Excessive waiting lists for public housing mean that people must remain in shelters or inadequate housing arrangements longer. For instance, in the mid-1990s in New York, families stayed in a shelter an average of five months before moving on to permanent housing. In a survey of 24 cities, people remain homeless an average of seven months, and 87% of cities reported that the length of time people are homeless has increased in recent years (U.S. Conference of Mayors,2005). Longer stays in homeless shelters results in less shelter space available for other homeless people, who must find shelter elsewhere or live on the streets. Media reports of a growing economy and low unemployment mask a number of important reasons why homelessness persists, and, in some areas of the country, is worsening.
Foreclosures have hit an all time high, and unfortunately some people were allowed to finance beyond their means and now have become homeless too. According to The National Coalition for the Homeless, “Housing assistance can make the difference between stable housing, precarious housing, or no housing at all. However, the demand for assisted housing clearly exceeds the supply: only about one-third of poor renter households receive a housing subsidy from the federal, state, or a local government. The limited level of housing assistance Campbell - 2 means that most poor families and individuals seeking housing assistance are placed on long waiting lists.” Not being able to afford housing does not mean that they are completely without a source of income. Many people that become homeless have jobs;
This year snap shot shows an increase in homeless veterans, domestic violence victims, and homeless children, with a 55% increase in the number of Veterans living on the street or in emergency shelters, a 31% increase in the number of domestic violence victims who are experiencing homelessness (with 40% of those victims being male), and an 8% rise in the number of homeless children. It is not easy to determine the exact number of homeless since estimates differ according to the
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.
According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, there are about 672,000 homeless in America, with the most being reported in Florida. There is a lot of cost to the tax payer associated with homelessness. Research shows, that a homeless person spends an average of 4 days longer in a hospital than that of a non- homeless person, costing the tax payer about 2,400 for this visit. They also receive psychiatric treatment at a rate of 100 times more than that of a non-homeless person, costing about 3.5 million a year. Then you have the homeless people who don't receive medical treatment, and end up with long term diseases, that need long term care.
The Concept of Program Reengineering Mayor Schell’s Zero Homeless Family Pledge Week 7 Assignment 3 Professor J. McCue PDA 500 [Type the author name] 2/18/2012 For a variety of reasons, people find themselves in homeless conditions. Solicited donations to homeless citizens are sometimes used to rent hotel rooms to escape unforgiving weather. To support other critical needs and objectives, homeless citizens need a reliable and secure place to sleep, especially overnight. Otherwise, family, employment, health, emotional states and overall functionality will be at further risk (humanitytest.org). Cities often find themselves unable to sustain the shelter needs of the homeless population, primarily due to financial constraints.
Another big cause of homelessness is people not having health care. They could have a job, but not given the benefit of free health care, so therefore if a poor family or individual were to be seriously ill they would not have enough money to pay for their health as well as to have a home. A high percentage of homeless people also are known to have a mental illness which could make it difficult to even impossible for them to get a job. As many as 3.5 million people in the United States has been reported of experiencing homelessness in a given year, even though most were temporarily. Some statistics of reported homeless Americans show 40% are families with children—the fastest growing segment, 41% are single males, 14% are single females, 5% are minors unaccompanied by adults, 49%
According to a study by the U.S. Department of housing and Urban Development (HUD), there were 671,888 homeless people in the United States as of January 2007, including sheltered and unsheltered population. HUD defines homelessness as lacking a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. The number of homeless fluctuates with the health of the economy (2011). Homelessness raises the susceptibility to disaster events. Some of the barriers that may prevent these groups from obtaining needed services are: The lack of health insurance, a home, financial problem, mental illness and physical inability to do for themselves.
It is argued that people may not have the capacity to cope both mentally and financially without a job or a source of income. According to research conducted by Crisis, in 2008 10.4 million people were living in poverty in the UK. Poverty stops people in a homeless situation from moving on with their lives. Without overcoming financial barriers people are unable to secure even basic permanent accommodation and may find themselves trapped in their homelessness
The city is bracing for a 10 percent increase in shelter need this winter, according to the Department of Human Services. The city has a total of 257 units for homeless families, including the facility at D.C. General. Not having more shelter capacity this winter is a "troubling concern," said Wells, whose human services committee oversees services for the homeless (http://www.washingtonpost.com). I believe homelessness is not being taken seriously as it should be, especially if the percentage of it is rising. I even feel that it’s overlooked or put on hold until felt like being addressed.