A Conversation with Murray Edmondson, Volunteer at New Futures

In this episode of Housing for Huntsvillians, we have a conversation with Murray Edmondson, a friend of the podcast and volunteer with New Futures, the only family homeless shelter in the Huntsville area.

The shelter allows whole families to stay together and provides support for transitioning into permanent housing. Murray got connected to New Futures through his church, which serves meals and gives financial support. He has been passionate about homelessness since childhood and believes it should be a higher priority in society.

Our conversation also touches on systemic approaches to solving homelessness but acknowledges that most efforts focus on direct services rather than addressing root causes. We’re all frustrated that so many see homelessness as a fact of life when it’s a policy choice. There’s no reason it has to exist. Homelessness is a human rights issue and an extremely inefficient use of resources.

Researchers have found that while factors like mental illness and job loss make individuals more vulnerable to homelessness, the main driver of homelessness is the high cost of housing. We use the analogy of musical chairs to explain that the focus should be on increasing the number of available chairs (affordable housing) rather than solely on individual circumstances. However, addressing this issue is challenging because those with the power to implement the policies that can end homelessness are often not concerned about homelessness. And those who care about the issue tend to not have enough resources or time to advocate for affordable housing.

We also discuss the fact that we need to change Huntsville’s zoning and legalize modular homes and apartments. We must prioritize access to affordable housing over aesthetic preferences and addresses potential strategies for raising awareness and persuading individuals who hold opposing views.

We believe that when more people understand the trade-offs involved, they will advocate for dense, affordable housing near jobs and transit. The costs of not building enough housing are incalculable and have many, serious negative impacts on society.

Huntsville should have housing goals and metrics like California. Our city government should focus on aligning imported population numbers with new housing units. Removing red tape, streamlining permits, and changing zoning can fix our housing shortage.

Ideally, we’d like to start writing draft legislation and advocating for it at both city and state levels.

We also float the idea of setting the zoning code on fire. And on “burning up” zoning laws periodically to eliminate excessive regulations.