Here's How It Can Be Done- Letters to the Housed
Letters to the Housed: Here's How It Can Be Done
by Paul Asplund
“There may not be as much humanity in the world as one would like to see. But there is enough.― James Baldwin
We could end homelessness in our lifetime if we provided three simple things: a living wage, affordable housing, and universal healthcare.
I remember the day I came to this realization. I was writing a presentation, a variation of the same one I had given dozens of times, full of heart-rending statistics, followed by stories of triumph. It caught me off guard, a real ‘a-ha’ moment, and I paused writing the presentation and took out my notebook.
I started to run all the scenarios I could come up with against this premise. It was too simple, I was a fool to think anything like this. All of my self-doubts came shouting at full voice, ‘If it was this simple, someone much smarter than you would have already thought of it.’
But here it was.
Could it be that simple? Would providing a living wage, affordable housing, and universal healthcare create the foundation for ending homelessness?
Of course it would. So why haven’t we done it?
This is where things get dark.
I’ve lived long enough to understand the nature of the American identity—idealistic and deadly, hopeful and uncaring, free and mercilessly bound.
I grew up with a dad who was a federal agent in a time when the John Birchers were around. I lived through Reagan and the Moral Majority, judging and hating me for being gay, while most of my friends died, and then I was homeless.
And then I started to see the darkness that was part of us, of me, and that I was going to have to choose light.
Let me give a few examples of why we haven’t succeeded in ending homelessness. I’m sure you have plenty of your own but allow me three:
American businesses hate paying for labor. Americans love billionaires and wealth. We even revere the idea of Laborers, noble, salt of the earth, enjoying a well-deserved beer after a long shift. But when push comes to shove, it’s money over people every time.
Working Americans fear our healthcare system (see UnitedHealthcare). We fear getting sick, we fear unexpected doctor bills, but we fear being Socialists even more. So we die younger than citizens of any of the nations we would consider peers.
Housing is a dream, not a right. You don't deserve housing just because you live in the wealthiest nation in the history of the world. You need to earn it. And if you can’t earn enough to afford housing, you get to die on the streets.
Sorry, not sorry.
I could go on, but I promised only three, and directly related to the solutions I’m talking about.
We are hamstrung by a (mostly) self-imposed system of fantasy and wishful thinking, which is just a thin veneer for our distaste of weakness.
And that can be traced to our exceptional American take on Christianity. Some might claim that we are a ‘Christian’ nation, but we worship capital first. We worship money, revere it, love the feel, the smell, the very idea drives us to the edges of insanity. We kill people for taking our money; that’s how much it means to us.
Religion is a business; business is a religion.
So, who do we choose to be? As usual, I am optimistic.
We’re not the first society to reach this kind of low point, where we'd rather tear things down than change, and we’ve been luckier than many.
This worship of money has driven us to create the most potent economic juggernaut the world has ever seen. We used to share it more equitably, but we’ve never been particularly good at that, and now we’re careening toward the age of the American Oligarchy.
So, we either give up or we change. Life will either get better for most of us, or it won’t. It’s all on us.
Other countries have already shown us the way forward (literally, progressive), and we just have to follow instead of straining to lead.
Here are a few examples of how other nations do this:
Living Wage: Denmark's McDonald's workers make $22 an hour and get six weeks of paid vacation. The Big Mac costs 35 cents more than in the US. McDonald's remains profitable.
Universal Healthcare: Every other developed nation has figured this out. Single-payer healthcare is the standard. I’ve been to doctors in the Netherlands, France, England, Germany, Singapore, and Australia. Office visits were usually $15–$25 (USD) without insurance. Once I got a $125 bill for extra lab testing. All of these countries are solid economically, and their citizens are healthy and flourishing (they live longer and healthier lives than we do too).
Affordable Housing: We have friends in Vienna, Austria, who live in social housing. 60% of Austria’s population lives in social housing, and it’s so well-designed and desirable (read more on NPR) that middle-class families compete to live there. Singapore has housed 80% of its population in public housing while maintaining one of the world's strongest economies. Meanwhile, we struggle to house people in the wealthiest country in human history.
We have the resources. We have the models. What we lack is the political will to challenge the assumption that some people deserve to struggle.
The Real Question
So when someone tells you homelessness can't be ended, the real question isn't whether it's possible. The question is whether we're willing to admit that homelessness serves a function in our economy. It's the visible reminder of what happens when you fall out of the labor market. It's the ultimate consequence that keeps wages low and workers compliant.
Ending homelessness isn't the only challenge—WE need to change. Either we change or continue to sentence thousands of people to live and die on the streets.
Most of us know this, and we’re getting better at banding together to change things, so let’s keep going. I’ve been watching the news all afternoon, and I see millions of people on the streets all across this country demanding change. We’ve got momentum, let’s continue to use it.
Next Steps:
Pick your fight: Choose the issue that most energizes you—living wage, housing, or healthcare—and dive deep into one campaign rather than spreading yourself thin.
(See the list at the end of the article for information for some prompts to get you started.)
Get local: Find the organizations in your area working on these issues. Volunteer for phone banks, canvassing, or lobbying efforts. Local action is where change starts.
Contact your representatives: Call, email, and visit their offices. Make these issues personal—share your story or the stories of people you know who are affected.
Vote strategically: Support candidates who champion these three solutions, from city council to Congress. Vote in primaries, off-year elections, and local races where your vote has more impact.
Spread the word: Share this article. Have the conversation. Challenge people who say homelessness can't be solved by pointing them to the concrete solutions and active campaigns.
Because this isn't just about policy—it's about whether we believe that in the wealthiest society in human history, everyone deserves a place to call home.
Paul
P.S. As I write this story, LA is under siege by our own government while, nationwide, hundreds of thousands of Americans are protesting, rockets are flying in the Middle East, and a Christian-Nationalist gunman has assassinated two people and critically injured two others in my home state (read more). It seems futile to send thoughts and prayers. We need to act.
Choose to join this effort, to strengthen this community, to share your ideas, resources, and dreams to leave fear and doubt behind. There are thousands of people like us who believe in this, but until now, there’s never been a place we can all gather.
Thank’s again for reading this latest installment of Letters to the Housed. Let's end homelessness together.
To learn more about Second Grace, follow us on Substack, Bluesky, and paulasplund.com
About Paul Asplund
Paul Asplund recovered from homelessness in 1988 and has remained housed for over 35 years. After careers in technology, hospitality, and entertainment, he found his calling working directly with people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Since 2014, Paul has led teams providing street-based services, organized large-scale community events, and helped build innovative programs that center community wisdom and lived experience. He is the founder of Second Grace LA, an online platform connecting community organizations working to end homelessness.
Paul has worked with low-income communities in Bolivia, San Bernardino, San Francisco, Chicago, and Los Angeles. He is a passionate advocate for community-based solutions to inequality, poverty, and homelessness—all issues he believes are solvable through collective action and mutual aid.
He believes that everyone deserves the chance to flourish and that dignity, agency, and opportunity can change lives. He sees it happening every day.
Paul lives in Pasadena, California with his husband and their cat.
Our contact points: https://linktr.ee/secondgracela
"We will not back down on our rights nor our dignity. Instead, we will harness our energy into affecting positive change and lovingly, firmly, persistently setting and maintaining our boundaries and rights."
"Let's combine our talents into creating a world where all are treated with dignity, love, and respect. We all deserve safe shelter, proper nutrition, ample hydration, and quality health/mental care."
"Let's end homelessness together, now and for good."
#LettersToTheHoused #LTTH #HomelessnessIndustrialComplex #StreetOutreach #SkidRowLA #SecondGraceLA #RecoveryIsCommunity #MutualAidNetworks #CommunityOverCaseManagement #LivedExperienceMatters #NeighborToNeighbor #FaithAndJustice #SpiritualActivism #LAHomelessCrisis #PasadenaAdvocacy #AddictionRecovery #CommunityWisdom #ServiceProviders #NonprofitReform #GrassrootsOrganizing #PaulAsplund