I was never homeless, but as a single dad during the recession a few years back, I was terrified of losing my job. Couldn’t sleep, constantly worrying about how I’d pay the mortgage and the fear of becoming homeless. My son was still in elementary school, and I was stressed about after-school childcare costs and what kind of hours I’d get if I had to find a new job.

Exactly how the capitalists want it, right? And not because they’re bad people who just enjoy the suffering of others, but because they need our labor to make their profits. That’s why under capitalism universal necessities like housing must remain a privilege to be earned, rather than a right guaranteed to all. That is the reason I’m a socialist, too.