The Unsheltered

Video Links: [TikTok] [YouTube]

Here's a bold statement that I have yet to hear anyone dispute: The Unsheltered are the ONLY societal group for whom laws are specifically written to persecute rather than protect.

Let me be clear on the terminology: there is a marked difference between the "homeless" (those without a residence, but who may have the ability to remain sheltered with family, friends, or a charitable shelter or transitional housing) and the "unsheltered" (those living on the street or in empty fields).

Let's take a look at how each political party views both the homeless and the unsheltered:

Republicans on the Homeless and Unsheltered

"When it comes to the homeless and unsheltered, out of sight is out of mind."

Republican lawmakers, as a general rule, often assert that the current approaches to homelessness are ineffective (mostly, I think, to tacitly suggest that multiple Democratic measures haven't worked). While the positions of individual lawmakers may vary widely, there are a few common themes and approaches to address homelessness within the Republican Party.

Many advocate for "practical" alternative strategies to address what they believe is the primary cause of the issue: poverty. Many of these alternatives include (but are not limited to) housing security, mental health and substance abuse recovery, self-sufficiency, and safety. Republicans recognize the importance of affordable housing and support funding to preserve rental homes in rural communities (where they often have the most influence), and also prioritize connecting homeless veterans with permanent, affordable housing.

"Sometimes pushing people around, sometimes pulling out the rug, sometimes pushing all the buttons, sometimes pulling out the plug."

Democrats on the Homeless and Unsheltered

"We will help you stay in your home, but only if you already have one."

One of the top priorities for Democratic candidates, especially in urban areas (where they often have the most influence) is to end homelessness in America. Their principal efforts focus on supporting a "housing first" approach, believing that having a stable and safe place to live is essential for addressing other challenges faced by individuals, such as mental illness, substance use disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Some propose providing Section 8 housing support for every eligible family (but conveniently leave out what criteria would be used to determine "eligibility") and enacting protections to prevent landlords from discriminating against Section 8 voucher recipients. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many Democrats supported state and local measures to freeze rent increases, prevent evictions, curb utility shutoffs, and the implementation of late fees all in an effort to prevent families from becoming homeless.

"Sometimes building ivory towers, sometimes knocking castles down, sometimes building you a stairway [to] lock you underground."

Libertarians on the Homeless and Unsheltered

"The Unsheltered are still people and they deserve respect, not condemnation or neglect."

Libertarians do not have a standard policy to address the issue of homelessness or the plight of the unsheltered. Instead, many Libertarians who actually go out to assist the homeless and unsheltered (and there are a lot of us) tend to approach the issue from a different direction. We try to treat them as individual people who deserve the same respect that ALL people deserve, not as a unified group who is only worthy of our condemnation and neglect.

"It's the power and the glory, it's a war in paradise. A Cinderella story on the tumble of the dice."

While being unsheltered in Denton County is not as large an issue as it seems to be in Dallas or Tarrant Counties, it is still an issue that I believe deserves our attention. Many of the unsheltered to whom I have personally spoken, or whose stories I have overheard, describe their situations in terms that relate more directly to post-traumatic stress (PTS) than to any other causal event. The list is as long and saddening as it is widely varied. I was unsheltered myself once, a long time ago. Despite the passing of time, the uncertainty and foreboding that I felt then is not something that I would wish on anyone. But that period of my life seems altogether pleasant after listening to some of the personal stories of Denton County's unsheltered citizens.

"Big money got a heavy hand, big money take control. Big money got a mean streak. Big money got no soul."

Make no mistake in my intentions: despite their existing social standing and (in many cases) lack of authoritative identification, the vast majority of the unsheltered are still United States citizens and deserve to be represented in the state legislature. Even those unsheltered who are not citizens still deserve the respect and consideration that all people deserve. This is not a quid pro quo (Latin: something for something) situation for me, so despite the larger possibility that I will never receive their votes, I still want to help be their voice in the Texas House.

Disclaimer: It's important to remember that views on the unsheltered vary wildly, even within the three political parties, and while these situations are nuanced, these are, in my opinion, subjects to which the political parties provide sincerity merely in word but not in deed.