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Cause Of Homelessness In America

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There are anywhere from 500,000 to 2.8 million homeless youth in the United States alone. (“Homelessness and Runaway”). There are different reasons as to why they’re without a home range drastically from a desire for freedom to a severe family conflict that has forced them out of their homes. There have been countless stories about ragged boys and girls in the United States struggling to survive during the changing seasons, using tunnels and bridges as their homes, cardboard as their beds, and forming new families on the streets to remain sane. Homeless youth can be defined as 12 to twenty-year olds who are without family support and who are living in unstable circumstances without a secure home. (“Homelessness”) The origin of homelessness is traced back all the way to colonial America. In the early times of America, the homeless were referred to as “vagrants” or “sturdy beggars”. Just like today, many were forced to become homeless due to negative factors in their homes or general lives. Specifically, wars had a huge influence on the amount of homeless in early America. Also, The economic uncertainties of life in early America left many people in the lower class without a place to live. (“Homelessness”). Today there are similar reasons as to why people are homeless, but new reasons have also arose. Homelessness is a complicated issue in today’s society that has many contributing factors that not everyone is aware of. Currently, the youth of today’s world are more at

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