If poverty persists in America, it is not for lack of resources. We lack something else. Matthew Desmond More Quotes by Matthew Desmond More Quotes From Matthew Desmond I immediately didn't think it was real, then someone reads you what they wrote about you. Matthew Desmond living I don't think that you can address poverty unless you address the lack of affordable housing in the cities. Matthew Desmond thinkyouhousingpoverty Eviction comes with a record. Just like a criminal record can hurt you in the jobs market, eviction can hurt you in the housing market. A lot of landlords turn folks away who have an eviction, and a lot of public housing authorities do the same. Matthew Desmond justlikeyouhurt Housing is absolutely essential to human flourishing. Without stable shelter, it all falls apart. Matthew Desmond withouthumanhousingshelter Home is where children find safety and security, where we find our identities, where citizenship starts. It usually starts with believing you're part of a community, and that is essential to having a stable home. Matthew Desmond youcommunityhomechildren Fire itself is very beautiful, and there's an attachment to fire that firefighters have. Matthew Desmond firefightersveryfirebeautiful Evictions cause job loss. Because it's such a destabilizing, stressful event, they lose their footing in the labor market. It has big impacts on people's health, especially mental health. Matthew Desmond losejobhealthpeople A lot of us who grew up in the country, hunting and fishing, being very familiar with the woods and dirt roads, have the skill set you need to fight fire. Matthew Desmond roadsfightyoufire A community that sees so clearly its own disadvantage or its own hardships also has a harder time seeing its potential: its ability to work together to change the community and change their lives. Matthew Desmond changetogetherworktime A fire in a forest is alive with terror and power. Matthew Desmond forestalivepowerfire The standard of 'affordable' housing is that which costs roughly 30 percent or less of a family's income. Because of rising housing costs and stagnant wages, slightly more than half of all poor renting families in the country spend more than 50 percent of their income on housing costs, and at least one in four spends more than 70 percent. Matthew Desmond morefamilypoorcountry Payday loans are but one of many financial techniques - from overdraft fees to student loans subsidizing for-profit colleges - specifically designed to pull money from the pockets of the poor. This problem generally goes unrecognized by policy makers. Matthew Desmond studentpoormoneyproblem Home is the wellspring of personhood, where our identity takes root; where civic life begins. America is supposed to be a place where you can better yourself, your family, and your community. Matthew Desmond youfamilyhomelife The poor don't want some small life. They don't want to game the system. They want to contribute, and they want to thrive. But poverty reduces people born for better things. Matthew Desmond gamepovertylifepeople Many times when we are talking about displacement, we talk about it within the frame of gentrification, which focuses on transitioning neighborhoods. But man, every city I've looked at, Milwaukee included, most evictions are right there, smack dab in ungentrifying, poor, segregated communities. Matthew Desmond citymanpoortalking There is a reason so many Americans choose to develop their net worth through homeownership: It is a proven wealth builder and savings compeller. Matthew Desmond chooseworthwealthreason Home is the center of life. It's the wellspring of personhood. It's where we say we're ourselves. Matthew Desmond saywherehomelife A lot flows from the question: Is having decent, stable housing part of what it means to live in this country? And I think we should answer 'yes.' Matthew Desmond answerlivethinkcountry If I wrote in Jacob Riis' time, I'd be writing about teeming slums in our cities and kids dying of tuberculosis or outhouses in Philadelphia or kids losing their toes because they were living in homes without heat. He took on a battle in 'The Battle with the Slums' - and we won. Matthew Desmond battlelosingwritingtime Exploitation. Now, there's a word that has been scrubbed out of the poverty debate. Matthew Desmond outnowdebatepoverty
