On Homelessness
from a Transhumanist Perspective
"The first man who, having enclosed a piece of ground, bethought himself of saying ‘This is mine and found people simple enough to believe him, was the real founder of civil society. From how many crimes, wars and murders, from how many horrors and misfortunes might not any one have saved mankind, by pulling up the stakes, or filling up the ditch, and crying to his fellows, "Beware of listening to this impostor; you are undone if you once forget that the fruits of the earth belong to us all, and the earth itself to nobody." - Jean-Jacques Rousseau
The United States has always dealt with the issue of homelessness in a rather neglectful and negative fashion as a whole. The profitable venture of maintaining private property laws even in the face of its harmful direct and indirect outcomes in terms of housing human beings, is no doubt, a fundamental core of our American society. Entrenched as this hindrance on human life and wellbeing is, maintaining mechanisms such as private property laws has allowed landlords to profit off of their typically already struggling tenants. This relentless leeching of a largely working-class population coupled with low wages has fostered the dystopian conditions where even full-time minimum wage workers cannot afford a two-bedroom rental anywhere in the U.S. and cannot afford a one-bedroom rental in 95% of U.S. counties [1]. Contributing to the estimated 580,466 people experiencing homelessness which occupy some of the 27 tent cities such as “skid row”, shelters as the one on “billionaire’s row”, or other forms of living that exist on the spectrum of homelessness [2] [3]. Dismal as the situation is, these numbers do not come without faces and great costs regarding human life and well-being.
One can imagine homelessness comes with endless uncertainty at different levels such as places to sleep, where to keep warm, food, water, medication, the storage of said medication, etc. The uncertainty is oftentimes driven and exacerbated by external factors such as business practices and state laws effectively criminalizing homelessness resulting in anti-homeless practices through the form of violent homeless sweeps as well as anti-homeless architecture or “hostile architecture” [4] [5]. Mixed with the lack of basic resources, homeless people are left vulnerable within instances and environments where they are exposed to things like; extreme stress, tuberculosis, respiratory illnesses, influenza, hepatitis, violence, malnutrition, harmful weather exposure, the exacerbation of chronic health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and asthma, unhealthy diets both in the streets and within shelters, the development of or worsening of behavioral health issues like depression, alcoholism, or various other substance use disorders, improperly healed injuries on account of not having the ability or means to bath, keep bandages, of properly rest which causes small issues like cuts or colds to become larger issues like an infection, all the while their homelessness status hinders their recovery [6].
The conglomerate of issues facing our homeless community members, who already lose 5,800 to 46,500 per year, has subsequently forced an involuntary familiarity with death due to the average lifespan of homeless people being shorter by about 17.5 years than the general population [7]. 56 years for the homeless males and 52 years old for the homeless females [8]. This horrid reality is even harsher for some considering the example of Audrey Lumer who lasted only 1,342 days from her eviction till she was found dead on a subway platform here in New York City [9]. Showing in one of the most brutal and clear ways possible homelessness and evictions are death sentences. It is with this harm and loss that compels people to stand firm against evictions and for housing the homeless rapidly to prioritize human life and wellbeing above all!
Within the borders of the United States there exist millions of more usable vacant housing units than there are homeless people [10]. This great disparity coupled with the effects on the people experiencing homelessness calls into question how resources are being used under our Capitalist economy, its efficiency in meeting human needs, and the current barriers preventing people from utilizing these unused homes.
Unfortunately, like most necessities of life, housing for most people comes with a price tag motivated by the goal of making money from selling out living spaces. Failure to pay said price tag or “rent” more specifically results in an eventual eviction backed by the threat or act of inevitable state violence. This inevitable action of violence and force on part of the state in upholding private property laws also prevents the homeless and needy from outright occupying liveable and usable housing in their communities or others; which would subsequently end their homelessness status immediately!
In any case, people who refuse to vacate the premises are met with force showing the reality that the state prioritizes the financial interests of the landlord and casts the needs of the people aside. Leaving them to fend for themselves in uncertain conditions. In light of this framework at play daily in virtually every community, it seems to be the barrier most responsible for the dystopian situation of great disparities between vacant housing units and the number of homeless people we are currently witnessing.
Provided the loss of human life and many sufferings that come with experiencing homelessness likewise the immense resources in terms of vacant housing; this disparity demands a re-evaluation of how to use these unused homes in a way that will combat homelessness in light of the market's failures. Keeping human life and wellbeing a top priority would require Transhumanists to use the aforementioned unused homes to house the homeless. Independent and intentionally neglectful of any "middlemen", landlords, banks, or other entities which stand to financially lose. Such is a needed policy, one that mirrors the approach of "housing first" which is an assistance approach that puts the homeless person(s) into permanent housing first and foremost rapidly ending their homelessness in an effort to serve as a platform from which they can pursue personal goals, improve their quality of life, and seek help through the various services offered to them. Said services might differ from program to program but overall can include things like assistance with getting a job, connection with mental health experts for behavioral issues, financial services to assist in the cultivation of proper budgeting skills, or attending various appointments and meetings to help combat things such as substance abuse issues [11].
As one can imagine the successes of housing first are increasingly documented in a variety of areas such as; decreasing the use of public services, including emergency room visits and inpatient care [12] [13], remaining housed years after the program [14], fostering greater senses of choice and autonomy [15], improving quality-of-life, increasing rates of community integration, less substance use in terms of alcohol consumption [16] [17], and most importantly rapidly combating homelessness to great degrees. These various successes paint housing first as a needed and desirable alternative as opposed to various other models and approaches including the staircase model which requires huge milestone achievements like getting a job or getting clean of drug use before providing full-time housing.
Given the misuse of resources and its various consequences as well as the benefits to be gained from eradicating homelessness. Transhumanists, in seeking to prioritize human well-being and life, should advocate for the housing of all human beings from our current situation through housing first while also aiding/supporting various struggles that decrease homelessness around the country by various means.
These various means can differ greatly given the different factors in a community. For example, some groups opt to 3d print homes for the homeless which can provide rapid housing in a community with not enough housing. Additionally, this can be seen as a nonconfrontational option by leaving landlords and banks with their properties untouched and intact. However for places with more urban factors such as a densely packed population, sizeable homeless population [18], and more than enough vacant housing to absorb the entire homeless population [19]. The previous option might not be realistic therefore supporting any existing squatter groups or mutual aid groups/networks which squatters might use may be an important aspect of aid towards using their newly acquired dwelling. This of course must be coupled with supporting anti-eviction groups and struggles to both prevent more people from becoming homeless when they can not pay rent as well as prevent the eviction of those who are squatting in a local neighborhood. Unfortunately, the latter option has an undeniable potential to spark a confrontation between various groups within a community such as the people and the cops, the banks, local landlords, or the political ruling class itself. However, the landlord’s class and their law enforcement lackey’s willingness to shovel out violence should not steer away from combatting homelessness in the latter fashion. Through this struggle, people and their families will be housed and will be subsequently spared from the suffering and uncertainty that comes with homelessness. Soon after if all is successful everybody will have secured housing, secured by the communities willingness to defend their homes.
By any means necessary, Transhumanists should see to and aid the housing of homeless individuals and families. Against anybody or anything who may stand in opposition. For it is only the masses who stand to lose more and more, year by year, in a needless system that only serves to curtail human life and thus potential.
It was Friedrich Engels who first coined the term that is appropriate to describe the dystopian situation at hand and is the basis of action in regard to homelessness. This term is “Social Murder” whereby “the class which holds political power and control places countless proletarians in such a position that they inevitably meet a too early and an unnatural death". This term and its definition shows in clear terms the conditions that cause the untimely deaths of our homeless neighbors are kept in place and maintained by the powerful and wealthy who stand to gain from it all and more so highlights the necessity for struggle against those forces.
With this said, Transhumanism and Transhumanists do not have a solution of their own or a “fix-all” when looking at homelessness hence the backing of housing first, squatting, etc. However many Transhumanists being motivated by the prioritization of human life, quality, and advancement might naturally cast aside the concerns of the well-off in favor of upholding the interests of the working class masses. Joining the ranks of those already struggling for the just cause of housing the homeless.
[1] https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/14/minimum-wage-workers-cannot-afford-rent-in-any-us-state.html
[3] https://caufsociety.com/list-of-tent-cities-in-america/
[4] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/02/nyregion/homeless-camps-relocate.html
[6] https://nhchc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/homelessness-and-health.pdf
[10] https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/EVACANTUSQ176N
[11] https://endhomelessness.org/resource/housing-first/
[12] https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR1694.html
[13] https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/casp.723
[14] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10737824/
[15] https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/full/10.2105/AJPH.94.4.651
[16] https://www.thecommunityguide.org/sites/default/files/publications/he-jphmp-evrev-housing-first.pdf
[17] https://www.desc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/DESC_1811_JAMA_info.pdf
[18] https://www.usich.gov/homelessness-statistics/ny/
[19] https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/hpd/downloads/pdfs/services/2021-nychvs-selected-initial-findings.pdf
In my imagined future, shared autonomous robotaxis have solved the first and last mile problem with connecting suburban sprawl to mass transit that’s of much higher quality than today. Grocery delivery robots like Nuro are commonplace.
This springboards the technology of mobile pods that are like Tokyo pod hotels. Homeless people can call one of these pods to their location with smartphone with solar panels and/or hand crank so it always stays charged. The mobile tiny home arrives with toiletries and a basic meal inside. The person gets to hang out in the pod for the night. It also provides telemedicine and connection with a case worker if they want it.
If they don’t want to leave the pod in the morning, a mental health counselor is dispatched to try and get them set up with services or transported to a dormitory type rehab facility if they want. The pod is then returned to a local dispatch facility for cleaning and resetting for the next night.