Combating Homelessness in Cambridge

Anyone who has taken a walk around Harvard Square recently understands the severity of its homelessness problem. Dozens of homeless people live and sleep on the streets in the shadow of the world’s wealthiest university. It is an issue that plagues not only the immediate surroundings of our University, but also much of the city of Cambridge. While there are a number of homeless shelters in the area—including the student-run Harvard Square Homeless Shelter and Y2Y Harvard Square—the magnitude of the problem goes beyond their means, especially given the surge in homelessness in the Boston area in recent years. In mid-June of 2015, Boston mayor Marty Walsh released a plan for tackling homelessness in the city, with goals of ending veteran homelessness by the end of 2015, and chronic homelessness in 2018. Despite substantial progress, the former goal has not been met; the latter appears infeasible.

It is clear that homelessness is a persistent and pervasive problem in the Boston and Cambridge areas; it is also clear that the phenomenon is extraordinarily difficult and complex. There exists no panacea—instead, programs aimed at providing housing, increasing employment, and improving dignity for the homeless must be implemented in parallel to address the myriad factors that contribute to homelessness.

For example, the installation and opening of a public toilet last winter in Harvard Square directly addressed the need for bathrooms which had arisen from Christ Church’s decision to close its restrooms to public use. Similarly, the groundbreaking “There’s a Better Way” program, which seeks to provide panhandlers with employment and is currently under consideration by the Cambridge City Council, has proven to be an effective means of reaching out to those who are homeless and seeking employment. The dignity provided by both the Harvard Square bathroom and gainful employment is vital.

The best approaches are oftentimes multidimensional: The most crucial component of the "There's a Better Way" program for instance, is the fact that it seeks to use these work opportunities to connect the homeless with social services.

While innovative solutions such as these are important, we also must recognize that homelessness is a multifaceted problem.There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Some chronically homeless people struggle to find work, and a program targeted at providing them daily work could be effective. Many others, however, have found employment and would benefit most from a housing-first approach.

After all, the best way to help the homeless is to end homelessness. Studies have shown that a housing-first approach is both cheaper and more effective in the long run. While we do not have access to Cambridge-specific data arguing that a housing-first approach to homelessness would be cheaper here as well, the data about its effectiveness almost certainly translates.