these rules are held to maintain safety, they often discourage unhoused people from using the services.
Cities across the country continue opening shelters, but many remain underused. People avoid them because of safety concerns, overcrowding, loss of autonomy, or fear of being separated from their belongings. Meanwhile, communities that invest in mental health outreach, addiction recovery programs, and affordable housing see more stable progress. These examples show that while shelters have a purpose, tangible change comes from eliminating the root drivers of homelessness rather than expanding temporary beds alone.
A Temporary Fix?
Shelters help people survive after homelessness happens, but they don’t solve why it happens. Mental health care remains underfunded, leaving many without treatment for conditions like PTSD, depression, and schizophrenia. Substance addiction treatment is difficult to access, and often too short term to be effective. Simultaneously, rising housing costs and wages failing to keep up with inflation push more individuals to the edge. Without addressing these root causes, shelters are more as a crisis management rather than a rehabilitation strategy.
Final Thoughts
Shelters are an important safety net, but they cannot fix the systemic challenges that cause homelessness. Genuine change requires stronger mental health services, accessible addiction treatment, and policies that make housing affordable and wages livable. Until these root causes are addressed, shelters will continue to offer protection without providing a path out. Though they are a necessary part of the support system, they are not the solution.
