Founding Director William A. “Sandy” Darity, Jr. was gave comments in Nation Of Change article examining the structural causes of homelessness in the U.S.
Challenging the notion that joblessness is the primary driver of homelessness, Darity explains that many unhoused individuals are already employed—but in jobs that pay too little to meet basic needs:
My impression is close to half of the persons who are homeless have employment… They just have poorly paid employment.”
He adds that even full-time work at $9/hour leaves workers below the poverty line, highlighting how low wages—not just lack of work—fuel housing insecurity. Darity’s insight reflects his broader research on stratification economics and the role of systemic inequality in shaping economic outcomes.
Darity also spoke to artificial intelligence (“AI”) becoming a great factor in the economy and that jobs will become less available, which is bound to increase homelessness:
Accountants, factory workers, truckers, paralegals, and radiologists — just to name a few — will be confronted by a disruption akin to that faced by farmers during the Industrial Revolution…As research suggests, the pace in which AI will replace jobs will only accelerate, impacting the highly trained and poorly educated alike.”
Read the full article here.
