One of the areas of concern for social service providers, government agencies and society in general is homelessness in the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, in January 2013 they found that 633,782 people all across the U.S were homeless. During the overall count, 62,619 veterans were found to be homeless throughout the nation.
In 2008, the three most cited causes of homelessness for persons and families were a lack of affordable housing (72%), poverty (52%), and unemployment (44%) according to the United States Conference of Mayors. Some of the suggestions to alleviate this concern was more available housing for persons with disabilities, the creation of more employment opportunities and to build assisted housing units.
The quality and availability of figures on homelessness has improved considerably, due, in part, to initiatives by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to include several non-governmental organizations that are working with homeless populations.
Since 2007, an Annual Homeless Assessment Report issued by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development revealed the numbers of individuals and families that were homeless (sheltered and unsheltered). This standardized the data collection process and in return it created more opportunities for government officials and service providers to find solutions for the problem of homelessness in the United States.
The three most commonly cited causes for persons in family according to 2008 U.S. Conference of Mayors study are: Unemployment, Poverty and Lack of affordable housing. For singles are substance abuse, la...
... middle of paper ...
...s that include items such as cups, pots, pans, soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and cosmetics. During cold weather, organize drives for blankets, coats, hats, scarves, mittens, socks, and the like.
Phone calls can help people experiencing homelessness to contact loved ones by offering the opportunity to make free long distance calls on holidays. Donate to or organize a cell phone drive for the homeless. Encourage your company, school, or place of worship to hire people experiencing homelessness (if they are not already working). Most unemployed homeless adults desperately want to work, but need an employer to give them a chance. Other areas that you might want to do to contribute can be raising funds for a program. For example, you may sponsor a benefit concert featuring local musicians, organize a walk-a-thon or even a yard sale and donate the proceeds.
According to the U.S. Conference of Mayors (2008) there are several key factors that cause homelessness and they differ between families and single adults. For families, the causes are lack of affordable housing, poverty, unemployment, low-paying jobs, domestic violence, mental illness and substance abuse. For single adults the causes are substance abuse, lack of affordable housing, mental illness, poverty, unemployment, and low-paying jobs. The top things needed to combat homelessness is more housing for people with disabilities, better paying employment opportunities, and more substance abuse services.
The root cause of homelessness is largely be explained by economics: people who become homeless have insufficient financial resources to obtain or maintain housing. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2010 American Community Survey (ACS) shows that 75% of households at or below the poverty line are severely housing cost burdened. Unexpected financial crises would jeopardize housing stability and lead to an increased risk of homelessness.
The biggest reason people are homeless is simply because of poverty. They just can't afford to have a place to live and food in their mouths. As of 2000, 11.3% of the US population lived in poverty.(1) The number of people in extreme poverty has been increasing since 1999, accounting for 39% of people in poverty, and making less than half the amount of income a person considered in poverty makes.(3) With this amount of people living in poverty, it's no wonder why there are so many homeless today. The reason people are in poverty is because of inflation since the 70's, and the loss of affordable housing projects.(4) This accounts for almost all homeless, but there are also other factors that can contribute as well. There are many people with addiction problems that make them homeless. It's not because they are addicted to drugs, because many people live quite well with an addiction problem, but they could be in a hard point financially, and could be driven to the streets because of money issues. The hard part for them is getting off the streets once they're on them. Since so much of their money goes to drugs, most drug addicts can't overcome being homeless once they have been for more than 6 months.(1) Mental illness is also a big issue causing homelessness. Approximately 22% of single white male homeless people are suffering from a severe mental illness.(1) The main reason is because Millions of mental patients were dis-institutionalized in the 50's and 60's, and affordable housing wasn't an issue until the 80's, when many of them were reaching 50 and couldn't work and afford housing. L...
With nearly 3.18 million people in the United States, there are 610.042 individuals who are homeless which calculates to about nearly one in five individuals (U.S. Census Bureau, 2014 and HUD/US, 2013). At any time situations can change that can render an individual’s homeless. There are no qualities that exempt individuals from the chances of becoming homeless. However, there are certain predispositions and characteristics that can predict the likelihood of becoming homeless. Homelessness can be contributed to a number of situations such as occupational stress, financial stress, mental health issues, substance use, gender, age, race, disabilities, incarceration, chronic illness, and family stress.
When the census is taken, the distributors often go to homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and disaster emergency shelters and evaluate the number of people there for a maximum of 3 days. This is undercover by the use of a convenience sample, it does not allow for a better representation of the homeless. Since homeless shelters only let people stay for an allotted amount of time, this would not give the Census Bureau accurate information on the actual number of homeless in America that are not represented under the poverty line. We can fix this problem by petitioning the government to renovate run-down and abandoned buildings such as hotels, motels, apartment buildings, and businesses to make valid homes for the transient and homeless population.
Homelessness is a problem that happens in many different countries around the world. Definitions of homelessness are defined in different meanings by different people. However, the Stewart B. McKinney Act defines a homeless person as “ one who lacks a fixed permanent nighttime residence or whose nighttime residence is a temporary shelter, welfare hotel, or any public or private place not designed as sleeping accommodations for human beings” (McNamara 1025). It is impossible to find out exactly the number of homeless; however, the researchers can do a study to estimate that number. Based on different statistics from different researchers, the homeless population in America has been increasing as “an alarming rate” (Markos and Lima). Therefore, even though America is one of the most powerful countries in the world, homelessness, which has many common causes, has always been a big problem in society.
Homelessness in the United States has been an important subject that the government needs to turn its attention to. There has been announced in the news that the number of the homeless people in many major cities in the United States has been increasing enormously. According to United States Interagency Council on Homelessness reported that there was an estimation of 83,170 individuals have experienced chronic homelessness on the streets of the United States’ streets and shelters on only a single night of January 2015, which is a small decrease of only 1% from the previous year (People Experiencing Chronic Homelessness, n.d.). The United States must consider this subject that most of the people underestimate it and not pay attention
As a result, homelessness can be decrease by educating the public about the problem, help the homeless by teaching them financial management skill and build more houses that is affordable, as homeless are human just like us. We should help them to make sure that they can overcome these obstacles and be able to make changes in their life by walking away from
More than 150,000 veterans are homeless on any given night in the U.S. Nearly twice as many experience homelessness at some point during the year." (Leaving no soldier behind) In other words this proves that there is a huge amount of homeless
In fiscal year 2006, the HUD, Department of Housing and Urban Development, was presented a budget by the Bush Administration consisting of $528.5 billion for homeless programs (Romeo 1). The problem of homelessness and extreme poverty is not a new occurrence; but in past years more extreme measures have been taken to combat the issue as more people become homeless. Expensive social programs and housing developments for the homeless have been created to help battle the increasing issue. Homelessness is an expensive problem that will never end; furthermore, the condition of homeless people in America is affected by the type of education they receive, the state of the economy, and the amount of funds that are available to house and feed them.
Homelessness is a vast predicament in America and around the world. It is severely overlooked as people don’t really think of homelessness as real world problem. However, there have been ways that people have tried to fix the problem. They have come up with homeless shelters, emergency shelters, food banks and soup kitchens. These solutions have limitations though, which will hopefully come to an end.
The economic component of the homelessness situation can be broken down into two interrelated parts: housing affordability and a low income rate. The economic recession that followed the financial crisis of 2007 left many individuals unemployed during a time that saw a spike in the price of housing. So not only did the cost of living increase, the rate of income also decreased accordingly. Unsurprisingly, during these same years homelessness rose from 24.2 percent in 2007 to 29.4 percent in 2009 (citation).
As per the State Housing Authority, the issue and trend of homelessness has changed particularly throughout the most recent three decades. Public homelessness first turned into an issue in the 1970's and now it is normal to see individuals congregating before sanctuaries and thinking about park seats. Soup kitchens are generally stuffed to limit. Safe houses have multiplied their ability since 1993 and they dismiss individuals consistently because of absence of cots (Kenyon 1991). During 1987, Congress passed the Stewart B. Mckinney Homeless Ass...
A research conducted by the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH), found an estimate of six million people worldwide to be homeless. The study found that at least three quarter million people are homeless every night with four to five people experiencing the plaque in the course of the year. More than two million of these populations are children.
This great nation of awesome power and abundant resources is losing the battle against homelessness. The casualties can be seen on the street corners of every city in American holding an ?I will work for food? sign. Homeless shelters and rescue missions are at full capacity. There is no room at the inn for the nation?s indigent. Anyone who has studied this issue understands that homelessness is a complex problem. Communities continue to struggle with this socio-economic problem while attempting to understand its causes and implement solutions. The public and private sectors of this country are making a difference in the lives of the homeless by addressing the issues of housing, poverty and education.