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Homelessness In America

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ow many homeless people do you see a day? It’s crazy that America is ranked 13th place for being one the richest countries in the world according to Global Finance Magazine (www.gfmag.com) and yet we have cities ranked worldwide for having the highest homelessness rates, WORLDWIDE. The American Council on Science and Health did a study “From 2010 to 2015, homelessness increased 42% in New York City and 12% in Seattle.”(http://acsh.org) They have a list of cities that had the highest homelessness rate and the top two are New York and Los Angeles, which are both are in the US. There are several other US cities are scattered among the Top 10. And yes, it may be their fault with alcohol and substance abuse, but why not help them? Or maybe it’s …show more content…

They can’t get a job, can’t afford a house, and they can’t afford healthcare. Even though the government gives out a monthly check for people with disability issues, it’s just good enough for them, they need an advisor, someone who can check up on them from time to time, and maybe someone who can help them handle their money. But it’s sad how the government has this mindset of giving people SSI or welfare to keep them happy for a short amount of time, because if they didn’t receive any money for the help they need they would ask for it or start a protest of some sort, just causing any type of scene that the government don’t want. But that does nothing for the person, just makes it worse for them. And sometimes the parents don’t seek help or anything because they enjoy getting a free check every month. This is why there should be an advisor of some sort, someone to check up on the person so they can see if everything is going well. The check is good for some people though, the ones fortunate enough to have a job so it adds on and they can afford a place, the check helps them not struggle for them to pay their bills and all, but there should be more help out there. $55 billion a year is spent treating and supporting mental illness, thats a lot of money, but is it being spent properly? Also, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, “of those who experience homelessness, approximately 202,297 people have a severe mental illness or a chronic substance use disorder. In January 2016, one in five people experiencing homelessness had a serious mental illness, and a similar percentage had a chronic substance use disorder.”(https://www.samhsa.gov/) I don’t even know if they get treated, they don’t have the money to get help and I doubt it’s free. Their physical health is bad too, they can’t eat right

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