For the month of September, we turn our focus to an often misunderstood and overlooked aspect of homelessness: employment. The notion that all homeless folks need to do to get off the street or out of a shelter is just work hard and “get a job” and their problems will be solved is deeply ingrained in our society. Unfortunately, it’s rarely that simple.

Today, I want to take a moment to discuss a topic that often remains unseen, yet significantly impacts those we serve at City Relief – the profound difficulty of securing employment when you're unhoused.

As we wrap up our focus this month on Access to Food & Basic Necessities, I'd like to delve deeper into the role of shelters in addressing homelessness and where they sometimes fall short.

There’s a phrase I like to use, “Don’t let the great be the enemy of the good.” It means that sometimes a not ideal solution is better than no solution while you’re looking for the perfect solution.