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Homeless in America Essay

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The problem of homelessness in America is growing dramatically. It's a problem that can strike anyone when you least expect it. Therefore you should address this as a major crisis that affects our society. I feel as Americans we should come together to create solutions to end a growing epidemic of homeless people.

Statistics show people living in poverty are most at risk of becoming homeless. Economically they are at a higher risk of losing what little they already have.

The number of homeless families with children has increased significannot ly over the past decade. They are among the fastest growing segments of the homeless population. They are approximently 40% of people who are homeless. In rural areas the largest group of …show more content…

The elimination and cut backs of public mental hospitals resulted in the building of Community Mental Health Centers. The serious mentally ill who were supposed to benefit by these developments were replaced by people who were well off and thought they were sick. Making the problem worse the serious mentally ill were unable to re-enter hospitals because of tighter admissions standards ( Contemporary World Issues 1990). Without hospitalization or the ability to support themselves they were forced to the streets.

Declining wages have put housing out of reach for many workers. In every state, more than minimum wage is needed to afford a one- or two-bedroom apartment. A minimum-wage worker would have to work 87 hours a week to afford a two-bedroom apartment (U.S Conference of Mayors 1998). Thus insufficient income leaves many people homeless.

For families and individuals struggling to pay rent, a serious illness or disability can push them over the edge into homelessness. This might begin with a lost job, reduction of savings to pay for care, and eventual eviction.

I feel in writing this essay we should all help the homeless to get back on their feet. They are in desperate need of a helping hand, to get through this. Other reasons for helping the homeless are, they are human beings as well as you and I, it reduces our taxes if there were no homeless, and some crime will be eliminated on the streets.

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