The Harmful Dominant Narrative

Those of us working to end homelessness know that the dominant narrative, which has developed over decades, is about personal failure – placing blame on people rather than failing systems, harmful policies and inequitable funding decisions that have made housing unaffordable and prevented people from accessing adequate help when needed. By centering individual fault, homelessness is viewed as an unsolvable problem because it requires people who are struggling the most to pull themselves out of their situation.

This narrative forms the foundation of vitriolic videos that are widely shared, increased criminalization of camping and sleeping in public spaces, and violence aimed at people who are struggling to survive each day. This ‘personal failure’ narrative also keeps leaders focused on short-term approaches like communal shelters instead of lasting solutions like permanent supportive housing, rapid rehousing, and direct cash transfers. What’s more, it completely ignores the reality of structural racism as a root cause, resulting in disproportionate numbers of Black, Indigenous, and Latino/a/x people experiencing homelessness.

The alarming surge in harmful messages coupled with rapid increases in unsheltered homeless populations, especially in the west, pushed the Melville Trust to think more strategically about how philanthropy can and should engage in narrative change work.

Transforming the Narrative Around Who Experiences Homelessness and Why

As the Lab’s Director, Marisol Bello, explains in a recent blog post, we have to connect homelessness and unstable housing to failed systems in order to shift public understanding:

“We have to disrupt the dominant and false narratives about people experiencing homelessness that are based on personal failing; narratives that render people invisible and strip them of their dignity. And we have to advance a transformative narrative that shows the public who actually experiences homelessness and why. A narrative that shows the reality of skyrocketing rents, jobs that don’t pay enough to secure – and keep – a safe place to live and housing policies that routinely exclude people based on race, gender and income. A narrative that recognizes the failed systems that led us here, and the disproportionate impact they have on Black, Latine, Indigenous and immigrant members of our communities.”

We know that narrative change work takes time and commitment – it is not a single communications campaign. It requires repetition, scale, and diverse messengers. Fortunately, the homelessness and housing narrative landscape is entering a more robust stage, with multiple efforts launching or expanding.

The Lab is one of several projects the Melville Trust is supporting to shift public and political will, and we are eager to connect with other funders working in this space as we believe the key to any narrative effort is alignment with others in the field.

Read the full article about crafting a better homelessness narrative by Sarah Armour-Jones at Funders Together to End Homelessness.