When the employed are pushed into homelessness – CBS News

Report on the Intersection of Labor, Homelessness, and Sustainable Development Goals in the United States

Introduction: A Failure of Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8)

An investigation by journalist Brian Goldstone, detailed in his book “There Is No Place for Us,” reveals a critical disconnect between employment and economic security in the United States. This challenges the core tenets of Sustainable Development Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). The long-held belief that full-time work provides an exit from poverty is increasingly untrue for millions. The report documents how low-wage employment is insufficient to prevent homelessness, indicating a systemic failure to provide decent work that ensures a basic standard of living.

Case Studies in Poverty and Inequality

The report highlights several case studies that illustrate the multifaceted nature of this crisis and its impact on multiple SDGs.

• Celeste: A mother of eight who has consistently worked multiple low-wage jobs. Despite her resourcefulness and strong work ethic, a series of systemic barriers, including a destructive housing fire and a subsequent eviction by a private equity firm, destroyed her credit and pushed her into long-term housing instability.
• Rhea: A single mother of four who fled a domestic violence situation. Her son’s significant health issues, requiring frequent hospitalization, make it impossible to maintain full-time employment. She relies on precarious part-time work to afford a single room in an extended-stay hotel.
• Maurice and Natalia: A working couple who became homeless after a temporary loss of income following the birth of their third child. A single late rent payment led to an eviction, forcing the family of five into an extended-stay hotel where they spent $17,000 in eight months—far more than their previous apartment’s rent.

Analysis of Key Sustainable Development Goal Failures

SDG 1 (No Poverty) & SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities)

The primary failure observed is the inability to ensure access to adequate and affordable housing, a direct contradiction of SDG 1 (No Poverty) and Target 11.1 of SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).

1. Predatory Housing Market: The report identifies extended-stay hotels as a predatory business model that capitalizes on desperation. These establishments charge rates often double or triple that of a standard apartment, trapping families in a cycle of debt and preventing them from saving for a security deposit.
2. Substandard Living Conditions: The housing provided is often substandard, with reports of mold, mildew, and structural damage, creating unsafe living environments that further undermine the goals of SDG 11.
3. Engineered Displacement: Goldstone asserts that families are not “falling” into homelessness but are being “pushed” by systemic forces. This includes urban renewal and gentrification driven by Wall Street investors who purchase rental housing and enforce rigid eviction policies, directly contributing to housing instability.

SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) & SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities)

The crisis disproportionately affects marginalized groups and has severe health consequences, highlighting failures in achieving SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).

• Barriers to Healthcare: The need to work constantly to afford temporary lodging prevents individuals from seeking medical care. Celeste delayed seeing a doctor, leading to a late-stage cancer diagnosis, because missing a single shift meant being unable to pay for her room. Rhea’s ability to work is limited by her son’s chronic health conditions, illustrating how health crises perpetuate poverty.
• Disproportionate Impact: The report notes that these issues predominantly impact people of color and women, particularly single mothers like Rhea. Systemic barriers such as credit score requirements and eviction records create cycles of exclusion that deepen existing inequalities, directly opposing the objectives of SDG 10.
• Gender Dimensions (SDG 5): Rhea’s situation, stemming from her escape from domestic violence, underscores the link between gender equality (SDG 5) and economic stability. The loss of child support and the full burden of caregiving placed her in a state of extreme economic precarity.

Conclusion: Systemic Neglect and the Profiteering of Homelessness

The findings presented by Goldstone indicate that working homelessness is not an issue of individual failure but a consequence of systemic “engineered neglect.” Business models have been established to profit from the predicament of the working poor. The high cost of temporary housing, coupled with low wages and a lack of tenant protections, creates an expensive and inescapable prison for millions. This reality represents a profound failure to uphold the interconnected principles of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those concerning poverty, health, equality, decent work, and sustainable communities.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article highlights several interconnected issues faced by the working poor in America, primarily focusing on homelessness, low wages, and inadequate housing. These challenges directly relate to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

• SDG 1: No Poverty: The central theme of the article is the struggle of the “working poor,” individuals who are employed yet cannot escape poverty or secure basic necessities like housing. The article explicitly questions the narrative that “hard work is the key to success, that work is an exit from poverty,” demonstrating a clear link to the goal of ending poverty in all its forms.
• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: The article connects poverty and housing instability to negative health outcomes. Celeste’s story illustrates this, as she delayed seeking medical care for cancer because she could not afford to miss work and risk losing her room. The mention of “mold or mildew” in substandard extended-stay hotels also points to health risks associated with inadequate housing.
• SDG 5: Gender Equality: The article predominantly features the stories of women (Celeste, Rhea, Natalia) who are often single mothers and primary breadwinners, bearing a disproportionate burden of poverty and housing insecurity. Rhea’s story also touches upon domestic violence as a factor contributing to her homelessness, directly linking to the goal of eliminating violence against women.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: The article challenges the concept of “decent work.” Characters like Celeste work “two and three jobs at a time,” and Rhea works extremely long hours, yet their low-wage, precarious employment does not provide enough income for stable housing. This illustrates a failure to achieve decent work that provides a living wage.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: The article points to systemic inequalities. It notes that these struggles “disproportionately, they seem to impact people of color.” Furthermore, it describes a stark geographical divide in Atlanta between booming areas and neglected ones, and highlights the predatory business models of private equity firms and extended-stay hotels that capitalize on the desperation of the poor, widening the economic gap.
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: This is a core SDG in the article. The entire narrative revolves around the lack of “access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing.” The experiences of living in cars, being evicted, and residing in expensive, substandard extended-stay hotels are direct evidence of a housing crisis. The mention of gentrification squeezing families out also relates to this goal.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the issues discussed, several specific SDG targets are relevant:

1. Target 1.2: By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions.
   • The article’s focus on “millions of the working poor” who are homeless despite being employed directly addresses the persistence of poverty according to national definitions.
2. Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.
   • Celeste’s choice to forgo seeing a doctor for cancer because she couldn’t afford to miss a day’s wage highlights a lack of financial risk protection and access to healthcare for low-income workers.
3. Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation.
   • Rhea’s story of leaving a “domestic violence situation” which led to her and her children’s homelessness is a direct example relevant to this target.
4. Target 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value.
   • The article shows that the characters have employment, but it is not “decent work” as it involves low wages, long hours, and does not provide enough income to afford basic housing, thus failing to meet the spirit of this target.
5. Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
   • The article’s observation that homelessness and poverty disproportionately affect people of color, and the description of predatory business practices targeting the vulnerable, point to a failure of economic inclusion for certain groups.
6. Target 11.1: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums.
   • This is the most directly relevant target. The stories of eviction, living in cars, and residing in overpriced, substandard extended-stay hotels with “mold or mildew” and “a big hole in the tub” are clear examples of a lack of access to adequate, safe, and affordable housing.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

The article provides qualitative and quantitative information that can serve as indicators for measuring progress.

• Indicator for Target 11.1 (Proportion of urban population living in inadequate housing): The article describes various forms of inadequate housing: sleeping in a car, living in extended-stay hotels that are “substandard” with mold and structural damage, and families with luggage at bus stops. The very existence of a large population in such conditions is an indicator.
• Indicator for Target 11.1 (Housing Affordability): The article provides specific costs that demonstrate the lack of affordability.
  • Rhea pays “$375 a week” for a single room.
  • Celeste had to pay “$520 a week.”
  • Maurice and Natalia spent “$17,000 in eight months” on their room.
  • The article explicitly states this is “often double, or even triple, what an apartment down the street would cost,” which directly measures the affordability gap.
• Indicator for Target 1.2 (Proportion of working poor): The article’s premise is about people who “work full-time jobs with low wages” but “are homeless.” The stories of Celeste working multiple jobs and Rhea driving for Uber for extremely long hours (“from 2:00 in the morning… ’til 8:00 at night”) while remaining unable to afford an apartment serve as qualitative indicators of the working poor population.
• Indicator for Target 3.8 (Financial barriers to healthcare): Celeste’s statement, “me missing a ten-hour shift at work, that’s the difference of me paying for my room that day,” is a direct indicator of financial barriers preventing access to healthcare. It shows that the cost of seeking care is not just the medical bill, but also the lost income, which is unaffordable for the poor.
• Indicator for Target 5.2 (Prevalence of violence against women): Rhea’s testimony about leaving a “domestic violence situation” where her ex-partner “put his hands on me a couple of times” serves as an anecdotal indicator for the prevalence of intimate partner violence and its link to homelessness for women and children.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: cbsnews.com