According to Need: 99% Invisible Project

According to Need is a project of 99% Invisible that examines how people can (or can’t) access housing in California. Across 5 Chapters, the journalist Katie Mingle talks to people on both ends of the housing access spectrum to find out how the system can’t, and doesn’t, meet the needs of those experiencing homelessness.

Read more here.

Journal Prompts

From According to Need: “When we think about homelessness, we often have a certain image in our mind—people pushing shopping carts, or big sprawling tent encampments. But for the vast majority of homeless people, the experience is less visible. Many people who are unable to afford a place to live end up sleeping on a friend’s floor or inside their car.”

  • What comes to mind when you think about people experiencing homelessness? The visible or less visible people? Why do you think that is? How do you feel about them?
  • What was your reaction(s) to the obstacles in a system that is supposed to be helping people find affordable housing?
  • If you could wave a magic wand to change how people access affordable housing, what would it be?
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