A Cruel Solution to Homelessness

PROVERBS 21:13 NLT 13 Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in their own time of need. God loves all the people of the world -- rich and poor. His will is not that anyone should suffer or be forgotten. God loves those who are poor.

Ending Homelessness

Trump is promising to clean up the streets in our major cities. He'll rid us of crime. He'll kick pout the homeless. Being homeless will become a crime as they will be swept up, appear before a judge, be assessed a fine, they likely cannot pay and be jailed. fined, and put back in jail. Once released, their prospects are still not good. You need to earn more than $35 an hour around here to rent a place. Jobs available to these people pay a little over $16. They will still be homeless. They will get rearrested and processed though the system, again. 

So, you tell me these are junkies and drunks, the bottom dregs of our society, but is that the case? On any given night 60,000 families with children experience homelessness, They live in cars, shelters, tents abandoned buildings, or with friends and relatives. In California, where the housing crisis is critical, about a third of the homeless are families.

Here's how it works according to AI sources.

The "Homeless-Jail Cycle"

A revolving door: Frequent arrests can lead to a "homelessness-jail cycle".

Limited solutions: Instead of providing stable housing and support services, aggressive enforcement of quality-of-life ordinances often results in displacement, wasted resources, and increased health issues for homeless individuals.

Lack of alternatives: The legal system often leads to incarceration, which can hinder an individual's ability to find work, housing, and treatment, trapping them in a continuous cycle.
If we want to end homelessness we need to get at the root causes of homelessness

Housing.

There are currently two major contributors to the housing and homelessness crises: a lack of low cost housing nationwide and the limited scale of housing assistance programs. Nationally, the cost of rental housing greatly exceeds wages earned by low-income renter households.

To afford a two-bedroom apartment in Connecticut and avoid being "housing cost burdened" (spending more than 30% of your income on rent), you need to earn approximately $73,500 to $75,000 annually, or about $35.42 per hour for a full-time job. This figure is based on the 2025 "Out of Reach" report by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) and Partnership for Strong Communities.

 

Why It Matters/The Root Cause

The Affordability Gap:

The report highlights a significant gap between the wages most Connecticut renters actually earn (around $22.69/hour) and the "housing wage" needed for a two-bedroom apartment.

Rising Costs:

The required income has increased, with 2025 figures showing a need for about $2,000 more per year than in 2024.

Is Trump's strategy about solutions or power? Power! He's showing his base he's tough on crime. 

Solutions won't be coming from the Trump administration. The proposed White House budget for 2026 cuts funding for affordable housing in half. Medicaid, healthcare for the working poor, is losing $911 billion. Food benefits are being cut $186 billion.

Where then? It will have to start at the community level, increasing awareness of the plight of the poor in this country. From there, action from community groups, cities, states, and regional organizations.

Oh, You'll Get Over It

 I've Heard This Before

But for me, some things will never settle. They are not meant to settle. In a way, it's like grief. There will always be feelings for something that is such a significant part of my life. So many things never would have happened if I hadn't responded to that call for volunteering at my local public radio station. That opportunity turned into a whole new direction for me, and  meaningful career of public service. I got to work with some really incredible people, and serve a remarkable audience.

But this isn't all about me. It is about the American people. The mission of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is to ensure universal access to content and services that educate, inform, promote civil discourse, and foster curiosity, with a particular focus on creative risk-taking and addressing the needs of unserved and underserved audiences. CPB stewards federal funding to support more than 1,500 local public media stations nationwide, enabling them to provide essential news, educational programming, and emergency information to all Americans. 

The President and his party doesn't see any value in this because it doesn't serve his agenda. In fact, he resents anything that might seem critical to him. He wants total control over messaging. Therefore, CPB, and Public Media must be eliminated.

About a week ago CPB's Patricia Harrison announced The Corporation for Public Broadcasting would be ending operations in a matter of weeks. And you know what is remarkable? The professionalism demonstrated by this letter under extremely difficult circumstances.

Patricia's letter is below.

August 1, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 1, 2025) – The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) announced today that it will begin an orderly wind-down of its operations following the passage of a federal rescissions package and the release of the Senate Appropriations Committee’s FY 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-H) appropriations bill, which excludes funding for CPB for the first time in more than five decades.

For nearly 60 years, CPB has carried out its Congressional mission to build and sustain a trusted public media system that informs, educates, and serves communities across the country. Through partnerships with local stations and producers, CPB has supported educational content, locally relevant journalism, emergency communications, cultural programming, and essential services for Americans in every community.

“Despite the extraordinary efforts of millions of Americans who called, wrote, and petitioned Congress to preserve federal funding for CPB, we now face the difficult reality of closing our operations,” said CPB President and CEO Patricia Harrison. “CPB remains committed to fulfilling its fiduciary responsibilities and supporting our partners through this transition with transparency and care.”

CPB informed its employees today that the majority of staff positions will conclude with the close of the fiscal year on September 30, 2025. A small transition team will remain through January 2026 to ensure a responsible and orderly closeout of operations. This team will focus on compliance, final distributions, and resolution of long-term financial obligations, including ensuring continuity for music rights and royalties that remain essential to the public media system.

“Public media has been one of the most trusted institutions in American life, providing educational opportunity, emergency alerts, civil discourse, and cultural connection to every corner of the country,” Harrison said. “We are deeply grateful to our partners across the system for their resilience, leadership, and unwavering dedication to serving the American people.”

CPB’s Board of Directors and management are working closely to address the legal, financial, and operational requirements of the closure. CPB will provide regular updates and guidance to stations and producers navigating the profound challenges ahead.