Ashoka
Will the Covid Crisis Spur Us to End Homelessness?
The Covid pandemic is exposing cracks in numerous public systems—including health care, finance, and housing. In fact, says Rosanne Haggerty, founder of Community Solutions and a global expert on homelessness, the three are closely linked. Before Covid, homelessness was an epidemic on its own. Now, with 40 million Americans newly unemployed, a crisis looms, and Rosanne sees a historic opportunity to end homelessness once and for all. We spoke with her about the challenges and opportunities facing America, and what new mindsets are needed and possible. Rosanne Haggerty is an Ashoka Fellow who has been working on homelessness for thirty years. She and her colleagues lead Community Solutions and its national campaign to end homelessness, Built for Zero.
Ashoka insight
Covid is giving us a new, shared language of vulnerability and a rediscovered fondness for reliable public systems. Public health is becoming part of this new shared language and how we think about keeping each other safe. My colleagues and I see this shift to a public health mindset and language as the key to a future without homelessness.