Public Voices Fellowship on Homelessness Op-Eds

In this op-ed, Leslie W. Suen, MD, MAS, an assistant professor of medicine in the UCSF Division of General Internal Medicine at San Francisco General Hospital, calls upon physicians to oppose medical discrimination against methadone patients. She highlights how methadone patients are routinely denied the care they need, exacerbating health disparities. "It’s far past time for every stakeholder to recognize their responsibilities and provide equal access to all patients, regardless of their medical condition or treatment." Dr. Suen writes. This op-ed was published as part of the Public Voices Fellowship in partnership with The OpEd Project and funding from the California Health Care Foundation.

In this op-ed, Margot Kushel, MD, professor of medicine and director of the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative at UCSF, highlights that those who are often living in homeless encampments are frail older adults. She outlines the health impact of homelessness on aging and why so many older adults are experiencing homelessness. "Now is the time to create an America that doesn’t abandon its elders. In doing so, we will not only improve the world for those experiencing homelessness, but create a future that is better for all." Dr. Kushel writes. This op-ed was published as part of the Public Voices Fellowship in partnership with The OpEd Project and funding from the California Health Care Foundation.

In this op-ed, Ryan Assaf, PhD, MPH, a postdoctoral fellow with the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, highlights the benefits of adding Middle Eastern or North African to the US Census. He emphasized the diverse culture in the MENA communities and the importance of separating Middle Eastern or North African from White. "When Middle Eastern or North African is included as White, we lose any insight to the impact MENA communities experience." Dr. Assaf writes. This op-ed was published as part of the Public Voices Fellowship in partnership with The OpEd Project and funding from the California Health Care Foundation.

In this op-ed, Margot Kushel, MD, professor of medicine and director of the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative at UCSF, and Gregg Colburn, Ph.D., an associate professor at the University of Washington, call for providing subsidized housing with services to people experiencing homelessness. They outline the lack of access to housing, the increase in rent, and the ongoing challenge to provide permanent housing. "The answers to homelessness are clear. It is critical that policymakers in local, state and federal governments use their power to address the acute affordable housing shortage that plagues communities in every state in the nation." Dr. Kushel and Dr. Colburn write. This op-ed was published as part of the Public Voices Fellowship in partnership with The OpEd Project and funding from the California Health Care Foundation.

In this op-ed, Claudine Sipili, one of the Lived Expertise Advisory Board co-chairs, calls for restoring dignity to people experiencing homelessness. She outlines the need to prioritize human worth and respect while pursuing practical solutions to address homelessness. "The erosion of dignity that comes from losing one’s home can make it more difficult to take advantage of housing solutions." Ms. Sipili writes. This op-ed was published as part of the Public Voices Fellowship in partnership with The OpEd Project and funding from the California Health Care Foundation.

In this op-ed, Maria Raven, MD, MPH, associate director at the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, outlines the issues with California's new law forcing people into drug treatment. She explains how emergency departments have treated people with severe alcohol disorder, but emergency departments are already filled with countless of patients. Dr. Raven writes, "SB43 is already creating confusion. It empowers law enforcement officers and others to bring more patients to our already crowded department on involuntary psychiatric holds for severe substance use alone, thinking we will provide a path to conservatorship. However, that path breaks down if a patient has decision-making capacity once no longer intoxicated." This op-ed was published as part of the Public Voices Fellowship in partnership with The OpEd Project and funding from the California Health Care Foundation.

In this op-ed, Maya Vijayaraghavan, MD, MAS, director of the UCSF Smoking Cessation Leadership Center, highlights the need for affordable housing to be free of secondhand smoke. She emphasizes the threat of secondhand smoke exposure disproportionately affects Black Americans and the effectiveness of smoke-free policies. However, barriers still remain to implement smoke-free policies. "The implementation of smoke-free policies in public housing was a step in the right direction and should be expanded to all affordable multi-unit housing." Dr. Vijayaraghavan writes. This op-ed was published as part of the Public Voices Fellowship in partnership with The OpEd Project and funding from the California Health Care Foundation.

In this op-ed, Leslie W. Suen, MD, MAS, an assistant professor of medicine in the UCSF Division of General Internal Medicine at San Francisco General Hospital, outlines how drug testing welfare recipients can create a pathway to homelessness. She highlights how losing benefits would lead to individuals to also lose housing and the lack of addiction treatment infrastructure will increase wait times. "A more thoughtful and comprehensive approach that considers the nuances of the issue, prioritizes access to treatment and ensures a fair and accurate screening process is essential," said Dr. Suen. This op-ed was published as part of the Public Voices Fellowship in partnership with The OpEd Project and funding from the California Health Care Foundation.

In this op-ed, Meghan D. Morris, PhD, MPH, an associate professor at the University of California, San Francisco, calls for rapid hepatitis C testing. She outlines the current testing process for hepatitis C, creating structural barriers, and how improving testing can address racial disparities. Dr. Morris writes, "It’s time for a comprehensive approach to eliminate hepatitis C, addressing racial disparities and ensuring timely diagnosis and treatment initiation." This op-ed was published as part of the Public Voices Fellowship in partnership with The OpEd Project and funding from the California Health Care Foundation.

In this op-ed, Ryan Assaf, PhD, MPH, a postdoctoral fellow with the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, highlights the importance of using harm reduction strategies. He outlines the use and impact of needle exchange programs, reducing the transmission of viral infections and acting as a bridge to other services. Dr. Assaf further emphasizes that criminalizing drug use will not make the problem disappear. "These services create a space of trust where individuals who use drugs can seek help, referrals, and navigation to substance use treatment and counseling if and when they are ready for it." Dr. Assaf writes. This op-ed was published as part of the Public Voices Fellowship in partnership with The OpEd Project and funding from the California Health Care Foundation.

In this op-ed, Kara Young Ponder, PhD, director of community engagement and racial justice at the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, calls for housing to be a human right. She outlines how having a home remains a privilege and the lack of resources to compete in the housing market displaces people into homelessness. Dr. Ponder writes, "Housing is a vital standard of humanity." This op-ed was published as part of the Public Voices Fellowship in partnership with The OpEd Project and funding from the California Health Care Foundation.

In this op-ed, Marguerita Lightfoot, PhD, MA, Associate Dean for Research at the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health, highlights the need to make youth experiencing homelessness more visible. She outlines that the estimates of youth experiencing homelessness are vastly underrepresented. Youth experiencing homelessness are often not in the locations that are surveyed. Dr. Lightfoot writes, "It falls to HUD and lawmakers to make the invisible, visible — to look for and truly see young people experiencing homelessness." This op-ed was published as part of the Public Voices Fellowship in partnership with The OpEd Project and funding from the California Health Care Foundation.

In this op-ed, Zena Dhatt, a Qualitative Research Project Manager at the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, calls for action to expand loan forgiveness. She outlines the struggles students face, from the high-interest rates to parents also taking out loans. Ms. Zhatt also calls for addressing the root cause of the cost of higher education. "It is urgent to stop imposing unmanageable loans on those who choose education and to encourage those to seek higher education without fear of a significant debt burden, and one that perpetuates disparity." writes Ms. Zhatt. This op-ed was published as part of the Public Voices Fellowship in partnership with The OpEd Project and funding from the California Health Care Foundation.

In this op-ed, Morgan Philbin, PhD, MHS, associate director at the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative and director of the Educations Program, calls for progressive states to become safe havens for LGTBQ+ adolescents. She highlights the various discriminatory policies that have been introduced across the US and how those policies force LGTBQ+ individuals to move, often to more expensive areas. Dr. Philbin writes, "While supportive policies are imperative to counteract the discriminatory legislation enacted nationwide, progressive states must also develop policies and programs to support LGBTQ+ adolescents who are being forced to move there to access healthcare and maintain their physical and mental wellbeing." This op-ed was published as part of the Public Voices Fellowship in partnership with The OpEd Project and funding from the California Health Care Foundation.

In this op-ed, Jesica Giannola, one of the CASPEH Lived Expertise Advisory Board members, calls attention to the unfair polices in the "Fair Housing Act". She outlines the issues and the need for reform, calling for young-adult and high school students to also be included under the same protections of families with minor children. "While it’s absolutely fair to ensure tenants can reliably pay rent, it’s incomprehensible that the same screening conditions applied to adults are also required of their 18-year-old high school students." Ms. Giannola writes. This op-ed was published as part of the Public Voices Fellowship in partnership with The OpEd Project and funding from the California Health Care Foundation.

In this op-ed, Cheyenne Garcia, senior research analyst at the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, calls for colleges to step up in helping students who experience homelessness. She outlines the how the school breaks disrupts the lives of students, as not every student has a place to go once classes are over. "The chronic stress of finding short-term housing break after break and year after year can take a toll on the mental and physical health of already stressed students." Ms. Garcia writes. This op-ed was published as part of the Public Voices Fellowship in partnership with The OpEd Project and funding from the California Health Care Foundation.

In this op-ed, Maria Raven, MD, MPH, associate director at the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, outlines the civic responsibility physicians have, even as private citizens, to be thoughtful in how they share their views. She explains that free speech protections are crucial for physicians regarding their practice of clinical medicine, but physicians should take care to not create an environment that could cause patients harm. Dr. Raven writes, "While hate speech from a physician's private social media account may be protected by the First Amendment, it stands in stark contrast to the ethical embodiment of 'first do no harm.'" This op-ed was published as part of the Public Voices Fellowship in partnership with The OpEd Project and funding from the California Health Care Foundation.

In this op-ed, Tom Murphy, the Senior Director of Communications for the National Alliance to End Homelessness, calls congress to fully fund and expand veteran homelessness programs. He highlights the rise in veteran homelessness while also acknowledging the sterling track record of the federal government's veteran homelessness programs. "It is wholly unreasonable and inappropriate not to invest in resources that would protect veterans and the citizens on whose behalf they served. This op-ed was published as part of the Public Voices Fellowship in partnership with The OpEd Project and funding from the California Health Care Foundation.

In this op-ed, Margot Kushel, MD,  professor of medicine and director of the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative at UCSF, calls attention for the need of federal investments in affordable housing. She outlines that the federal governments disinvestment in affordable housing has forced local governments to use general funds to provide assistance, further highlighting it will take a coordinated effort between agencies to solve the crisis. "Increased federal funding is necessary, but not sufficient. Yet without it, it will be difficult to end homelessness. This crisis is solvable. Ensuring that people have housing that they can afford – through higher income, lower rents and dedicated rental assistance, as well as access to appropriate services – is essential." Dr. Kushel writes. This op-ed was published as part of the Public Voices Fellowship in partnership with The OpEd Project and funding from the California Health Care Foundation.

In this op-ed, Shannon Smith-Bernardin, PhD, MSN, RN, assistant professor of nursing, highlights sobering centers as an alternative to bringing an intoxicated individual to the emergency department or a jail. She emphasizes that sobering centers provide a safe, monitored environment for people to sober up, and various models have developed to serve the specific need of the communities and populations they serve. "The path to recovery often requires a comprehensive, individualized approach. A central function of sobering care is to take the opportunity to engage, motivate, and link individuals to community resources that may provide ongoing stabilization and recovery." Dr. Smith-Bernardin writes. This op-ed was published as part of the Public Voices Fellowship in partnership with The OpEd Project and funding from the California Health Care Foundation.

In this op-ed, Maya Vijayaraghavan, MD, MAS, director of the UCSF Smoking Cessation Leadership Center, highlights the need for widespread access to tobacco treatment among people experiencing homelessness and the structural issues underpinning tobacco use. She emphasizes that in the homelessness advocacy and provider community should not normalize tobacco use among people experiencing homelessness and there is increased awareness and trained staff in shelters to provide tobacco treatment. "Providing tobacco treatment will substantially reduce harm, save lives, and improve financial stability by supporting quitting." Dr. Vijayaraghavan writes. This op-ed was published as part of the Public Voices Fellowship in partnership with The OpEd Project and funding from the California Health Care Foundation.

In this op-ed, Cheyenne Garcia, senior research analyst at the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, advocates for policymakers, elected officials, funders, and activists to update the definition of homelessness to include those temporarily staying with family and friends. She emphasizes that the current practice of classifying such people as at risk of, rather than as experiencing, homelessness, denies them access to necessary resources and the opportunity to exit homelessness. "It is vital to dedicate more resources to those who are staying in precarious housing situations that can leave them homeless on the streets or in shelters at any time." Ms. Garcia writes. This op-ed was published as part of the Public Voices Fellowship in partnership with The OpEd Project and funding from the California Health Care Foundation.

In this op-ed, Kara Young Ponder, PhD, director of community engagement and racial justice at the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, explains how neighborhood design and homeownership are entrenched in Jim Crow-era segregation practices. She outlines how the discriminatory, race-based residential segregation, has contributed to Black households being disproportionately vulnerable to displacement. Dr. Ponder writes, "Structural, institutional and interpersonal racism in our housing, criminal justice and education systems mean that Black Americans disproportionately struggle to find consistent housing, are vulnerable to displacement into homelessness and face more barriers when trying to get rehoused." This op-ed was published as part of the Public Voices Fellowship in partnership with The OpEd Project and funding from the California Health Care Foundation.

In this op-ed, Marguerita Lightfoot, PhD, MA, Associate Dean for Research at the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health, calls attention to youth experiencing homelessness in Sacramento. She outlines the higher rate of mental health-related hospitalization among youth, with almost 70% of youth experiencing homelessness reported experience depression and anxiety. Dr. Lightfoot also highlights the resources and programs that would help. "Every person experiencing homelessness needs help. But youth are too often treated as adults, and do not receive the tailored, developmentally appropriate services they require." This op-ed was published as part of the Public Voices Fellowship in partnership with The OpEd Project and funding from the California Health Care Foundation.

In this op-ed, Leslie W. Suen, MD, MAS, an assistant professor of medicine in the UCSF Division of General Internal Medicine at San Francisco General Hospital, highlights the lack accessibility of the most effective evidence-based treatment for opioid use disorder in California. She outlines the effectiveness of methadone treatment to help people with opioid use disorder, and how Californians restrictions regarding methadone create unnecessary barriers to care. "If having to go to a clinic every day for medication isn’t onerous enough, California tacks on additional state laws that make staying in methadone treatment even more challenging for patients" said Dr. Suen. This op-ed was published as part of the Public Voices Fellowship in partnership with The OpEd Project and funding from the California Health Care Foundation.

In this op-ed, Margot Kushel, MD, a professor of medicine and director of the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative at UCSF, explains how homelessness in California is a housing issue. Others often blame California's homelessness problems on high rates of mental health and substance-use problems, but the data tells a different story. Dr. Kushel writes, "It has taken decades for California to develop its housing crisis, and it will take many years to fix it. Making the wrong diagnosis and prescribing the wrong solution won’t end the crisis." This op-ed was published as part of the Public Voices Fellowship in partnership with The OpEd Project and funding from the California Health Care Foundation.

In this op-ed, Dalma Diaz, MA, a health equity fellow at the California Health Care Foundation, highlights the increase in people experiencing homelessness among the Latinxs. Despite the rising rental costs and displacement, more than two thirds of Latinx said they are not worried about experiencing homelessness in California, and yet research has shown that Latinxs are more likely than other ethnic groups to experience first time homelessness. Ms. Diaz writes, "Let us not return to the apathy, silence, or whatever it was before the pandemic that kept us on the sidelines of the homelessness crisis. It’s up to us, now, to do the work in coalition, and make the change for future generations." This op-ed was published as part of the Public Voices Fellowship in partnership with The OpEd Project and funding from the California Health Care Foundation.

In this op-ed, Zena Dhatt, a Qualitative Research Project Manager at the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, calls for action to decriminalize drug use. She outlines that hyper-policing and escalation of drug war policies will not resolve the increasing rates of overdose or people experiencing homelessness. Ms. Dhatt writes, "Prison and jail cells should not be an alternative to housing or treatment." This op-ed was published as part of the Public Voices Fellowship in partnership with The OpEd Project and funding from the California Health Care Foundation.

In this op-ed, Ryan Assaf, PhD, MPH, a postdoctoral fellow with the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, highlights the common misconception among many Californians that substance use is the primary cause of people losing their housing. He outlines that drug use is correlated with the length of time someone is homeless and the extremity of their living conditions. Dr. Assaf calls for a housing first approach, writing, "Regardless of an individual’s drug use, policymakers and advocates should prioritize getting people experiencing homelessness into safe, secure and stable housing." This op-ed was published as part of the Public Voices Fellowship in partnership with The OpEd Project and funding from the California Health Care Foundation.

In this op-ed, Lourdes Johanna Avelar Portillo, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow with the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, underscores the importance of providing access to water and sanitation services to people who are experiencing homelessness. She explains how the lack of water and other hygiene services can create added barriers among those experiencing homelessness, increasing stigmatization, as well as an increase risk in public health. Dr. Protillo writes, "the need for public access to water, sanitation and hygiene services is not just for people experiencing homelessness — it’s important to everyone."  This op-ed was published as part of the Public Voices Fellowship in partnership with The OpEd Project and funding from the California Health Care Foundation.

In this op-ed, Tom Murphy, the Senior Director of Communications for the National Alliance to End Homelessness, brings attention to the frontline professionals who respond to homelessness. He highlights the demanding work and economic disparity among the frontline workers who engage with unhoused individuals. "If we truly want to end homelessness, we must honor frontline workers with a living wage" Mr. Murphy writes. This op-ed was published as part of the Public Voices Fellowship in partnership with The OpEd Project and funding from the California Health Care Foundation.

In this op-ed, Alma Yates, MSW, the Education Program Manager at the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, implores world leaders to do more in helping migrants and asylum seekers. She highlights her own story as a former refugee from Bosnia and Herzegovina who relocated to the United States following the Bosnian War. "Thousands of displaced people were living here, mostly elderly, women and children from Prijedor. The conditions were horrific" Ms. Yates writes. "I was able to leave this place to continue my long migration journey, which had its own twists and turns, but, unfortunately, thousands of others had no place to go." This op-ed was published as part of the Public Voices Fellowship in partnership with The OpEd Project and funding from the California Health Care Foundation.

In this op-ed, Maria Raven, MD, MPH, associate director at the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, explains how homelessness is not just a housing issue, but a health care issue. She outlined the pertinent health needs of people experiencing homelessness and the barriers of treating illness against a background of homelessness. Dr. Raven writes, "The health care system in general, and emergency departments specifically, cannot solve this problem — we can only respond to its consequences." This op-ed was published as part of the Public Voices Fellowship in partnership with The OpEd Project and funding from the California Health Care Foundation.

In this op-ed, Cheyenne Garcia, senior research analyst at the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, calls for action to end generational homelessness. She characterizes the dire need for expanded funding for necessary resources, like an increase in housing choice vouchers, to end family homelessness. "As a society, it is imperative to assume an obligation to protect children." Ms. Garcia writes. This op-ed was published as part of the Public Voices Fellowship in partnership with The OpEd Project and funding from the California Health Care Foundation.