The other day I pulled out a faded newspaper clipping about homelessness in Atlanta, where I lived several decades ago. That’s probably about how old the clipping is, demonstrating the tenacity of the problem. The article discusses the reasons for homelessness.

One of the speakers in the Atlanta group suggested specialized shelters instead of generic ones. For example, the mentally ill require treatment not needed by those temporarily without funds for shelter because their job was downsized. Those addicted to alcohol and other drugs need rehabilitation centers, but women and their children who are homeless because of abuse may require a different kind of help. Some conditions overlap, of course.

The idea is to treat conditions that cause homelessness. Some cities, such as Salt Lake City, appear to have made progress in reducing homelessness by offering a room with basic amenities to any homeless individual without requiring changes in the individual. The idea is that getting people into safe spaces solves an immediate problem and may make them easier to reach to solve chronic homelessness.

The need for those of us who have homes is, as it always has been, to grasp the need for investment in long term help for the homeless among us.