Homelessness Stalks the Land of Minnesota and the USA

"It is another Great Depression for the American people, " Gus Hall, Marxist-Leninist of the Communist Party of the United States (CPUSA), once said. "As hard-won economic cushions like unemployment, welfare and Social Security checks run out, millions are being thrown into the streets, on souplines and in shelters for the hungry and homeless." Economic crisis and poverty, Gus Hall continued, is part of the capitalist pattern "exposed and laid out by Marx, Engels and Lenin." (Gus Hall, Karl Marx: Beacon for Our Times)

More than 13% of the U.S. population, a part of the working class, lives in poverty. Homelessness goes hand in hand with cannibalistic capitalism. It is, Frederick Engels said in 'The Housing Question', a "secondary evil" of capitalism and is linked to the system where capitalists exploit workers. Monopoly ridden American capitalism throws 12 million working class people unto the streets at least once a year. Millions more are "full-time" homeless throughout the entire year, as decaying capitalism forces them to live in shelters, cars or on the streets. (U.S. Census Bureau, 2005)

In Minnesota, 9200-9300 people are homeless. American capitalism’s monstrous treatment of Blacks is exposed in the modern day scourge of homelessness. African-Americans are 3% of Minnesota’s population but are 38% of the homeless. (Wilder Research, 2007)


(Socialism will end homelessness forever because, as V.I. Lenin said, "the best buildings, the palaces, the mansions and manor houses" are "taken away from the bourgeoisie." Socialism would build housing for all.)
30 million working class people, including every homeless man, woman and child, could be housed in the vacant homes and apartments of America tonight! 12 million places sit empty year round and 4 million more luxury homes of wealthy parasites are vacant on any given night. (U.S. Census Bureau, 2005) A proletarian socialist revolution would, as Frederick Engels said, "expropriate the present owners" and "quarter the homeless in their houses!" (Frederick Engels, The Housing Question, 1872)

The American working class needs to stand up, speak out and fight back today against homelessness! We must advance our own demands with protests and mass people's lobbies. Nationalize the construction of new housing! This is the only way to quickly build millions of good housing units with cheap rent (no more than 10% of the renter's income). Nationalizing the construction of new housing also provides employment opportunities to Black people and other workers. Expand HUD and other government housing programs! Expand welfare--with no lifetime limit. Prevent homelessness by standing against layoffs and housing foreclosures and fighting for universal healthcare! One out of five homeless people are employed by capitalists at low wages. We should fight tooth and nail for living wage, not poverty wage, jobs!

Socialism will end homelessness forever because, as V.I. Lenin said, "the best buildings, the palaces, the mansions and manor houses" are "taken away from the bourgeoisie." Socialism would build housing for all. (V.I. Lenin, Proletarian Revolution and the Renegade Kautsky, 1918)