In light of some tension: According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the commonwealth of Massachusetts had 6,811 people that had been counted as experiencing homelessness according to their 2018 annual homelessness assessment report to Congress. In the same report for 2023, that number catapulted to a staggering 19,141 people.

Here in Franklin County, we are fortunate to have many systems and organizations that are equipped to help tackle this ever-increasing and challenging need, and while I think it’s important to recognize the incredibly unique challenges these organizations face, it cannot be overstated how important it is to acknowledge the successes and proactive measures taken in an effort to curb the homelessness crisis and try to restore confidence in these systems.

This crisis and the rate at which it is growing is unpredictable, to put it lightly.

I feel that setbacks and struggles are inevitable as no one could have prepared for what we have been dealing with for the last five years. As a professional and a citizen, I have seen the great measures and strides taken to try to overcome this insurmountable issue. I have also seen the awesome power of groups, coalitions and committees that come together across multiple organizations to share ideas, resources and to tackle the needs of the community on a unified front.

Many such organizations share similar mission statements, clients, and even grant funding, but I have seen redundancy firsthand as the key to success in these times of greater need.

More than 50 years ago, a professor of political sciences at UC Berkeley became known for his application of redundancy, taken from informational systems to public organizations. Professor Martin Landau explained that duplication instead of streamlining showed increased reliability when facing excess of optimal tolerances.

Our state is currently experiencing homelessness in excess of optimal tolerances, and I refuse to believe streamlining is the appropriate response to the crisis. I won’t claim to have the answer, but that’s my point.

Groups, committees, coalitions and even directors boards exist to solve issues through variance. It’s been shown time and time again that having multiple organizations, with varied connections, employees, resources, and even mission statements — no matter how redundant — is a help and not a hindrance.

Jared Britt lives in Bernardston.