Think homelessness is just about street encampments? Think again. Brian Goldstone uncovers how millions of working families are caught in America’s ‘housing Hunger Games,’ engineered by systemic choices and predatory practices. What if everything you thought you knew about the housing crisis was wrong?

America is grappling with a profound housing crisis, a complex issue often misunderstood as solely affecting those visibly unhoused. However, as journalist Brian Goldstone reveals, this “housing Hunger Games” ensnares millions of working families, pushing them to the brink of precarity and challenging conventional narratives about homelessness.

Goldstone’s new book, “There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America,” argues that the housing emergency is far from accidental; it is the deliberate outcome of political choices and an “engineered abandonment” of countless families. This systemic neglect results in widespread housing insecurity that extends beyond street encampments, affecting individuals and families who are working multiple jobs but still cannot afford stable housing.

The reality of homelessness is a spectrum, not a fixed state. Many precariously housed individuals cycle through temporary living situations: a motel today, a friend’s couch tomorrow, or even their car. This hidden homelessness is often exacerbated by rising housing costs that dramatically outpace stagnant wages, particularly for low-wage workers, creating immense pressure on household budgets.

A significant factor contributing to this crisis is the proliferation of “extended stay hotels,” which, despite their budget branding, function as highly profitable homeless shelters. These establishments, often concentrated in areas where working people are most vulnerable, offer a temporary reprieve but trap families in a cycle of expensive, unstable living without requiring credit checks, making them an accessible yet financially draining option.

Systemic barriers further compound the problem. Stories like Celeste’s, who faced eviction after a house fire and found her credit score destroyed, illustrate how the formal housing market becomes inaccessible. Even individuals with severe health conditions are frequently denied housing assistance for not meeting narrow definitions of “vulnerability” or “literal homelessness,” revealing a profound gap in societal safety nets.

The media often fixates on visible homelessness, linking it to addiction or mental illness and portraying it as a result of personal failings. Goldstone’s work emphatically refutes this, demonstrating that these struggles are frequently consequences, not causes, of homelessness. The true root cause remains a severe lack of access to affordable housing for poor and working-class populations, coupled with precarious labor conditions where employers avoid providing benefits.

Adding to the crisis is a burgeoning cottage industry of predatory companies, including corporate landlords, private equity firms, and co-signing lease companies. These entities profit immensely from the widespread housing precarity, often buying up vast swathes of rental housing and designing business models that ensure the continuation of an exploitative cycle, highlighting how “extremely profitable all of this precarity has become.”

Current political responses, such as the criminalization of homelessness and cuts to social safety nets like Medicaid and food stamps, only exacerbate the problem. Instead of meaningful solutions, these approaches pour “gasoline on this crisis,” failing to address the underlying systemic issues. True resolution, Goldstone argues, lies in a fundamental shift in perspective: treating housing not as a commodity for wealth accumulation but as a basic human right.

To genuinely solve the homelessness crisis, a robust commitment to public housing, often referred to as social housing, is essential. This would involve the creation of millions of safe, dignified, and affordable housing units owned by the public, built on government-owned land. Until housing is universally recognized and treated as a fundamental human necessity, the crisis will continue to spiral, with its true scale far exceeding official figures.