President Obama Has Changed Someone 's Life Essay

There are more than 500,000 homeless individuals all over the United States who are either living inside shelter homes or along the streets according to a survey conducted by the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Various surveys are being conducted so that the current problems being experienced by these homeless people can be properly addressed and the necessary solutions can be provided. Among the information gathered are as follows:

It is estimated that 3.5 million people will experience homelessness during a given year. The fastest growing population experiencing homelessness is families, mostly made up of single mothers and her children. Families headed by women comprise more than half of the homeless population and 42% of this population is under the age of 5. Across the country about 2.5 million children are homeless, which is equivalent to 1 in every 30 children. The legal definition of homeless “refers to those who spend 7 consecutive nights in a car, abandoned building, public park, emergency shelter, nonresidential building, or other unconventional residence.

In 1998, the U.S Conference of Mayors’ survey of homelessness in 30 cities found that children under the age of 18 accounted for 25% of the urban homeless population. A 1987 Urban Institute study found that 51% of the homeless populations were between the ages of 31 and 50; other studies have found percentages of homeless persons aged 55 to 60 ranging from 2.5% to 19.4%. (National Coalition for the Homeless factsheet)

There are over one million children in America who are not getting an education because they have no money and are also homeless. As many as 3.5 million Americans are homeless each year, one million being children. Most homeless people are families who have been thrust into series of unfortunate events that left them with no money. For those living in poverty or close to the poverty line, an everyday life issue that may be manageable for individuals with a higher income can be the final factor in placing them on the street. America can compare with Mexico because most people who are homeless in Mexico are families.

47,725 or about 8% of the homeless population are veterans and 50% of the homeless people are over 50 years old in the U.S. Homelessness is an unsatisfactory issue that we as humans do not see the importance of the help they need. In our community, we take things for granted and not worry about the importance of helping others. The unfortunate people living in the streets have passed through difficult times and appreciate small or big things. Homeless is a person without a home, and therefore typically living on the streets. Some homeless people have become abusive of drugs, alcohol, and other different type of drugs. Homelessness is a major problem in our society. Homelessness contaminates our city, makes our city look dirty, and it is priority to fix this problem.

Homelessness in the United States is a serious problem that can be helped by giving homeless people opportunities to thrive in better conditions and/or communities. Although getting them off the streets is a huge step in the right direction, other actions need to be taken. Making sure they have somebody in their corner is a huge step in that process. There are 1,750,000 homeless people on the streets at this very moment. 1 in 30 children in the US, 40% of the homeless population are also Veterans. Some people wonder how someone even becomes homeless, there are multiple reasons, such as physical or mental impairments, living in poverty, and tragic life occurrences.

According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH), communities across America identified 49,933 veterans to be homeless in the year of 2014 (NAEH, 2015), This substantial amount is equivalent to 8.6 percent of the total homeless population. While there is no true measure of the number of homeless veterans, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that there are 131,000 veterans who experiences homeless on any given night in the United States. Approximately twice that many experience homelessness over the course of a year (National Coalition for the Homeless, 2009).

Veterans constitute approximately 11-12% of all homeless adults in the U.S. but only 9.7% of the total U.S. population.

Among general population, homelessness has been a social, economic, and public health concern in the U.S. for at least three decades.

There are varying estimates regarding the number of homeless people in America. According to reports from NLCHP the number of homeless people in America is 3 million which include 1.3 million children. ("Homelessness and Poverty, Overview," 1). As I am living in the state of California so I want you to take notice of the homelessness in this state. Estimates reveal that there are 4,400 to 8,800 homeless people in Foresno County (Della-Piana, 2006). The other areas like San Joaquin County has 2,700 people homeless (Farrow, 2009) and in Sacramento County there are similar number of homeless individuals. The situation has become worse due to financial crisis and financial conditions of foreclosures and layoffs. Other reasons are shortage of cheap housing and increase in inner city drug culture due to which homelessness increased in California's Central Valley.

" In January 2015, 564, 708 people were homeless" (Henry, Shivji, De Sousa, & Cohen, 2015). It is reported 69 percent of the 564, 708 were residing in a residential program for homelessness and 31 percent were found in unsheltered locations. Accoring to the U.S. Deprtment of Housing, " nearly one-quarter of all the homeless people were children, under the age of 18. Nine

As stated before SAMHSA (2011) stated that 1,593,150 individuals experienced homelessness within a year. The source also broke down this large figure into gender, age, race/ethnicity, mental illness and substance abuse. 62% of individuals were male and 38% were female. Individuals who are under the age of 18 is 21.8%. On average, half the families have small children, which is the fastest growing population of the homeless (Donohoe, 2007). Citizens who are 18 to 30 years of age are 23.5%, 31 to 50 are 37%, 51 to 61 are 14.9%, and 62 years of age or older are 2.8%. Within the age make up are different variations of races/ethnicity. White and Non-Hispanic make up 41.6%, White and Hispanic are 9.7%, Black/African American are 37%, other single races are 4.5%, and more than one race is 7.2%. In addition to these statistics, it is also stated that 26.2% on individuals who are homeless have severe mental illness, and 34.7% have a chronic substance abuse issue (SAMHSA, 2011).

Homelessness is a social problem that is everywhere. When driving a car or walking down the street, sooner or later, there will be a homeless person. The exact number of homeless in America is difficult to obtain, but it is estimated that 2.3 to 3.5 million people nationwide will experience homelessness every year (Thompson. p. 2). Why are they homeless? While the causes of homelessness vary, there are a few reasons which are always present. Learning some of these reasons can help give a better understanding of the homeless situation. Homelessness is a social problem in America caused by financial difficulties, domestic violence, and substance abuse.

Homelessness in the United States is an area of concern for providers, government officials, policy professionals, and society at large. An estimated 1.6 million unduplicated persons use transitional housing or emergency shelters every year. Of these people, approximately 1/3 are members of households with children, a nine percent increase since 2007. A study done by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty stated that approximately 3.5 million people, 1.35 million of them children, are likely to experience homelessness in a given year (National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, 2007). With 2007 as a benchmark, the data from the report showed a 6.8 percent decline in homelessness among individuals, a 3.7 percent decline of homeless families, a

Homelessness is increasing more every year. In fact, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, over 640,000 people experience homelessness every