Homeless Population Report

In 2014, the United Census Bureau recorded that 46.7 million people or almost 15 percent of people in the United States lived in poverty, struggling to survive every single day. Furthermore, 21.1 percent of the U.S. population under the age of 18 begins their lives below the national poverty line (Census, “Poverty”). These people, the ones who do not have sufficient resources to prosper, arguably have one of the largest problems in America. Due to government regulations, communities’ inability to adjust to new surroundings and the lack of education, poverty has reached hundreds of thousands of individuals, causing an increasing number of people to experience health problems and even death. Instead of watching the percentage of poverty grow

On a given night in the United States, about 643,067 people slept as a homeless individual. About 17 percent of the homeless population is “chronically homeless” meaning, that they have been homeless for a year or more. In addition, approximately 12 percent are this country’s retired soldiers who have risked their lives for the American population, rewarded by being left homeless without the government to intervene (Green Doors). Furthermore, neither those stuck in poverty nor the rates of poverty “were statistically different from the 2013 estimates. For the fourth consecutive year, the number of people in poverty at the national level was not statistically different from the previous year’s estimates” (Census). Since there is not efficient help to lower the poverty rates and with the population steadily rising, the United States Government is always liable to experience a rise in poverty. If we do not take action to solve this current problem, who is to say that another Hurricane Katrina does not devastate the U.S. population again with “600,000 families homeless?” (Newman) By then, the number of homeless persons will increase so much that the United States may not be able to support them all. So, instead of waiting for another nationwide disaster to occur, the government that represents the people should push to solve

Not only do these regulations and laws make housing costs extremely high in price, but they also lower the count of possible homes, apartments, or complexes and in turn keep the poor homeless. Some of these policies include “rent control, height regulations, historic designations, and protective zoning laws [that] contribute to the creation of a bifurcated, distorted market” (Ndiaye). It takes a very prolonged amount of time just to pass the reviewing session of the project plans, not to mention the length of time it would take to build the structure. By the time it takes the reviews and construction to finish, it could already be too late for those who desperately needed a home. For example, some projects may require “independent review by a building department, health department, fire department, planning commission, and city council.” By using the extensive reviewing time, “concerned residents [can] slow building or reduce its size and scope.” All of this can add to over “seven months” of reviewing and passing regulations before the start of the construction (Alamo and