Why talk about meritocracy and homelessness? I’d like to share a few reflections on a topic that’s close to my heart: how our way of thinking about success and failure shapes the way we see – and the way people experiencing homelessness see themselves.
During my internship at Street Nurses, I was struck by a troubling observation: many people living on the street carry a deep sense of guilt, as if their situation were entirely their fault. That led me to this question:
By valuing individual merit, does our society end up placing the blame for hardship on those who are struggling – even when that hardship is collective?
What meritocracy hides
To understand homelessness more clearly, we need to zoom out – to the broader economic and social system we live in: neoliberalism. This system is largely based on the idea of meritocracy: the belief that everyone reaps what they sow – if you work hard, you succeed.
On paper, it sounds fair. But in reality, this vision hides deep inequalities. It assumes that everyone starts with the same opportunities – which isn’t true. The result? When someone ends up on the street, it’s often assumed they made “bad choices” or didn’t “try hard enough.”
A guilt that eats away inside
This logic has very concrete effects. It leads people experiencing homelessness to internalise the blame. Instead of seeing their situation as the result of an unjust system – a lack of affordable housing, inadequate social services, structural discrimination – they come to believe they are personally responsible for what has happened to them.
A society that divides and marginalises
By glorifying only those who “succeed,” this ideology marginalises everyone else. It reinforces the idea that some people “deserve” their place in society… and others don’t. One could even ask whether the visible presence of people experiencing homelessness in public spaces serves, unconsciously, as a warning: this is what happens when you “fail” or don’t fit the mould – no property, no career, no productivity.
Policies shaped by this view
This blaming perspective even shapes public policy. Today, housing is no longer treated as a fundamental right, but as something to be earned. Real estate speculation, cuts to social services, and healthcare privatisation all make it harder for people in extreme poverty to access housing and care. The consequences are serious: their life expectancy can be shortened by 30 to 40 years.
Rethinking our perspective and collective choices
In the end, meritocracy doesn’t just justify inequality – it perpetuates it and makes it invisible. It transforms a collective issue – that of social justice – into a personal burden. It makes us believe we must earn our place, our housing, our healthcare, our dignity.
That’s why we urgently need to shift our mindset. Housing, care, and respect are not rewards – they are fundamental rights. And I want to thank the Street Nurses team for the essential work they do: listening, supporting, and restoring dignity to those too often left behind by society.
Noa Anckaert, intern at Street Nurses