I’ve experienced homelessness — not just once, not just briefly, but in long, grinding stretches that shaped every part of my life. I can tell you: Homelessness isn’t just the absence of a roof. It’s the daily struggle to meet basic needs in a world that punishes you for not having bootstraps to pull yourself up by.

Simple things — finding a place to use the bathroom, throw away trash or sleep — can get you fined, displaced or arrested. These aren’t solutions. They’re punishments for poverty and they make it harder to survive, let alone find stability.

As a recently graduated college student, I know how hard it is to navigate these systems, even with education. For those on the edge of losing their housing, the path into homelessness is often paved with missing supports. A job loss, a conflict without mediation, or a one-time emergency can lead to eviction.

Without interventions that keep people housed, too many are pushed into crisis.

The housing crisis isn’t just about tents on sidewalks — it’s about decades of disinvestment and policy failure. We don’t lack punitive tools. We lack compassion, rent assistance, conflict resolution services and the political will to act.

We need our Legislature to fund what actually works: eviction prevention, affordable housing and supportive services. Criminalizing homelessness is not only inhumane – it’s ineffective. We cannot keep choosing punishment over prevention.

Housing is a human need. Let’s start treating it like one.

Adriana Grant

Eugene