A Yiddish word, “far-potshket”, does a great job of encapsulating the problem – it refers to efforts to fix things that end up making them worse. The following diagram of Multnomah County’s “homelessness response system” shows why efforts to address homelessness to date have failed. We have a nonsystem created by plastering more layers of dysfunctional bureaucracy onto the previous layers that have been unable to function. A picture speaks a thousand words, reflecting the non-system we have established, better referred to as “chaos”.

The solution to homelessness is not as complicated as we’re making it. Although the problem of homelessness appears intractable, the approach to addressing it is actually straightforward. It is a matter of defining a comprehensive shared vision with meaningful goals, a clear chain of command, and an effective and accountable governance structure led by independent subject matter experts. Although these things have not yet been done, they are eminently doable.