John Oliver blames Ronald Reagan for creating false perception about homelessness

Homlessness was the main topic of discussion on Sunday’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, where the host concluded that one of the biggest problems surrounding the issue is the public’s perception of the homeless. Oliver pointed a finger at former President Ronald Reagan, saying that on top of cutting programs for the poor and slashing housing subsidies by 75%, he did a lot of damage with the perception that he helped create.

Oliver featured a clip from an interview Reagan did with Good Morning America in 1984, in which Reagan inferred that those who are homeless, were homeless by choice.

“And that notion -- that homelessness isn't related to economic policies, but simply reflects the problems of the individuals experiencing it -- still informs the way it's discussed today,” Oliver said.

And with homlessness having increased in the United States over the past four consecutive years, Oliver looked at a more recent example of someone who is hurting the perception: Dr. Drew Pinsky. Oliver played a clip of Pinsky saying that blaming homelessness on the housing crisis in Los Angeles is “a hoax,” and that homelessness is strictly a mental health and addiction issue. Which Oliver said is a dangerous generalization.

“Yes, many who are homeless do struggle with both those things, and those people are often the most visible, but by no means all of them,” Oliver said. “Also, in many cases, those struggles can be the result of being homeless and not the cause of it.”

Video transcript

[TONES]

JOHN OLIVER: Like so many things, the modern version of this issue was turbocharged by Ronald Reagan, who came to power at a time when homelessness was increasing and made the problem far worse by cutting programs for the poor and slashing housing subsidies by 75%.

KYLIE MAR: Homelessness was the topic on "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" Sunday, where the host pointed a finger at former President Ronald Reagan. He says, Reagan, who on top of cutting programs for the poor, did the most damage with the perception that he helped create.

RONALD REAGAN: The people who were sleeping on the grates-- the homeless, who are homeless, you might say, by choice.

JOHN OLIVER: That notion that homelessness isn't related to economic policies, but simply reflects the problems of the individuals experiencing it still informs the way it's discussed today.

KYLIE MAR: And with homelessness having increased in the United States for four consecutive years, Oliver looked at a more recent example of someone who is hurting the perception, Dr. Drew Pinsky, who has adamantly declared that this is strictly a mental health and addiction issue.

JOHN OLIVER: Let's address the notion that all of this is down to mental health and addiction because, yes, many who are homeless do struggle with both those things. And those people are often the most visible, but by no means all of them. Also, in many cases, those struggles can be the result of being homeless and not the cause of it.

KYLIE MAR: And while Oliver admits that fixing the problem will take a massive commitment in infrastructure, funding, and resources, he said there are a lot of people, liberals included, who believe that homelessness is a personal failing. And the first step in fixing it is changing that perception.

JOHN OLIVER: Basically, we need to stop being [BLEEP] and assuming that the unhoused are a collection of drug addicts criminals who've chosen this life for themselves, instead of people suffering the inevitable consequences of gutted social programs and a nationwide divestment from affordable housing.