It’s too easy to become homeless in Fargo-Moorhead — and that’s the real problem

By Chandler Esslinger

chandler@fmhomeless.org

Homelessness is not an individual failure; it is a systemic one. Yet, in Fargo-Moorhead and across the country, we continue to focus on personal responsibility while ignoring the broken systems that push people into homelessness in the first place. It is far too easy to become homeless in our community. And until we acknowledge that fact, we will continue to see families and individuals fall through the cracks.

Many people in our community believe homelessness is a rare and isolated issue, only affecting those who make “bad choices.” But the reality is starkly different.

The FM Coalition to End Homelessness, our member agencies and partner organizations see firsthand how rapidly someone can lose stable housing due to circumstances beyond their control. A single unexpected event — a medical emergency, job loss, domestic violence, a rent increase — can force someone into homelessness.

Most people experiencing homelessness in Fargo-Moorhead are not struggling with addiction or refusing to work. Many are employed but cannot afford housing. Others are elderly or disabled, living on fixed incomes that do not keep pace with rent increases and cost of living. Families with children teeter on the brink of homelessness as childcare costs, medical bills and other basic needs stretch their budgets beyond the breaking point. The narrative that homelessness is a personal failure is dangerous and harmful not only because it is untrue, but because it allows us to ignore these deeper, structural issues at play and absolve our community of the responsibility to address them.

When we focus on personal failings, we overlook the policies and systems that create homelessness. Landlords and property managers hold disproportionate power over the fate of tenants, with seemingly limitless authority to evict or non-renew leases. Waiting lists for subsidized housing are years long. Mental health services and addiction treatment are underfunded and can be difficult to access, even with insurance. Social services, anti-poverty programming, and other services addressing basic needs are chronically underfunded and at constant risk of being cut. These systemic failures, not personal shortcomings, are the primary drivers of homelessness.

Compounding the issue is a severe shortage of affordable housing. As our region has been gentrified, precious, naturally occurring affordable rental units disappear in favor of luxury condos and apartments. When a person loses their home, they often have nowhere to go, especially with area shelters at capacity year-round. This leads to people doubling up with friends or family, sleeping in their cars or resorting to sleeping outside, unsheltered, in the cold. These are not the results of individual failure, they are evidence of a system that is not designed to prevent homelessness, but create it.

For decades, our housing and homeless service providers have worked tirelessly to shield our community from the worst effects of these systemic failures. But our community has grown, and with it, the number of people at risk of losing their homes. The reality is clear; demand for services far exceeds supply, leaving many without the support they need. Without strategic investment in agencies with a proven track record of preventing and ending homelessness, this crisis will continue to escalate beyond our ability to manage it.

Ending homelessness is not the responsibility of any one person, nonprofit or government agency. It requires all of us — community leaders, policymakers, businesses and residents — to commit to strategic, systemic change. We need to stop pretending that homelessness is a personal failing and start recognizing it as the policy failure it is. This means shifting our focus to proven solutions.

Conveniently, the solution to homelessness is simple: housing and supportive services. When people have a safe place to live and the resources they need to stay housed, homelessness ends. This is not a radical idea; it is a proven, achievable reality.

The FM Coalition to End Homelessness has long been at the forefront of advocating for real solutions to ensure no one is sentenced to lifetime on the streets. But we cannot do it alone. We need a unified commitment to policies and programs that address the root causes of homelessness. By investing in affordable housing, expanding supportive services, and prioritizing evidence-based approaches, we will make homelessness a rare, brief, one-time occurrence in our community. Fargo-Moorhead prides itself on resilience and compassion. Now is the time to turn those values into action.

Chandler Esslinger is Executive Director of Fargo-Moorhead Coalition to End Homelessness. Find more information at FMhomeless.org.