Cause And Effect Of Homelessness Research Paper

Homelessness is a crucial factor as to why Americans don’t achieve the ideal “American Dream”. Homelessness is a social issue that affects a widespread group of people, ranging from single individuals to families each year. Many of those who are currently homeless, don’t choose to be homeless, but are forced into living on the streets for reasons such as a financial crisis, divorce, unemployment, mental illness, drug or alcohol abuse, or even a natural disaster that triggers the rising problem of how these individuals will survive. Annually, 3.5 Americans experience an episode of homelessness. That is 75,000 people experiencing homeless each night that others of more comfortable means will never have to experience. (Thompson). Homelessness

For instance, drug addiction is often a contributing factor to why people end up on the streets because it ruins the individual's source of income because rather than spending money on basic necessities to survive, they dwindle their money away on buying drugs therefore, losing their homes and jobs. Presently, the most common factor in homelessness is poverty because there is a lack of jobs in the type of work that an individual may be able to do plus minimum wages at low-paying jobs that these individuals may hold. Homelessness doesn’t just affect individuals, but families as well. According to Peter Katel, Leida Ortiz, was a single mother living in Worcester, Massachusetts with her two children and sister. Ortiz’s father was a factory worker and was diagnosed with stomach cancer, so Leida Ortiz and her children went to live with Leida’s mother to help care for her father. She tried to move back to her sister’s house, but that didn’t work out and decided to live with a roommate. However, that took a drastic turn when her roommate kicked Leida Ortiz and her two children out since she couldn’t pay the $400 in rent each month and deserted to living on the streets out of bags not knowing where they would end up (Katel). Thus, even normal families are victims of homelessness and become victims not by choice but by a chain of events that led to being homeless. According to Peter Katel, “Whatever the case, housing advocates are united in the belief that government action can eliminate homelessness once and for all. Conservatives tend to be more skeptical, though ideology isn't a reliable guide to views on homelessness. One would agree that the American government needs to take immediate action to eliminate homelessness in the United States for the homeless as a