470 Butterfield Drive

North Huntingdon, PA 15642

7/10/2022

President Joe Biden

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

Lao Tzu once stated, “If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish,
you feed him for a lifetime.”

“The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today released its 2021 Annual
Homeless Assessment Report Part 1 to Congress. The report found that more than 326,000 people
experienced sheltered homelessness in the United States on a single night in 2021, a decrease of eight
percent, from 2020.” 1 As we digest this number, I ask that you look around at the people sitting around
you. Know that each person has the ability to complete the tasks that are assigned to them. Now think
about these 326,000 people whom are homeless, would they be able to complete designated tasks as
well? Every single person within this number is struggling due to some major personal issue. We as
fellow humans, we must help these people. It is not only the right thing to do morally, but it can also
become a solution to help rebuild our economy.

We must provide a solution to the homelessness. As we continue to experience worker

shortages throughout the United States, our country begins to inflate wages and increasing benefits that
directly inflate costs of goods sold. We as the nation of opportunity, currently contain a readily available
resource that has remained untapped. It would be the homeless community. We must utilize current
infrastructures to create housing and training centers that can help establish productive members of our
community. Funding of this program would come from “sponsorships” sourced from companies here in
the United States. The sponsors would gain access to tax breaks as well as the ability to source workers
from the training centers. The thought is we would bring the individuals in from the streets and provide
shelter, training, medical, and other assistance to help them enter back into society. Each case would be
different; however, we will be able to expand the workforce with this newly found talent. For individuals
that have issues barring them from leaving each center, they would be able to act as employees onsite
until they are ready for advancement. The goal of the program is to create a resource that can help the
homeless back on their feet and provide them an opportunity to fulfill vacant job openings.

1|Page
 While doing research regarding this topic, I found many interesting points that were able to be
tied directly together via the Catholic Social teaching. While reading the National Alliance to End
Homelessness, it was stated In January 2020, there were 580,466 people experiencing homelessness in
America.2 Now this number appears to be reduced from 2020 to 2021 but it shows the slight decline in
the number but does not display a bulletproof solution. After reading Poverty and Homelessness by
Bassam Imam, I found each individuals situation can be described as disturbing. In addition to the root
cause that led the individual down the path of homelessness, they people are plagued by crime, poor
health, mistreatment, and loss of hope. 3 As Americans, we must work to restore proper living conditions
for these individuals. Not only are there a large number of people affected by this issue, we can continue
to see this happening for generations to come. When we step back to review the Catholic Social
Teachings (CST), one of the core values that are upheld are helping the poor and vulnerable. These
individuals suffer from vulnerability in which cause them to become poor. It is a vicious circle. We must
look to those whom are blessed with good health and opportunity to extend the prospect of life and
liberty to the less fortunate.

I sincerely appreciate that you have taken time out of your schedule to read through this letter. I
hope that not only have I expressed the concerns for our fellow Americans, but to also provide a viable
solution. The solution comes with multiple angles for economic sustainability, moral satisfaction, and
reduction in the demographic gaps that are currently tearing this country apart. I look forward to talking
through and establishing a pilot program with you at a convenient time for you and your team.

Best Regards,

Michael Wertz
M.wertz@setonhill.edu

2|Page
Foot Notes
1
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (2022, February 4). HUD Releases 2021

Annual Homeless Assessment Report Part 1. HUD.Gov / U.S. Department of Housing

and Urban Development (HUD).

https://www.hud.gov/press/press_releases_media_advisories/hud_no_22_022#:

%7E:text=The%20report%20found%20that%20more,of%20eight%20percent%2C

%20from%202020.
2
State of Homelessness: 2021 Edition. (2021, August 16). National Alliance to End
Homelessness. https://endhomelessness.org/homelessness-in-america/homelessness-
statistics/state-of-homelessness-2021/
3
Imam, B. (2018). Poverty and Homelessness. Free Ebooks .

3|Page