People experiencing homelessness don’t just ‘choose’ to be in this situation. Economic mobility is a setup
when education fails to teach real-world survival skills. When it comes to homelessness, it’s easy for
society to blame the people who are living on the streets, but the reality is much more complicated. In
many countries, general education focuses on subjects like math and science, which are important, but
they don’t prepare people for the real-world challenges they’ll face. Adults living in poverty or
homelessness don’t need broad knowledge; they need practical tools that can help them survive in their
current situation. While policy reform plays a role in addressing homelessness, what’s really needed right
now is a bottom-up approach to education that helps those experiencing homelessness gain the skills they need to make it day-to-day.

Instead, society should prioritize a survival-based education model. This approach would focus on
teaching practical skills like financial literacy, job navigation, and housing stability—skills that people
can immediately use to move toward independence.

Why Basic Education Fails People Living in Poverty
Basic education often leaves people unprepared for the harsh realities of life, especially when it comes to
finances, jobs, and housing. Most schools don’t teach practical things like how to manage money or how
to find and keep a job. This is a big problem for people already struggling with poverty.
According to the United Nations, almost 1.8 billion people are living in inadequate housing worldwide
(UN-Habitat, 2021). At the same time, the gap between the rich and the poor continues to widen. For
example, the richest 1% of the population now holds more than 40% of global wealth (Oxfam, 2023).
These statistics represent a world where many people are fighting just to get by.

Basic education systems don’t teach the skills people need to survive sustainably in an unequal world. As
Jain & Akomolafe (2016) stated, schools often tell students that their own ways of living are inferior,
forcing them to compete for a limited number of opportunities. But what’s really needed isn’t more
competition—it’s the ability to survive and make a living in tough circumstances. The focus should shift
from academic knowledge to teaching the real survival skills people need to get by in today’s world.

A Bottom-Up Approach to Education
Instead of waiting for policy changes or hoping things will improve on their own, society needs to adopt a
bottom-up approach. This approach focuses on meeting people where they are—teaching them the basics they need to survive today, so they can work toward a better future.
Education is more than looking in the future, but about using what’s learned to survive the present. A
bottom-up approach starts with the essentials: shelter, food, and safety. Once those needs are met, we can focus on teaching people how to improve their lives step by step.

Programs like those run by Habitat for Humanity in over 70 countries provide more than just affordable
housing—they also teach financial literacy and offer employment support, helping people get back on
their feet (Habitat for Humanity, 2023). This type of education goes beyond theory and directly addresses
the challenges people face in real life.

Does it Work?
A bottom-up education model works because it’s practical. It focuses on helping people survive in their
current situations while giving them the tools they need to build a more stable future. For example,
financial literacy programs can teach people how to budget and manage their money, while job readiness
programs teach practical skills like how to navigate the workplace and secure steady employment.
Housing support programs help people understand their rights and how to find safe and affordable
housing.

This approach doesn’t just teach people what they could do in an ideal world—it focuses on what they
can do today to improve their lives. By helping people take small, achievable steps toward independence,
we can make a real difference in their lives.

Any Problems?
Life is never that easy. Basic education isn’t enough to close the gap between poverty and stability, and
the economic gap between the rich and poor continues to grow. To truly address homelessness, we need
an education system that provides people with tools to survive their current circumstances and take
confident steps toward a better future.

By focusing on practical survival skills like financial literacy, job readiness, and housing stability, we can
give people experiencing homelessness the tools they need to rebuild their lives. Policy changes are
important, but a bottom-up education model can make a real impact right now.

References
Habitat for Humanity. (2023). How we help. Retrieved from https://www.habitat.org
Jain, M., & Akomolafe, B. (2016). Practitioner perspective: This revolution will not be schooled: How we
are collectively improvising a ‘new story’ about learning. In A. Skinner, M. B. Smith, E. Brown, & T.
Troll (Eds.), Education, Learning and the Transformation of Development (pp. 106-121). Routledge.
Oxfam. (2023). The unequal state of the world: The wealth gap. Retrieved from https://oxfam.org
UN-Habitat. (2021). The state of the world’s cities 2020-2021: Housing for all. United Nations Human
Settlements Programme. Retrieved from https://unhabitat.org