Poem: "Homeless, Tenantless"

Actually the first step is to prevent more people from becoming homeless. That is always preferable. Next is to rehome people who had one recently until it was taken from them; over the last several years, a great many people have been forcibly robbed of homes they worked very hard to acquire and maintain.

People who don't know how to live in and maintain a house can be taught. Habitat for Humanity is good at that.

People who don't want to live in a house should be left alone to live elsewhere.

And while we're at it, better resources in the way of mental health care and other social support should be provided to the veterans, queer youth, and other high-risk groups.

That would get almost everyone off the streets.

>>How would you suggest preventing homelessness?<<

Outlaw predatory lending practices. Require banks to negotiate with homeowners to avoid foreclosure. Honestly, look into expanding halal mortgages beyond the Muslim community.

We also need to solve the problems of medical and student debt, the overwhelming majority of home default and bankruptcy cases.

>>Won't people find a way to shove others to the margins again, after you've solved this problem?<<

Yes, but at least we can make the bastards work for it.

>>How would you solve the problems of medical and student debt?<<

1) Single-payer health care plan covering everyone, modeled after the best parts of ... say, the top ten rated countries in terms of current health care systems.

2) Short term: Cap interest rates on student loans. Make all of them subject to the same rules as other loans, so they can be dispensed in case of bankruptcy or handicapped status. Payments are only owed when the graduate has a job, and are held to a percentage that allows the person enough of their paycheck left to actually live on.

Long term: Society is obligated to provide free however much of a setup it demands for its newly adult citizens. Therefore, if college is expected, it must be available free to students and funded by taxes, just as lower school is. Ideally, I'd put the tax squarely on big business, since they're the ones wanting higher-trained workers; let them pay for it. Or they can shut the fuck up about college degrees and pay for their own worker training via trade schools.