The Leading Cause Of Homelessness In The United States

There are approximately 564,708 homeless people in the United States, and that number not only includes individuals, but families and children. In fact, 36% of that number were homeless in families, with almost 25% being children under the age of 18, according to the 2015 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress. Note that these numbers are a one night snapshot, and in the course of a year many more people will experience homelessness. These numbers are quite astounding to me, because we live in a nation full of opportunities for anyone seeking to have a better life for their family. Statistics from the National Alliance to End Homelessness show that both the number of people in poverty and the poverty rate

According to the U.S. Conference of Mayors, only 16% of the single adult homeless population suffer from some form of mental illness and according to the National Coalition to the Homeless, The increasingness of homelessness over that past two decades can not be explained by addiction alone

As proclaimed by The National Coalition for the Homeless, “Serious mental illnesses disrupt people’s ability to carry out essential aspects of daily life, such as self-care and household management.” Those suffering from mental illnesses are prevented from properly carrying out the intrinsic skills of livelihood. A mental illness may prevent one from possessing the ability to get a job, eat, earning wherewithal, and perform the multitudinous imperative skills entailed for survival. The preventions of mental illness undeniably can cause one to become

Mental illness alone can be devastating to anyone who has it, but when it is also paired with being homeless, the results are catastrophic. “According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 20 to 25% of the homeless population in the United States suffers from some form of severe mental illness. In comparison, only 6% of Americans are severely mentally ill” (“Mental Illness and Homelessness”). If the early symptoms of a mental illness are discovered quick enough, the effects can drastically be minimized and controlled through medication, therapy, and knowledge of the illness. Since most Americans are fortunate to already have this outlet of medical services readily available at their disposal, their mental illness

Mentally ill patients are overcrowding the streets because no shelter seems to welcome them. Their mental state simply worsens and they are forced to surrender to their living standards. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, in 2007 reported, “An estimate of 744,313 people were experiencing homelessness in January of 2005. Of that amount, 40 to 50 percent of that population were mentally ill and left untreated”. Ultimately, the mentally ill patients who are forced to live on the streets are unable to receive proper treatment due to lack of fundings. On top of that, homeless patients cannot afford proper diagnoses even if they were given the opportunity. The homeless are constantly moving locations in attempt to finding a warm, safe place to camp for the night. Many homeless turn to drugs or alcohol to keep

Homelessness for the mentally ill in America is disproportionately represented when compared to the remaining population. According to a report from the National Coalition for the Homeless, “only 6% of Americans are severely mentally ill,” while “20 to 25% of the homeless population in the United States suffers from some form of severe mental illness” (National Coalition for the Homeless). The exorbitant rate is exacerbated by the difficulties faced by the mentally ill regarding steady employment and maintenance of healthy relationships. There is a strong interrelation between homelessness and risks of incarceration. This correlation is more robust among the mentally ill. The National Health Care for the Homeless Council issued four major policy

Different reviews demonstrate that the substantial part of the homeless is living with some type of mental instability or other serious medical issues. Because of the ending of mental institutions, the destitute populace, particularly homeless people with genuine mental illness, has expanded consistently since the 1970s. Psychological problems can essentially influence an individual's capacity to acquire and keep up stable lodging and to profit by social services. Deficiencies in a man's memory, recognition, and judgment, can bring about poor critical thinking and social abilities, and in his/her failure to settle on steady choices. The behaviors take place because of cognitive debilitations and inadvertent, yet they are frequently inadequately comprehended by social service workers and others and are infrequently considered to be difficult to help.

A Pathways Project study found that two out of three homeless people in the country suffer from a form of chronic mental illness for which they need treatment (Wells, 2009). Secondly, socioeconomic adversity includes shortages such as low education, job loss, and eviction (Bradford, 2009). Lastly, traumatic experiences such as domestic violence causing psychological trauma are a predisposition to homelessness (Bradford, 2009).

Although surveys have been conducted defending that mental illness does cause homelessness. There are several arguments that personal disabilities such as mental illness, alcoholism, drug abuse and physical or mental handicaps are not the primary causes of homelessness. While these conditions make people more vulnerable to

Homelessness is an epidemic that plagues many people across the United States for many different reasons. However, for young people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, living homeless can become especially difficult. Young people of the LGBT community are being put out of their homes, rejected by their families, and shunned by their communities in which they live because of their sexual orientation, something that they themselves have no choice over. This is because of prejudices that are put out by the community as a whole.

Imagine a man on the streets, who society has forgotten. This man emits the smell of garbage; he has not bathed in months. This man sits quietly mumbling to himself. To the outer world he is just one of the many homeless, but little does society know that this man has a mental illness as well. Homelessness and mental illness are linked. These two happenings have similar beginnings. Homelessness is influenced by drug and alcohol disuse, being homeless at a young age, money problems, and trauma symptoms. Mental illness is caused by many of the same things, but it can also happen at birth. The effects that each entity has on a person are comparable. Rehabilitation is a necessary process if a victim of homelessness and or mental illness wants

Understanding how both individual and structural factors contribute to and sustain homelessness is a critical factor in successfully addressing homelessness. All to often service providers blame homeless individuals for the circumstances they are in, making assumptions that substance abuse or other irresponsible behaviors have caused the problems leading to the individual to become homeless. Hoffman and Coffey (2008) suggest, “the perpetuation of homelessness is not internal to the homeless individual as many claim, but rather may be embedded in the service industry itself, which subjects both clients and providers to bureaucratic forms of authority and experiences of disrespect.” While not all homeless people suffer from mental illness or substance abuse, all of

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

Usually the government wants the best for the people of its nation, and provides for their needs. Shockingly, this is not the case in Yemen, where families with young children are left to defend themselves. Specifically homosexual men are being targeted by their own nation, and terrorist groups. The conflict in Yemen is in the most dire of situations as innocent people are dying, becoming homeless, and getting arrested. This is an urgent problem because many innocent people are being victimized in Yemen, and have nobody on their side.

Homelessness has always been a significant problem in the U.S. Each day, the number of unfortunate people that find themselves on the streets increases. Whether they were born into it, or simply lost their jobs, homelessness will always be an issue in our world. You may be wondering why this pertains to you. You get to come home, enjoy a warm meal, take a hot shower, and climb into bed but homelessness is not an isolated problem, it’s everyone’s problem believe it or not. Being a little more educated about the causes of homelessness, the views of homeless people, and the measures that are being taken to lessen its numbers are the baby steps to propelling us towards a society