The Longest Now

Urban homelessness as we currently know it in the United States is only moderately serious, compared to the way it ravages other urban centers.  Our national problem is limited enough in scope that one can imagine abolishing it entirely.  We currently adopt a small-scale approach to offering a helping hand to homeless individuals and families; but it is a patchwork of different uncoordinated religious and social groups, each constrained by the particular guidelines of the founding body, and relatively expensive to maintain per person served.  Many shelter and halfway house designs are unhealthy and unscalable in cold weather when contagious illness is a real threat.

Part of the social contract of our cities should include building community hospice complexes in major cities which go far beyond providing basic lodging and food, offering tools and services for every stage in the transition through homelessness to independence.

Thanks to change.org‘s Ideas for Changing America for making me condense that into two paragraphs.