Homelessness Doesn't Always Look Like What You Think: The Hidden Housing Crisis

Homelessness Doesn't Always Look Like What You Think: The Hidden Housing Crisis

When most people hear the word homelessness, they picture someone sleeping on a sidewalk, staying in a shelter, or living in a tent.

But housing instability can look very different.

It can look like a 70-year-old living alone in a hotel because rent has become unaffordable. It can look like someone staying temporarily with friends or family because they have nowhere else to go. It can be a working adult who earns an income but doesn't make three times the monthly rent required by many apartment communities.

It can also be someone receiving Social Security, SSI, SSDI, a pension, or other fixed income who can manage their own daily needs but simply cannot afford today's housing costs alone.

These individuals may not fit the image people typically associate with homelessness, but their housing situation is still unstable.

The Gap Between Homelessness and Traditional Housing

There is a significant group of people caught somewhere between emergency shelter and traditional housing.

They may not need assisted living, medical care, or intensive supervision. They may be perfectly capable of living independently.

The problem is affordability.

Traditional apartments often require application fees, security deposits, utility deposits, strong credit, rental history, and income of two-and-a-half to three times the monthly rent.

For someone living on a fixed or modest income, those requirements can make obtaining an apartment extremely difficult—even when that person has reliable monthly income.

This is one reason alternative housing models are becoming increasingly important.

Housing Instability Can Affect Almost Anyone

A major life change can quickly disrupt someone's housing.

Job loss, divorce, rising rent, displacement, hospitalization, aging, the loss of a spouse or partner, reentry after incarceration, or an unexpected financial setback can leave someone searching for a safe and affordable place to live.

For older adults, another issue can be isolation.

Someone may be capable of living independently but no longer want to live completely alone. Shared housing can provide both affordability and the opportunity to live around other people while maintaining personal independence.

Where Shared Housing Fits

Shared housing offers another option between living alone and entering a shelter or institutional setting.

Residents share a home and certain common spaces while maintaining their independence and following established household guidelines.

For the right individual, this model can reduce housing costs while providing something equally valuable: stability and community.

A furnished shared home can also eliminate many of the expenses associated with starting over, such as purchasing furniture, establishing utilities, or equipping an entire kitchen.

Shared housing isn't the right solution for everyone. But for adults who can live independently and are comfortable in a community environment, it can provide a practical path toward stable housing.

Changing the Way We Think About Housing

Addressing homelessness requires more than one solution.

Emergency shelters are important. Affordable apartments are important. Permanent supportive housing is important. Housing programs for veterans are important.

But communities also need options for the people who fall somewhere in between.

At Anchor Point Housing Solutions LLC, we believe housing solutions should recognize that everyone's circumstances are different.

Our shared housing model serves veterans and other adults who are able to live independently and are seeking a safe, structured, and affordable place to call home.

Because sometimes the difference between housing instability and stability isn't someone's ability to live independently.

It's simply having access to a housing option they can actually afford.