The homelessness crisis in America is growing at an alarming rate, but instead of investing in solutions that work, leaders across the country are doubling down on harmful policies like criminalization. In this urgent episode, we sit down with Eric Tars, Senior Policy Director of the National Homelessness Law Center, to uncover the truth about why America is failing on homelessness and housing—and what we can do about it.

Politicians are pushing for criminalization as a scapegoat to distract from their own failures to address the root causes of homelessness, like the lack of affordable housing and inadequate support services. These harmful policies misdirect public frustration onto the most vulnerable, rather than fixing the broken systems that created this crisis. Criminalization doesn’t solve homelessness—it makes it worse, while draining resources that could go toward housing solutions.

We also discuss the devastating impact of the Supreme Court’s Grants Pass decision, how this legal setback is fueling anti-homeless policies nationwide, and why bipartisan attacks on evidence-based solutions like Housing First are setting us back decades. Eric shares the proven solutions—like housing as a human right and housing-focused shelters—that can truly address this crisis if we muster the political and public will to act.

This is a conversation we cannot afford to ignore. Watch, listen, and share widely to help spark the movement we desperately need. Together, we can shift the narrative, push for evidence-based solutions, and ensure everyone has a safe place to call home.

Videos Mentioned in This Episode:

• Illegal to Sleep: Grants Pass’ Cruel War on Homelessness
• America Can End Homelessness: Hennepin County Shows How
• Finland Solved Homelessness: Here's How (Spoiler: It's More Than Housing First)

Executive producer: Mark Horvath
Producer/editor/cinematographer: Alex Gasaway
Associate producer: Erin McGinnis
Created by: Alex Gasaway and Erin McGinnis

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Invisible People is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to educating the public about homelessness through innovative storytelling, news, and advocacy. Since our launch in 2008, Invisible People has become a pioneer and trusted resource for inspiring action and raising awareness in support of advocacy, policy change, and thoughtful dialogue around poverty and homelessness.