Solving Homelessness
Solving Homelessness
Nationwide homelessness is a growing epidemic across the country. There are many ways an individual can become homeless, for the most part it is poverty. There are also different concentrations of homeless in different types of environments, such as urban or suburban areas. Last, there is the ever-growing homeless population, and how much money it costs us for others to live in poverty. A way we can help find the solution to this problem, is to know the facts about this lingering subject. People become homeless not because of lack of effort for success, but because of poverty, drug addictions, mental illness and financially unstable times in their lives. The biggest reason people are homeless is because of poverty. With today's rising gas prices and inflation rates it is hard to afford a place to live and put food on the table. As of 2000, 11.3% of the US population lived in poverty (National Homeless). 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 (National Homeless). With this amount of people living in poverty, it's no wonder why there are so many homeless today. People live in poverty because of inflation since the 70's, and the loss of affordable housing projects. This accounts for almost all homeless, but there are also other factors that contribute as well. There are many people with addiction problems that make themselves homeless. It's not because they are addicts, but because they are addicts and financially unstable. This causes many individuals to lose focus and end up on the streets. The hard part for them is getting off the streets once they're there. Since so much of their money goes to drugs, most drug addicts can't overcome being homeless once they have been there for more than 6 months (National Homeless). Mental illness is also a big issue concerning homelessness.
Nationwide homelessness is a growing epidemic across the country. There are many ways an individual can become homeless, for the most part it is poverty. There are also different concentrations of homeless in different types of environments, such as urban or suburban areas. Last, there is the ever-growing homeless population, and how much money it costs us for others to live in poverty. A way we can help find the solution to this problem, is to know the facts about this lingering subject. People become homeless not because of lack of effort for success, but because of poverty, drug addictions, mental illness and financially unstable times in their lives. The biggest reason people are homeless is because of poverty. With today's rising gas prices and inflation rates it is hard to afford a place to live and put food on the table. As of 2000, 11.3% of the US population lived in poverty (National Homeless). 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 (National Homeless). With this amount of people living in poverty, it's no wonder why there are so many homeless today. People live in poverty because of inflation since the 70's, and the loss of affordable housing projects. This accounts for almost all homeless, but there are also other factors that contribute as well. There are many people with addiction problems that make themselves homeless. It's not because they are addicts, but because they are addicts and financially unstable. This causes many individuals to lose focus and end up on the streets. The hard part for them is getting off the streets once they're there. Since so much of their money goes to drugs, most drug addicts can't overcome being homeless once they have been there for more than 6 months (National Homeless). Mental illness is also a big issue concerning homelessness.
Cited: "Homeless Counts in Major US Cities and Counties." Recent Institute Publications. March 2005. Institute For The Study Of Homelessness And Poverty. 4/23/06 . Murphy, Cait. "The Toughest Customers." Fortune April 2006: 45-45. "New Factsheets." National Homeless. National Coalition For The Homeless. 4/23/06 . "No Memory At All: Seven months after New York lawyer Raymond Power Jr. disappeared, his family finds him--suffering from amnesia in a Chicago homeless shelter." a