Causes Of Homelessness Essay

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A simple cardboard sign that read, “homeless, please help.” Behind this sign is a man standing on a traffic corner with hopefulness in his eyes. His clothes are dirty and he has not been able to shave for a long time. He looks with longing at the drivers passing by, hoping that someone will identify with the hardship that has befallen him and show compassion. One, maybe two people in the line of cars offers some money. Accepting the money, he humbly says thank you.
Undoubtedly, the above scene has been witnessed by everyone at some point in his or her life, but sadly, most just pass by. Having a home is something that most people take for granted, yet each year hundreds of thousands of people have no place to call home. A warm bed, heating and air-conditioning, plenty of food, or even just a blanket, are a few of the items that individuals who are homeless would love to have. Homelessness knows no demographics; it affects single people, families, children, military veterans, young and old, and all …show more content…

Other leading causes to homelessness are financial crisis such as losing a job, medical debt, and out of control credit card debt just to name a few. The collapse of the housing market in 2008 started an economic crisis that lasted until June of 2009 –also known as the Great Recession– was the single most contributing factor to millions of people losing jobs. According to The State of Working America.org, the “U.S. labor market lost 8.4 million jobs, or 6.1% of all payroll employment.” The effects of the Great Recession can still be felt in the economy as can be seen by the number of people still struggling to find work. Unemployment rates across the nation have seen an overall decline in the last few years, but millions of people still struggle to find steady work. The lack of work only leads to more poverty, causing the gap between the wealthy and poor to only widen even

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