The Intersection of Homelessness, Dignity, and Public Policy
Understanding the Impact on Dignity and Self-Worth
I’ll never forget standing near I-285 and Cascade Road in Atlanta outside a mom-and-pop gas station. I was sixteen and didn’t have a penny to my name. As I prepared to spend another night in the park, I decided to call my friend Erik to see if he would let me come over and grab a bite.
This was back in the days of payphones. And not having any spare change to use the payphone, I was out of options. I started to ask if anyone had some spare change. I still remember those cold looks and mean stares as person after person denied my request. Finally, one man grunted and tossed two quarters my way. I caught one, but the other fell on the ground.
To this day, the shame I felt at that moment remains. The humiliation of being treated like someone who didn’t deserve to be noticed momentarily tempted me to let the quarter rest where it lay. But I was hungry, and Erik’s family was one I knew I could call. I thought a meal was worth more than a moment of indignity from the person who threw two quarters at me.
As someone who is now an advocate for those unhoused, I believe one of the least talked-about effects of homelessness is how it robs one of personal dignity.
Dignity means knowing you have worth and purpose and belong in the world. Dignity strips away any notion or erroneous idea that you are an outcast and have no voice. Dignity is to a person what a foundation is for a house. Without dignity, there is nothing to build upon.
When you are without an address, such as I was briefly as a teen, it’s often the most basic conveniences of life that mean the most. A hot shower, a meal, a place to access sanitation, soap and water, grooming, acknowledgment, and clean clothes do wonders for the human soul.
A few months back, while conducting research for the completion of my Ph.D., I was passing through Chattanooga when I pulled off the interstate and saw a gentleman holding a sign at a stop light. I parked the car and walked over to where he was standing. His name was Matt, and we had an informative, albeit painful, conversation.
I asked him how long he had been out on the streets and he responded that he had been without an address for a little over a year. It was evident Matt faced a series of immediate and long-term challenges:
He was hungry. His shoes didn’t fit. He hadn’t showered in weeks. He was in pain. And he had cancer. This five-fold combination would have been enough to crush the average human spirit, but Matt continued to fight. He took me to where he lived in the woods, and I’ll never forget his kindness and conversation.
Matt told me it wasn't a willingness to work or drug addiction that landed him on the streets. His illness was progressing and did not allow him to work as he once did.
Fortunately, I was able to take care of the basics right away, including food, clothes, a shower, and a proper pair of shoes. Then, what caused my heart to be even heavier was when Matt and I spent most of the day attempting to find him proper help for his medical condition. He was in need of medication, and we needed to find something fast.
We researched, called, and attempted to find local places that could assist him, and there weren’t any that would see him with his condition. Not only did this moment cause him and me perplexing pain, but I thought of how homelessness itself is a public health issue that harms the health and well-being of those without anywhere to go.
Unhoused individuals often lack access to basic healthcare. If one has a medical condition, it is much harder for them to access medical help due to various barriers such as transportation, insurance, and a lack of resources. This lack of access to medical care strips away the dignity of individuals already experiencing the hardship of homelessness and perpetuates the cycle of poverty and marginalization.
Throughout our time together, I asked Matt what he thought of the new recent policy in Tennessee that now made it a Class E Felony to camp on public property.1
Matt revealed that he was unaware of the law criminalizing camping on public property in Tennessee and expressed that he had not been informed of it. He was shocked and said, “…how am I supposed to think about somewhere to go when all I have is outside, and the medical condition I am fighting.”
This made me think about the distance that policymakers have from the communities of people that policies like these affect in real time—especially when there is no communication with those like Matt.
The policymakers' failure to communicate is alarming, as it deprives individuals experiencing homelessness of their fundamental right to shelter and, in cases like Matt's, basic healthcare while being unhoused and ill. This reinforces the idea that holding a position of power comes with a privilege to decide who deserves dignity and who does not.
This encounter with Matt highlights the devastating impact that public policy can have on the lives of individuals experiencing homelessness, particularly regarding their self-worth.
Some policymakers argue that criminalizing homelessness is necessary to address issues like loitering, littering, and public camping and that it may motivate individuals to seek out services and housing. However, research suggests that criminalizing homelessness is not an effective solution for addressing the root causes of homelessness. Moreover, this approach fails to provide adequate assistance to those with health issues who are homeless and have nowhere to go.
As a resident of Atlanta, I was reminded of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” While some only know King for his stance against racial inequality, King’s legacy included a much broader stance on the injustice that impactes all members of the Beloved Community. He wrote,
“Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states.”2
That is a powerful statement, and I would suggest that the Beloved Community even extends to those who do not have an address. But then he continued with this line applicable to my context,
“I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.”3
King saw the world as our address. He stood for the dignity of all people—including those who live underneath bridges in a state that have made it illegal to be unhoused.
It is crucial for policymakers to recognize the interconnectedness of public policy and human worth, especially when it comes to individuals experiencing homelessness.
The experiences of individuals like Matt serve as a poignant reminder of the importance of policies that prioritize dignity, compassion, and support for those who are most vulnerable.
It is essential to remember that public policy has a significant impact on the lives of those who are experiencing homelessness, and it is our responsibility to protect their dignity and ensure that they are treated with the respect they deserve.
Public policy has the power to either uplift or strip away the dignity of those who are most vulnerable in our society.
Every single person is inherently deserving of human dignity, and it is our duty to ensure that this basic human right is not taken away from anyone. When we strip an individual of their dignity, we also rob them of their hope and their sense of self-worth. However, by recognizing and highlighting the inherent value and worth of every individual as God's creation, we can move one step closer to a world that reflects the divine attitude towards all human beings, who are created in His image.
It is our responsibility to work toward social justice and equality, ensuring that all individuals, regardless of their circumstances, are treated with compassion, respect, and dignity.
Tennessee General Assembly legislation. Accessed April 8, 2023. https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/default.aspx?BillNumber=SB1610&GA=112.
Simpson, Gary M. "" Changing the Face of the Enemy": Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Beloved Community." Word & World28, no. 1 (2008): 57–65.
Ibid., 60.