With the current recession, it is a very real possibility that more than 1.5 million will be forced into homelessness in the next two years alone (PBS: Public Broadcasting Services, 2011). Imagine, that number of people do not have a permanent and safe home in which to live. Why? Why do we have so many homeless in one of the wealthiest countries in the world? Clearly homelessness is a problem in America.
Then you have the homeless people who don't receive medical treatment, and end up with long term diseases, that need long term care. Alot of homeless people feel the prisons, and jails, which is very costly to the tax payer. There are laws that target the homeless such as, loitering, sleeping in cars, and begging, which make it easy for them to end up behind bars. A study done by The University of Texas, shows that a homeless person staying in jail for a year cost 14,480 and a one year prison stay would cost about 20,000. It is actually shown that providing these homeless citizens with permanent housing would save more money and be more cost effective.
Families are experiencing traumatic events that cause homelessness. Divorce, cost of living, sickness, drug addiction, PTSD in war victims and mental disabilities are the leading causes of being homeless. Unfortunately in these days and times an everyday occurrence to poor people can cause homelessness. Debilitating illnesses or death can cause people to lose their homes as well. Hurricane Katrina had a major effect on people’s lives; there were thousands of families that lost their homes to that devastating natural cause.
Loc Nguyen Professor: Charles Riordan English 102 Homelessness in America: Why Are People Homeless and How Can We Help Them? Homelessness is a very big problem in America and the lives of homeless people are really hard and miserable wherever they live. America has a huge number of homeless people although it is a rich country. The problem of homelessness in America not only happens in the large cities but also happens in small towns. This problem is seen throughout its big territory.
Homelessness in America and the causes Homelessness in America makes up 1% of the United States population. It can unfortunately happen to many people in the lower class due to several reasons. I believe the majority of the time people can control whether or not they are with a home, but not always. Although it might be easy for me to say, but I always believed that most homeless people are homeless because of their own choices in life such as drug/alcohol abuse, criminal records, low self determination etc. However, after doing a little research about what causes homelessness in America, my opinion has somewhat changed.
It is easy to group these people together and label them all the same, but every homeless person has a story, a reason, or a problem, that has lead them to where they are today. Homelessness exists due to a lack of affordable housing, a loss of income, mental illness, substance abuse, and a combination of various other reasons. In our society, it seems that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer making the gap between these two Classes seem larger each year. The Middle class has carried this country, and helped fund assistance programs, but they can also find themselves caught without work or housing. Foreclosures have hit an all time high, and unfortunately some people were allowed to finance beyond their means and now have become homeless too.
Running Head: Homelessness Homelessness Porsha Taylor GE265 Wed Mornings Homelessness Homelessness is extreme poverty in U.S society. My opinion is that our society sees it from a Moral Relativism point, which I believe it shouldn’t be seen from. I identify myself as Moral Pluralism. On any given night in America, anywhere from 700,000 to 2 million people are homeless, according to estimates of the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty. A count in January, 2007, found 745 homeless people in Lucas County, with 200 of those classified as "chronically" homeless, according to HUD data.
Even outside urban communities, this has become a common sight at busy intersections and freeway off-ramps. As many as 3.5 million Americans are homeless each year and of these, more than 1 million are children, which on any given night can total more than 300,000. Homelessness has so permeated the American landscape that it may seem that the social conundrum has always been a part of our society. However, homelessness is a thoroughly modern phenomenon and primarily an economic problem. It is affected by a number of factors such as people not wanting to help the poor, lack of or limited income and those affected by disabilities.
I have run into many of people whom are or have become homeless, and helping them obtain services or help would be an immense feeling. There is a large epidemic of homeless people here in the El Paso area. As many as 3.5 million Americans are homeless on a yearly basis. (Texas Department of State and Health Services, 2010). Many homeless individuals are families with children.
A lack of affordable housing has contributed to homelessness. The loss of affordable housing puts a great number of people at risk of homelessness. The lack of affordable housing has led to high rent burdens (rents which absorb a high proportion of income), overcrowding, and substandard housing. These phenomena’s, in turn, have not only forced many people to become homeless; they have put a large and growing number of people at risk of becoming homeless. Excessive waiting lists for public housing mean that people must remain in shelters or inadequate housing arrangements longer.