There are a few things I still don’t have answers for. Every day, on my way to the YMCA fitness center, I drive by the HERRC shelter (Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers), a facility for the homeless. Outside the large compound, there are always plenty of people sitting, standing, or squatting. One thing stands out to me: I’ve never seen a white face there. The crowd is mostly Black, with some Hispanic, and occasionally an Asian face. I wonder why.
Curious, I asked someone who fits the description of a typical "白左" (bái zuǒ), a Chinese internet slang term for "white left" or left-leaning liberals in the West. It’s often used in a somewhat mocking way to describe people perceived as overly idealistic or naive in their views on social justice, immigration, or equality.
They offered me several possible explanations for the demographics I’ve noticed at the shelter.
First and foremost, systemic inequality is often blamed. The disproportionate number of Black and brown individuals in shelters can be traced back to long-standing systemic racism. African American and Hispanic communities have historically faced greater barriers to economic mobility, education, and housing. Redlining, discriminatory lending, and unequal access to jobs have compounded these challenges over time, making these populations more vulnerable to homelessness.
Second, stark racial disparities in poverty rates exacerbate the issue. Black and Hispanic people in the U.S. are more likely to live below the poverty line than their white counterparts, and since homelessness is closely tied to extreme poverty, it disproportionately affects these groups.
Third, homelessness and incarceration are often linked. African Americans, in particular, are overrepresented in the criminal justice system. After incarceration, many face significant barriers to reentering society, including employment and housing discrimination, leaving many with no option but the streets or shelters.
Fourth, the presence of Hispanic individuals at the shelter could be related to undocumented immigration status or language barriers. These factors limit access to stable work and housing, increasing the likelihood of homelessness.
This reasoning feels all too familiar, reminding me of what I read in sociology textbooks back in the early 1990s when I was a teaching assistant at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. The idea that "the system is to blame" for many personal problems was pervasive. At the time, I was confused:
-- Didn’t American culture value rugged individualism and personal responsibility? Wasn’t the prevailing notion that if you're poor, you’re responsible for it? That’s what I had learned about American society during my college years in China. I also knew that Asian Americans faced racial discrimination, yet they were largely thriving in the U.S. because society offered them opportunities to work hard and succeed.
Finally, the reasons behind the racial disparities in homelessness are complex with historical, social, and economic factors. While I don't know how much role systemic inequality plays here, I know it takes both sides to work on this social problem or to get anything done: societal structures and individual responsibility.