Homelessness is a problem to which big city Democrats have recently devoted great attention and resources. Street conditions remain poor, though, and some may wonder whether private philanthropy can make headway where the public sector has failed.
Donors looking to make a dent in the homelessness problem should first focus on talent. The best leaders of homelessness programs serve on both the front lines and the front pages. Figures such as Reverend Andy Bales, the recently retired head of Los Angeles’ Union Rescue Mission, use their hard-won street cred to vouch for bourgeois values. Not everyone can pull that off. Many program leaders stay out of the headlines, either out of a sense of Christian humility, because navigating the daily chaos in their programs is consuming enough, or because they need to remain on speaking terms with the powers that be in their communities. But someone needs to speak up on behalf of work and sobriety. Homelessness-nonprofit CEOs passionate about bourgeois values used to be more common. Philanthropy should bolster their ranks.
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