House the Homeless Now Through the Enactment of an Effective National Housing Policy

Basic housing must no longer be a commodity, because a dignified, secure and private domicile is recognized as a human right. The federal government must take steps to secure this right for its citizens, primarily by empaneling a commission that can work with state and local governments, along with the commercial building industry, to design and build utilitarian housing units for single adults as well as families. At the very least, the President should use his bully pulpit to change the way in which "the homeless" are viewed, acknowledging that the majority of such people need only secure housing in order to re-enter the mainstream of life as productive citizens, while pointing out the hopelessness of such mainstreaming without first having a place to live.