The social issue of homelessness in NC

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The Social Issue of Homelessness in North Carolina

People drive or walk past a homeless person almost every day without thinking twice about the plight of that person or they may even unconsciously turn their heads the other way in disgust. Homelessness simply put, means without a home - therefore homelessness is an equal opportunity state that can happen to anyone. Even though we have seen some economic prosperity over the years, statistics show that the number of homeless remains very high. With this in mind, communities need to come together at the state, city, and individual level to come up with solutions to mitigate the spreading of this problem.

The definition of homelessness varies depending on which organization you ask. The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act under section 11302 defines homeless as an individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate residence or someone who resides in a shelter, welfare hotel or a place not ordinarily used for sleeping accommodations. HUD expands that definition to include individuals who are at risk of being evicted within a week (Homeless Law & Legal Definition, 2001-2012) but what remains constant is that the root cause of homelessness is the increase in poverty and the shortage of affordable rental housing (National Coalition of Homeless, 2009). In 2004, the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty found that 25% of homeless were ages 25 to 34 and the percentages of homeless persons aged 55 to 64 at 6%. Most studies show that single homeless adults are more likely to be male than female - 67.5% of the single homeless population is male, and it is this single population that makes up 76% of the homeless populations surveyed (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 2007). ...

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...we would certainly be heading in the right direction towards mitigating the spread of homelessness and that should the ultimate benefit to all involved.

References

Cassady, L (2011, July). Effects of homelessness in Society. Retrieved from:

http://www.Ehow.com/info

Mecklenburg County NC. Community Support Services. (2012). Retrieved from:

http://charmeck.org/mecklenburg/county/CommunitySupportServices/HomelessSupportS

National alliance to end homelessness. Retrieved from: http://www.endhomelessness.org

NC Department of Health and Human Services. Emergency shelter grants. Retrieved from: http://www.ncdhhs.gov/homeless/esg.html.

Homeless Law and Legal Definition. http://definitions.uslegal.com/h/homeless

National Coalition for the Homeless ( 2009, July). Who is homeless. Retrieved from: http://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/who.html

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