Recent studies have shown that approximately 3.5 million Americans are homeless each year. Research tells us that of these Americans, 1 million are children (“Top Causes”). These numbers have increased in recent years, especially for the number of homeless children. Personally, I have noticed that especially downtown, many people are on the streets hungry and it breaks my heart. When I lived in California, I seemed to notice that there were many more people without shelter than in Missouri. When I walked downtown, especially at night, I was almost fearful of the homeless. A lot of the time, it is assumed that the homeless are all alcoholics or drug addicts, but in most cases that is not true. Everyone who is currently homeless has a different story of how they got there, and when I happen to spot an American in the streets, I can not help but happen to wonder what happened to them. Some of the leading factors to chronic homelessness are economic uncertainties, domestic violence, or life-altering events such as a natural disaster.
One of the major contributors to homelessness is economic uncertainties. According to the National Law Center on Poverty and Homelessness, “Insufficient income and lack of affordable housing are the leading causes of homelessness” (“Homelessness in America”). There are many American families who pay their rent and utilities for a small apartment, yet still, lack the funding for necessities such as food and water. The low housing supply has not been
“One diverse population that has continued to increase over the quarter of a century is composed of people who are homeless” (Baggerly & Zalaquett, 2006, p.155). Homelessness has become a growing problem in society because more and more people are finding themselves to be homeless and not knowing where to turn. Many people do not
Homelessness is an issue in American society today that affects anywhere from 800,000 to 3.5 million people. There are a substantial amount of people that are without shelter, food, or employment, and there are numerous other people affected by poverty and homelessness. People living in nearly every city in the United States are affected by homelessness due to the large amounts of homeless individuals living on the streets and begging for money, food, and other necessities. The issue of homelessness has been a constant problem since the conquering of the New World, and soup kitchens and homeless shelters have not been able to fully end homelessness. Especially today, with a lack of affordable housing and high unemployment rates, homelessness is prevalent.
In the United States the homeless population continues to grow rapidly. Homelessness has been a public health issue for many decades. Often times these individuals feel as though society has turned a blind eye to them. This at risk population is seen by society as lazy or chose to live a life on the streets, but if one would examine this population closely would see that there is more to this at risk population than what society has labeled them as. The forces, which affect homelessness, are multifaceted. Social forces such as family breakdown, addictions, and mental illnesses are in combined with structural forces such as lack of low-cost housing, insufficient health services, and poor economic conditions. Many would
Homelessness in America has existed for some time now, but has grown and changed majorly over the years since the 1980’s. According to Mary Hombs, “the prevailing stereotype of a homeless person was that of a middle-aged white urban male alcoholic” (6). But now there is no stereotype because homelessness could happen to anyone at any moment, so that is why it important to be aware. Millions of people in this country do not have a place to live including whole families, children, veterans, and even the mentally ill. Going day after day without food or shelter. Throughout this paper the main focus will be answering the questions: What is homelessness?; What are the main causes of homelessness?: Who is the homeless?; and How do the people of this country assist the homeless?
Seeing homelessness develop is a process that the older generation can say they have been apart of. The young generation, on the other hand, cannot say they have seen the development of homelessness. People who are thirty years old or younger have grown up believing that homelessness was always part of the landscape. The younger generation has come to believe that there have always been homeless people sitting on park benches. When an individual is asked what they see most in a large city like Chicago or New York, ‘homeless people’ is a common response. According to the United States Census Bureau, 320.8 million individuals currently live in the United States of America. Imagine the proportion of individuals that do not own a car or even a house to live in. The National Law Center on Homelessness and poverty did studied to conclude that in America more than 3.5 million people experience homelessness each year. Those concerned with the issue of homelessness are curious as to what events had to have happened that lead to the individuals living on the streets. The reasons are different for each and every person. Some of the more major issues that contribute to this are lack of affordable housing, declining welfare assistance, and most importantly, mental illness. Resolving the issue of homelessness is very possible with new ways of housing and treatment for the mentally ill. The relation between the homeless and the mental illness has risen, and the United States as a whole
Homelessness is an arising problem within the United States. Poverty and homelessness are inheritably linked. As children we were raised to believe that through hard work and determination that we could accomplish anything. We all had dreams of having nice cars, a nice home and lots of money, however this is impossible when a person is living pay check to pay check and close to being homeless. Knowing that we live in the “land of opportunity” brings many dreams to anyone’s mind, however, many families are experiencing financial issues that are causing them to become homeless because they cannot afford to live and pay their bills, food, child care, health care and education (National Coalition of the homeless, 2007). Homelessness in America is persistent, complex and widely-occurring problem that incorporates many economic, social and psychological dimensions (National Coalition of the homeless, 2007). With the shortage of affordable rental property is causing the increasing number of poverty families. Homelessness doesn’t only affect an adult but it does affect many children. In America, 3.5 million Americans are homeless each year. However, of these Americans that are homeless children make up more than 1 million people who are homeless (Home Aid America , n.d.). With children and many families that are homeless, veterans, and domestic
A place of safety and security is something that many of us take for granted, until we are confronted in our own neighborhood by someone holding up a sign pleading for help. Homelessness is a problem that has been afflicting hundreds of thousands of people around the world for ages. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, on a single night in 2016, 549,928 people were experiencing homelessness in the United States. That means that there were at least 500,000 individuals suffering without a place to lay their heads at night. In this report I will be discussing the causes of homelessness, who is affected, how it affects people, and homeless mistreatment.
Homelessness in United States is a dangerous problem that requires everyone’s contemplation and co-operation. Thousands of people are forced to live in the streets, parks, and in shelters since they lack a place of their own to live. For a long period, in United States homelessness has been a serious and an unsolved problem. National Law Center of Homelessness and Poverty reports that homeless population in United States is estimated around 3.5 million, but on the other hand there are nearly 18.6 million vacant houses. Hypothetically, it means that each and every homeless person can be provided with 6 homes. Homelessness is defined as a person who is deprived of basic needs like proper shelter, food, and family and social bonds. They lack necessary basic provisions and they are subjected to continuous threat of danger. Most homeless people spend high number of times in jails and prisons when compared to other people. In United States, homelessness is being widely discussed in mass media, by scholars, policy makers and the public in general. Homelessness affects men, women and children, emotionally, physically, mentally and socially and they undergo many physical and emotional turmoil.
Homelessness is like a diseases, increasingly taking down the most vulnerable of our population, but many Americans are insensitive to it. “The population of the desolate increased by two percent from 239,759 to 243,701 in the years 2009-2011 according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness” (Fagan 330). At this rate many could possibly face the same problem and have to deal with the harsh conditions homeless do on a daily basis. Although homelessness is frown upon for the common belief that it is a waste of tax payer’s resources, homeless assistance programs need to be funded in order to provide stability and prevent more diseases along with the risk of destructive behavior, for those who face these daily struggles.
The topic of homelessness is not widely talked about in our communities due to, lack of knowledge, considered to be a lost cause, ignorance or unwilling to get involved and help. Yet, everyday we are faced with some form of homelessness. When you exit the freeway, drive through your neighborhoods or outside a place of business. In the state of California, the effects on homelessness continues to be a ongoing challenge for us. So, what are some of the causes for one to be homeless?
As many as 3.5 million Americans are considered homeless each year. Often, people believe that homelessness is a complication only caused by the poor choices of a single person when they are typically the result of multiple uncontrollable factors. For some, the line between being homeless and not can be very thin, with several obstacles preventing stability. These individuals and families commonly come from more deprived areas. Those who are homeless can be very different to each other in how and why they came to be in their situation, but they all have in common their desire to find a way back to a normal and healthy lifestyle. Homelessness is an issue created by poor physical and mental health, a lack of money, and relationship complications.
Homelessness is a growing problem in today’s society. Because of the economic crises, many people are losing his or her jobs because company’s had to cut back on expenses, as well as companies that have closed down completely. Furthermore because of the economic crises many mental institutions are forced to close the doors because of lack of funds. People who once had a safe healthy place to call home are being forced into homelessness and are lacking the health care needed to ensure a happy healthy life. Something has to be done to assist homeless people in finding housing and healthcare they so desperately need. Although it is not possible to solve the homeless
Homelessness has become a serious problem in today’s society. Despite the organizations that help multitudes of homeless people, homelessness is continually increasing. In recent years, America’s culture has been changing due to economic, political, and social issues. These issues have caused a lot of stress on America resulting in abject poverty in several cities. Poverty is not nationwide, but if dealt with lightly, the affects can be catastrophic. Homelessness is increasing more than ever, and research proves that changing culture contributes to rising amount of homelessness.
All types of our country’s societal members are included in the homeless population. Men and women, young and old, veterans and the disabled, the addicted and the clean, and people of all races are homeless. Men make up the majority of the homeless population. Studies show that about eighty percent of the homeless population is male. Because of this, many view homelessness as a gender issue. We mustn’t overlook the women who are also roaming the streets at night. Many homeless women are victims of domestic abuse. About fifty percent of all women who call themselves homeless report that domestic violence was the immediate cause of their homelessness. Young adults make up about twenty-five percent of the homeless population, while people over fifty now make up about thirty percent. Children also make up about twenty-five percent of the homeless population. Most children are put into this situation when their parents lose their home. Veterans also live out on the streets. The VA reports that about nine percent of the total homeless population are veterans. Persons with disabilities whom can’t take care of themselves are also living outside. Studies show forty percent of the homeless population have a disability of some sort. Those with addictions are homeless as well as those without. Studies estimate about forty percent of the homeless were dependent on alcohol and twenty-five percent on
Homelessness has always been a problem in major cities across the United States and even the world. This problem also affects out local community and even all of us individually. (Daily) A majority of the American people lives paycheck to paycheck, and according to statistics, we are only one or two paychecks away from becoming homeless. While there are many reasons a person or family can become homeless, a majority of those problems come from a lack of income. The job market of today is quickly dwindling and shows no signs of improvement. This market mixed with new government policies is becoming an issue for struggling American’s on the poverty line. Homelessness is becoming a vast problem