Originally published in the Dayton Daily News.

By Angie Grilliot, Executive Director, St. Vincent de Paul Dayton

Since becoming executive director of St. Vincent de Paul Dayton earlier this year, I have spent much of my time listening to volunteers, community partners and, most importantly, the people who come to us for help.

Consider the 33-year-old man who developed spinal cancer and has had to go to the hospital daily for an infusion. This cost him his job and he was facing eviction. He wasn’t looking for an on-going handout. He was actively looking for a job. But he still needed to pay his rent.

We were able to offer some financial assistance, and his story illustrates what we see every day: Housing struggles rarely begin with homelessness.

They begin when rent increases faster than a paycheck. They begin when a car breaks down and there is no savings account to cover the repair. They begin when a medical bill arrives unexpectedly — or when a family is forced to choose between buying groceries, keeping the lights on or making rent.

By the time someone loses their home, they have often been struggling for months or even years. That reality deserves more attention as our community continues addressing housing challenges across Dayton and Montgomery County.

The good news is that recent data shows a steady decline in homelessness in the county over the past several years. That progress reflects the hard work of local governments, housing providers, faith communities, nonprofits, volunteers and countless others committed to helping people find stability.

But declining homelessness does not mean the housing crisis is over.

The pressures that push people toward instability remain very real. Dayton’s poverty rate stands at 25.5%, roughly double the state and national averages. Average rents in the Dayton region have increased by more than 30% since 2020.

At the same time, the region faces a shortage of roughly 18,300 affordable housing units for extremely low-income renters.

At St. Vincent de Paul Dayton, we see the impact every day. Last year, our neighborhood ministries, small faith groups in 26 Catholic parishes across the Dayton area known as Conferences, assisted more than 56,000 neighbors with utilities, rent, food, clothing and other forms of support.

Because our service model rests on spending time with our neighbors, we see how seemingly small setbacks can build before it becomes too late to keep someone housed.

We often talk about homelessness as though it appears suddenly. In reality, there is usually a long path leading to that moment: missed rent payments, utility shutoff notices, eviction filings, families moving from couch to couch, and difficult decisions that no parent should have to make.

When we help a family pay a utility bill, prevent an eviction or navigate a housing challenge, we are not simply addressing an immediate need. We are helping prevent a future crisis.

That is why I was encouraged to see the that the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act became law this month. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA, along with an array of organizations, have worked diligently with Congress and the administration to strengthen federal affordable housing and community development programs.

Our message is simple: housing affordability has become a national challenge, and while charities and faith-based organizations play an essential role, they cannot solve it alone. Only one in four income-eligible households currently receives federal housing assistance.

Reasonable people can debate the best policy solutions. What should not be up for debate is the need itself.

Every day, churches, nonprofits, volunteers and donors step forward to help their neighbors. Yet the scale of today’s affordability challenge requires local leadership, community partnerships, private-sector engagement and public investment working together.

Housing stability should not be viewed as a partisan issue. It is a community issue.

When families can afford safe and stable housing, children perform better in school. Health outcomes improve. Employers benefit from a more stable workforce. Neighborhoods become stronger. Entire communities prosper.

The decline in homelessness in Montgomery County shows that progress is possible. The question is whether we are willing to sustain that progress before more families fall behind.

I have been inspired by the compassion and generosity I have encountered throughout the Miami Valley. I have seen volunteers give their time, donors share their resources and neighbors help neighbors in remarkable ways.

Those efforts matter.

And if we want to continue reducing homelessness and strengthening our community, we must focus on the challenges families face before they reach a crisis point.

The best way to end homelessness is not simply to respond after it happens.

It is to prevent it from happening in the first place.