Steve McAllister is the author of How to Survive an Estralarian Mind Meld, host of Renaissance SRQ on WSLR and producer of the Home Free Project.

In the art of improvisational comedy, there is a running concept referred to as “Yes, and...” This means that, in a performance based on all possibilities, when creativity is free to fully flourish, and artists are dependent upon their teammates to develop a tangible storyline together, there is no use for the word “no.” When you're putting your trust in the creative impetus of your teammates, the only reasonable response is to say “yes” to their suggestion, and add to it. There is nothing creative about “no,” and it adds nothing to the seamless art of improvisation.

If there can be a bright side to one of the most heartbreaking and complex problems of human civilization, it is that there are many solutions. The caveat is that we must recognize the creativity our compatriots are capable of, support their ideas, and continue to provide our own. For instance, if we are truly insistent upon ending the plague of homelessness, we must move from the limiting ideas of “either/or” and open up to the abundant flow of “yes,and...”

As Major Ethan Frizell mentioned as he introduced Greg Shinn's presentation of the Housing First model that has drastically reduced chronic homelessness in Tulsa, Oklahoma over the past ten years, we must treat the individual, and not the population. Recognizing that each person faced with homelessness comes with unique circumstances, desires, skills, and issues, just like the rest of us, we can realize that each individual will need a different solution. And whether they find success through a tiny house, a studio apartment, shared housing, communal living, or whatever other opportunity we might explore, it will serve the entirety of our community much better if we strive to nurture the creativity that flows through our community by saying “Yes!” to solutions that work, and rejoice in the continued process of establishing a higher quality of life for us all.

Steve McAllister is the author of How to Survive an Estralarian Mind Meld, host of Renaissance SRQ on WSLR and producer of the Home Free Project.