There, but for the Grace of Many Gods
Wicked surprises attenuate resilience
Homelessness is an example of a “wicked problem”, with many causes.
There is no magic bullet solution, and the performance indicator of success means merely reduction of severity and/or duration.
Elon Musk will get to Mars before American homelessness is completely eliminated.
Jason Cheny’s bit premised on the myth of hard work nails the wicked nature of life’s surprises.
You can get a flat tire on the way to a job interview and chalk it up to bad luck.
You can be unlucky enough to suffer heavily from mental illness.
You can be unlucky enough to have a boss who doesn’t pay all your wages on time, and now you can’t make rent.
You can be in a place where available housing is unluckily outside of affordability, then the car or street is where you’ll sleep next.
When any one of those things happen to us, and we’re lucky enough to process and get over them: that’s resilience!
When all of them happen in short succession, that could be a person who had some wicked surprises and is now experiencing homelessness.