Our visit to Capitol Hill was eye-opening to not only the ways homelessness is being addressed in New York City but who the homeless are. The stigma of homelessness is one of laziness, addiction, and filth. New Yorkers pass by their fellow citizens begging for change on street corners and don’t even bat an eyelash because many have the perception that these are people who have strayed too far down the wrong path in life and cannot pull themselves up. Capitol Hill’s residence consists mostly of the elderly who simply cannot afford to live in the city they have called home for most of their lives. Some of these residents may suffer from mental illness or are in addiction recovery, but at Capitol Hill that isn’t necessarily the norm.
Based on our visit to Capitol Hill and meeting some of the residents, I learned that homelessness isn’t a black and white issue when it comes to a solution. More places to keep people, whether it is a shelter or affordable housing, is not going to eradicate homelessness. What needs to be addressed is the reason people experience homelessness. An affordable housing complex like Capitol Hill addresses the needs of an aging population that cannot sustain itself on a meager pension or Social Security check in a city like New York. However, what about those experiencing mental illness? Families of four or more? The interplay of so many of the factors we discuss in class and more when it comes to homelessness makes it one of the trickiest to address in the sphere of public policy.
Ariel Avgi
