--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Focusing only on street homelessness is…" description: "\"Focusing only on street homelessness is resource-intensive, and acts after the rough sleeper has already endured significant hardship and trauma. Actin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/dawn-foster-5956_acting_focusing-only-on-street-homelessness-is_2918759.jpg" --- # Focusing only on street homelessness is… ![“Focusing only on street homelessness is resource-intensive, and acts after the rough sleeper has already endured significant hardship and trauma. Acting before people are homeless makes far more sense, economically and for the long-term wellbeing of a household.” quote by Dawn Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/dawn-foster-5956_acting_focusing-only-on-street-homelessness-is_2918759.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/dawn-foster-5956_acting_focusing-only-on-street-homelessness-is_2918759.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/dawn-foster-5956_acting_focusing-only-on-street-homelessness-is_2918759.jpg) > “Focusing only on street homelessness is resource-intensive, and acts after the rough sleeper has already endured significant hardship and trauma. Acting before people are homeless makes far more sense, economically and for the long-term wellbeing of a household.” [Dawn Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-foster/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Focusing on homelessness after it occurs wastes resources; prevention is cheaper and healthier. **In simple terms:** Prevent homelessness rather than reacting. Key Takeaway Invest in early support. Themes social policy prevention economics Mood concerned pragmatic Type policy advocacy When to use this quote - social services - community planning - budgeting Key Concepts poverty housing public health Questions to Reflect On - What early interventions work best? - How to shift policy focus? A Different Perspective Prevention requires upfront investment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Homeless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homeless/) [Homelessness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homelessness/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Street](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/street/) [Trauma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trauma/) ## Related quotes > [We can find any number of ways to criminalise begging, but when we do so, aren't we attacking the problem from entirely the wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-foster/we-can-find-any-number-of-ways-to-criminalise-begging-but-when-we-do/) [Dawn Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-foster/) > [People who are homeless, they're not all addicts. A lot of times, they're just people who, through something like losing their job or losing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lopez/people-who-are-homeless-they-re-not-all-addicts-a-lot-of-times-they/) [George Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lopez/) > [People who are homeless are not social inadequates. They are people without homes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-mckechnie/people-who-are-homeless-are-not-social-inadequates-they-are-people/) Sheila McKechnie > [We should make more people homeless than they might appreciate life more instead of taking it for granted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/we-should-make-more-people-homeless-than-they-might-appreciate-life/) [Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/) > [People are not homeless if they're sleeping in the streets of their own hometowns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-quayle/people-are-not-homeless-if-they-re-sleeping-in-the-streets-of-their/) [Dan Quayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-quayle/) > [Every one of us needs a home. The world needs a home. There are so many young people who are homeless. They may have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/every-one-of-us-needs-a-home-the-world-needs-a-home-there-are-so-many/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [I'm one of those people when I see a homeless person on the street, I want to know their story. There's a reason they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-barden/i-m-one-of-those-people-when-i-see-a-homeless-person-on-the-street-i/) [Jessica Barden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-barden/) > [We just can’t stop people from being homeless if that’s their choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/we-just-can-t-stop-people-from-being-homeless-if-that-s-their-choice/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [Many feel that sitting at a screen sweating over the design of handrail details for the next cute downtown boutique hotel just doesn't make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-sinclair/many-feel-that-sitting-at-a-screen-sweating-over-the-design-of/) [Cameron Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-sinclair/) > [We can't forget that there are so many young people who are homeless - and unbelievably vulnerable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-dooley/we-can-t-forget-that-there-are-so-many-young-people-who-are-homeless/) [Stacey Dooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-dooley/) > [“You'd think the homeless would despise the rest of us, but it seems the thing they want to do most is talk. If only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-masters/you-d-think-the-homeless-would-despise-the-rest-of-us-but-it-seems/) [Alexander Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-masters/) > [“The image titled “The Homeless, Psalm 85:10,” featured on the cover of ELEMENTAL, can evoke multiple levels of response. They may include the spiritual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aberjhani/the-image-titled-the-homeless-psalm-85-10-featured-on-the-cover-of/) [Aberjhani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aberjhani/) > [God has identified himself with the hungry, the sick, the naked, the homeless; hunger not only for bread, but for love, for care, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/god-has-identified-himself-with-the-hungry-the-sick-the-naked-the/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [No one is asking what happened to all the homeless. No one cares, because it's easier to get on the subway and not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-linklater/no-one-is-asking-what-happened-to-all-the-homeless-no-one-cares/) [Richard Linklater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-linklater/) > [Covid-19 has lit an even hotter fire in me to become a more active participant in advocating for homeless people and homelessness relief. Being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myha-la/covid-19-has-lit-an-even-hotter-fire-in-me-to-become-a-more-active/) [Myha'la](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myha-la/) ## More by Dawn Foster > [If you're in a meeting and a man talks loudly over you, rather than copying that behaviour and normalising it, what you could do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-foster/if-you-re-in-a-meeting-and-a-man-talks-loudly-over-you-rather-than/) [Dawn Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-foster/) > [If the Government put people before markets, it would build more council housing - a form of public investment in housing that pays for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-foster/if-the-government-put-people-before-markets-it-would-build-more/) [Dawn Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-foster/) > [Everyone should have a right to a home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-foster/everyone-should-have-a-right-to-a-home/) [Dawn Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-foster/) > [For children with special educational needs to receive the help they need to thrive in education, councils need targeted funding that properly addresses the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-foster/for-children-with-special-educational-needs-to-receive-the-help-they/) [Dawn Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-foster/) > [It should be obvious that banning begging or criminalising rough sleeping will do little to combat homelessness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-foster/it-should-be-obvious-that-banning-begging-or-criminalising-rough/) [Dawn Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-foster/) > [The bedroom tax turfed people, many of them disabled, out of their homes, while the government disseminated myths about people living it up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-foster/the-bedroom-tax-turfed-people-many-of-them-disabled-out-of-their/) [Dawn Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-foster/) > [The long-term effects of privatising both rail and housing, aside from ensuring we live in a country of crumbling infrastructure (in contrast to mainland…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-foster/the-long-term-effects-of-privatising-both-rail-and-housing-aside-from/) [Dawn Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-foster/) > [A smart society recognises the benefits of treating problems before they escalate, either through helping people quit smoking or moving them out of mould-blighted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-foster/a-smart-society-recognises-the-benefits-of-treating-problems-before/) [Dawn Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-foster/) > [Modern life undermines any attempt at building communities and making connections with people without commerce.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-foster/modern-life-undermines-any-attempt-at-building-communities-and-making/) [Dawn Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-foster/) > [Women, when they do break into power or succeed, can expect to have their lives scrutinised for clues to how they managed it exactly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-foster/women-when-they-do-break-into-power-or-succeed-can-expect-to-have/) [Dawn Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-foster/) > [Housing, not buying, should be a right - and available and affordable for all. Right to buy is devastating our housing system, just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-foster/housing-not-buying-should-be-a-right-and-available-and-affordable-for/) [Dawn Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-foster/) > [Renters didn't used to be cursed: social housing offered millions of people a steady, safe and secure home for an affordable price.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-foster/renters-didn-t-used-to-be-cursed-social-housing-offered-millions-of/) [Dawn Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-foster/) > [Social mobility has always been a slippery term, with nebulous markers of success: how many state school children have to achieve postgraduate degrees, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-foster/social-mobility-has-always-been-a-slippery-term-with-nebulous-markers/) [Dawn Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-foster/) > [I'm learning to believe that my epilepsy doesn't disbar me from being considered attractive, so if I think I look palatable in A&E I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-foster/i-m-learning-to-believe-that-my-epilepsy-doesn-t-disbar-me-from-being/) [Dawn Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-foster/) > [Poverty is a trap: it should be eradicated. It's no real answer just lifting a few children from families stuck on low wages into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-foster/poverty-is-a-trap-it-should-be-eradicated-it-s-no-real-answer-just/) [Dawn Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-foster/) [Explore all 100 Dawn Foster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-foster/) ## More Acting quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. 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