Homelessness Isn't Inevitable But Rather A Manifestation of a Society that Is Sorely Lacking in Justice | Alternet Powerfull words from a homeless campaigner USA

Homelessness Isn't Inevitable But Rather A Manifestation of a Society that Is Sorely Lacking in Justice | Alternet:

"ACTIVISM Homelessness Isn't Inevitable But Rather A Manifestation of a Society that Is Sorely Lacking in Justice A homelessness advocate reflects on 30 years of "accountable organizing" to build a social justice movement. By Alyssa Figueroa / AlterNet December 16, 2014 Print 70 COMMENTS Photo Credit: Nili Yosha When you first meet Paul Boden, the executive director of the Western Regional Advocacy Project (WRAP) that's working to end homelessness, his initial shyness leaves you unprepared for what’s about to come. Just start chatting with Boden about homelessness, and his energy surfaces as if he’s explaining the crisis for the first time. Within minutes, he’s waving his hands and dropping f-bombs, which oddly makes you warm up to him quickly. It's probably because the best part about talking to Boden is you know he’s the real deal. While homeless himself in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood in the '80s, Boden started organizing to eliminate homelessness and he's continued ever since. I recently had the opportunity to meet with Boden to talk about his new book, House Keys Not Handcuffs: Homeless Organizing, Art and Politics in San Francisco and Beyond, which details what he’s learned from over 30 years of community organizing.Images are dispersed throughout the book, chronicling the role art played in the movement (slideshow below). One of the first things Boden emphasizes is that homelessness isn't inevitable. It was the result of massive federal cuts to affordable housing, approximately $50 billion between 1979 and 1983 under the Reagan administration. “That’s when shelters began,” Boden writes in the book. “That’s when people were beginning to be forced to live on the street in numbers unheard of since the 1930s.” The city of San Francisco responded by creating bureaucratic programs that provided only short-term solutions. That’s why, in 1987, he and a few others created the Coalition on Homelessness, so people on the frontlines could push for change. Boden went on to develop WRAP in 2001, after speaking with other homeless advocacy groups about the need for a larger network on the West Coast. WRAP is currently focused on passing a Homeless Bill of Rights in several states to stop the criminalization of homeless people. "

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