We often see suburbs as havens for the affluent and as the safeguards of high living standards, and yet for some the rows upon rows of cozy and occasionally lavish houses are nothing more than a taunting reminder and a cradle for daily struggle and uncertainty. The article “Homeless in the Suburbs” by Jenny Deam unveils a new, overlooked, and difficult to combat type of homelessness. The reality of homelessness is no longer just the downtrodden urban pauper sleeping under a bridge; it is also that of parents and children hopping from shelter to shelter and motel to motel. Whereas individual urban poor stick out on the street, families easily blend into the suburban landscape. This invisible poverty sows the seeds for the disenfranchisement of children in a sea of surrounding wealth. For struggling families in the suburbs, the path to a better life may be not away from but towards the city.
The rising tide of homeless families is disturbing. Deam details that in 2010 families with children made up 40% of the homeless population. In the 1980s that figure was only 1%.
Suburban homelessness is not only difficult to notice but also challenging to combat. Suburban areas lack the infrastructure needed to adequately support a homeless population. Where cities have extensive public transportation systems and multiple (relatively) easy-to-access shelters, suburbs have long stretching roads with shelters few and far in between.
The rise of suburban homeless families paints a bleak future for many children. Deam points out that homeless children are more likely to “be at least a grade level behind in math and reading,” “repeat a grade,” and experience “behavioral and emotional problems.” Homelessness injures the lives of children in the present while sabotaging their chance for success in the future.
It is important to note that Deam published the article in 2010, shortly after a major economic crisis that left millions of people without jobs and a place to call home. Today, the economy is recovering, and prospects for the future are nowhere as negative as they were back then. However, the problem of homelessness in the suburbs has by no means disappeared and Deam’s message is no less potent. The article brings to light that poverty can take root in areas where there is seeming prosperity.
Unless suburbs develop better infrastructure to address homelessness, the city appears to be the place where people in need can find the most support. Instead of an urban sprawl, there might be an urban return.
