--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When people have a place to live, they…" description: "\"“When people have a place to live, they become better parents, workers, and citizens. If”\" — Matthew Desmond" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bd/matthew-desmond-1529_live-better_when-people-have-a-place-to-live-they-be_285779.jpg" --- # When people have a place to live, they become better… ![“When people have a place to live, they become better parents, workers, and citizens. If” quote by Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bd/matthew-desmond-1529_live-better_when-people-have-a-place-to-live-they-be_285779.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bd/matthew-desmond-1529_live-better_when-people-have-a-place-to-live-they-be_285779.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bd/matthew-desmond-1529_live-better_when-people-have-a-place-to-live-they-be_285779.jpg) > ““When people have a place to live, they become better parents, workers, and citizens. If”” [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Secure housing improves individuals' capacity to fulfill familial, professional, and civic roles. **In simple terms:** Housing stability boosts overall wellbeing. Key Takeaway Support affordable housing initiatives. Themes housing family civic engagement Mood concerned hopeful Type policy social When to use this quote - urban policy - community development - family dynamics Key Concepts social stability economic security Questions to Reflect On - What policies best link housing to community health? - How can we measure the broader impact of stable homes? A Different Perspective Complex issues also affect outcomes beyond housing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Better Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-parents-244668/) [Live better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-better/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Parents Workers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents-workers-966632/) [People Place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-place-403451/) [Workers Citizens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/workers-citizens-2761046/) ## Related quotes > [My parents were workers. My mom, especially in my high school years, was a stock clerk at Kmart... My dad was a bartender that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/my-parents-were-workers-my-mom-especially-in-my-high-school-years-was/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [My parents were workers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/my-parents-were-workers/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [Starbucks is the last public space with chairs. It's a shower for homeless people. And it's a place you can write all day. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/starbucks-is-the-last-public-space-with-chairs-it-s-a-shower-for/) [Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/) > [Home was more about people than a place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caragh-m-o-brien/home-was-more-about-people-than-a-place/) [Caragh M. O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caragh-m-o-brien/) > [People move from place to place and job to job, but they no longer need to lose touch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-rheingold/people-move-from-place-to-place-and-job-to-job-but-they-no-longer/) [Howard Rheingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-rheingold/) > [If there's one thing I'm good at, it's putting people in their place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/genevieve/if-there-s-one-thing-i-m-good-at-it-s-putting-people-in-their-place/) [Genevieve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/genevieve/) > [How can you seperate those things though? The people are the place is the people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/how-can-you-seperate-those-things-though-the-people-are-the-place-is/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [The only difference between me and these people is my place of birth and this is not a big difference](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-baskerville/the-only-difference-between-me-and-these-people-is-my-place-of-birth/) [Howard Baskerville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-baskerville/) > [FAKE people have no place on this earth but hey life is full of them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-brignolle/fake-people-have-no-place-on-this-earth-but-hey-life-is-full-of-them/) [Jessica Brignolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-brignolle/) > [There's probably more in the American tradition than people give the place credit for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-judd/there-s-probably-more-in-the-american-tradition-than-people-give-the/) [Donald Judd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-judd/) > [The high desert has an effect on people. The place has a way of swallowing you up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/campbell-scott/the-high-desert-has-an-effect-on-people-the-place-has-a-way-of/) [Campbell Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/campbell-scott/) > [There's a place for everything and everyone, you know. That is the mistake they make above. They think that only certain people have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/there-s-a-place-for-everything-and-everyone-you-know-that-is-the/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [I love that people can't place me. They don't know my name. That's 'mission accomplished' in my world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-reilly/i-love-that-people-can-t-place-me-they-don-t-know-my-name-that-s/) [John C. Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-reilly/) > [“Putting people in their place shows that you yourself have nowhere to go.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-krause/putting-people-in-their-place-shows-that-you-yourself-have-nowhere-to/) [Richard Krause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-krause/) > [I like to put people in their place, it's fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-mckenna/i-like-to-put-people-in-their-place-it-s-fun/) [Megan McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-mckenna/) ## More by Matthew Desmond > [I don't think we can fix poverty without fixing housing, and I don't think we can address housing without understanding landlords.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-don-t-think-we-can-fix-poverty-without-fixing-housing-and-i-don-t/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [If we continue to tolerate this level of poverty in our cities, and go along with eviction as commonplace in poor neighborhoods, it's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/if-we-continue-to-tolerate-this-level-of-poverty-in-our-cities-and-go/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [You see one eviction, and you're overcome, but then there's another one and another one and another one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/you-see-one-eviction-and-you-re-overcome-but-then-there-s-another-one/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [When I talk to booksellers, they tell me how hard it is to hand-sell some of my books because I do keep popping around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/when-i-talk-to-booksellers-they-tell-me-how-hard-it-is-to-hand-sell/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Housing being a top-order issue for cities is something that's not trivial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/housing-being-a-top-order-issue-for-cities-is-something-that-s-not/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [I think that we value fairness in this country. We value equal opportunity. Without a stable home, those ideals really fall apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-think-that-we-value-fairness-in-this-country-we-value-equal/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Exploitation. Now, there's a word that has been scrubbed out of the poverty debate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/exploitation-now-there-s-a-word-that-has-been-scrubbed-out-of-the/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [I think there are ways that graduate students can fact-check their work. I think there are ways that we can do this that don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-think-there-are-ways-that-graduate-students-can-fact-check-their/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Fire itself is very beautiful, and there's an attachment to fire that firefighters have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/fire-itself-is-very-beautiful-and-there-s-an-attachment-to-fire-that/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“Sherrena nodded reassuringly and said, almost to herself, “I guess I got to stop feeling sorry for these people because nobody is feeling sorry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/sherrena-nodded-reassuringly-and-said-almost-to-herself-i-guess-i-got/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Everywhere else, we are someone else, but at home, we remove our masks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/everywhere-else-we-are-someone-else-but-at-home-we-remove-our-masks/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [A community that sees so clearly its own disadvantage or its own hardships also has a harder time seeing its potential: its ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/a-community-that-sees-so-clearly-its-own-disadvantage-or-its-own/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“It was once said that the poor are 'constantly exposed to evidence of their own irrelevance.' Especially for poor African-American families - who live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/it-was-once-said-that-the-poor-are-constantly-exposed-to-evidence-of/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [A universal voucher program would change the face of poverty in this country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/a-universal-voucher-program-would-change-the-face-of-poverty-in-this/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“Wildland firefighters do not enjoy the cultural prestige that structural firefighters do. They do not wax their fire engines and cruise down the local…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/wildland-firefighters-do-not-enjoy-the-cultural-prestige-that/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) [Explore all 230 Matthew Desmond quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) ## More Live better quotes > [“There is no greater force for change than people inspired to live a better life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/there-is-no-greater-force-for-change-than-people-inspired-to-live-a/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [If you really know how to live, what better way to start the day than with a smile?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/if-you-really-know-how-to-live-what-better-way-to-start-the-day-than/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [We will strive to make Taiwan a better place and enable our people to live better lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chen-shui-bian/we-will-strive-to-make-taiwan-a-better-place-and-enable-our-people-to/) [Chen Shui-bian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chen-shui-bian/) > [It may be hard, but Shaking your comfort zone will often create a lot of value in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/it-may-be-hard-but-shaking-your-comfort-zone-will-often-create-a-lot/) [Senoraroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senoraroy/) > [Why is there this criminal indifference to the lostness of men? Our condemnation is that we know how to live better than we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/why-is-there-this-criminal-indifference-to-the-lostness-of-men-our/) [Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/) > [Try to cut down drastically on plastic. Recycle. Use less energy and more renewable energy. We can all live better by doing better for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-safina/try-to-cut-down-drastically-on-plastic-recycle-use-less-energy-and/) [Carl Safina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-safina/) > [I feel really passionately about safe, comfortable roads, crosswalks, and sidewalks. Everyone of all economic backgrounds should be able to get to school or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-sollee/i-feel-really-passionately-about-safe-comfortable-roads-crosswalks/) [Ben Sollee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-sollee/) > [The best revenge you could ever get on that person who broke your heart is to let them see you're still fine and live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/the-best-revenge-you-could-ever-get-on-that-person-who-broke-your/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [“Don't you cry for the lost Smile for the living Get what you need and give what you'r given Life's for the living so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/passenger/don-t-you-cry-for-the-lost-smile-for-the-living-get-what-you-need-and/) [Passenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/passenger/) > [ That kind of unease, that melancholy, is of course partly my interpretation, but partly, I think, it's something that's really there \[in America\] as… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-van-agtmael/that-kind-of-unease-that-melancholy-is-of-course-partly-my/) [Peter van Agtmael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-van-agtmael/) > [Others are keen to see if natives other than us live better than we do, without heat in pipes, ice in boxes, sunshine in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-maillart/others-are-keen-to-see-if-natives-other-than-us-live-better-than-we/) [Ella Maillart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-maillart/) > [The role of business is to provide products and services that make people's live better - while using fewer resources - and to act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-koch/the-role-of-business-is-to-provide-products-and-services-that-make/) [Charles Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-koch/) > [Live a better life by controlling your stress. Control your stress by not worrying about things that you can't change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-joseph/live-a-better-life-by-controlling-your-stress-control-your-stress-by/) [Jesse Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-joseph/) > [“Aging is not just decay, you know. It’s growth. It’s more than the negative that you’re going to die, it’s also the positive, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/aging-is-not-just-decay-you-know-it-s-growth-it-s-more-than-the/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [As you grow, you learn more. If you stayed as ignorant as you were at twenty-two, you'd always be twenty-two. Aging is not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/as-you-grow-you-learn-more-if-you-stayed-as-ignorant-as-you-were-at/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) [Browse all 171 Live better quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-better/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When people have a place to live, they become better parents, workers, and citizens. 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