On the other hand, some would disagree and argue that the cause of homelessness is because the economy is bad. Every time the economy goes south, the cost of living remains the same or goes up. For example, when the economy is bad, a large number of people always lose their jobs. With job loss, there is always the threat of becoming homeless if they cannot find another job
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. These reasons include stagnant or falling incomes and less secure jobs which offer fewer benefits. Declining wages, in turn, have put housing out
They face foreclosures and job losses due to the deepening recession. The impact of homelessness begins well before a child is born. The overwhelming majority of homeless parents are single women, many of whom were homeless themselves as children. Homeless women face many obstacles to healthy pregnancies, such as chemical abuse, chronic and acute health problems, and lack of prenatal care. Children born into homelessness are more likely to have low birth weights and are at greater risk of death.
According to Kozol, one of the main causes of homelessness in the 1980s was the vast reduction in affordable housing. Kozol explains that “gentrification,” the transformation of a low-rent neighborhood to a more prestigious one, raised rents and pushed the poor into homelessness (433). He states, “Half a million units of low-income housing are lost each year to condominium conversion as well as to arson, demolition, or abandonment” and that rent for lower-income individuals increased more than 30 percent since 1980 (433). Additionally, Kozol claims that almost half of low-income “SRO (single-room occupancy) units” were “replaced by luxury apartments and office buildings between 1970 and 1980” (435). In addition to the reduction in low-income housing, Kozol also argues that there was a severe shortage of employment positions that paid a living wage.
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;
Homeless people are poor people. They are similar to us, but they no longer have work, no a place to call a home and no future for themselves and for their children. Defining the homelessness is somewhat difficult. The article “Who is Homeless in America?” defines: “Homelessness is attributable to a dwindling supply of affordable housing, an increasing number of people living below the poverty line”. (qtd.
My hypothesis that I’m reviewing is a casual one, which is “poor health is the main reason why people become homeless”. Poor health is closely associated with homelessness. For families struggling to pay the rent, a serious illness or disability can start a downward spiral into homelessness, beginning with a lost job, depletion of savings to pay for care, and eventual eviction (National Health Care for the Homeless Council, 2008). In the year 2007 the U.S. census Bureau calculated that 45.7 million people, who makes up about 15.3 percent of the population do not have health insurance. These uninsured people where Americans who either worked full or part time jobs.
The ethical issue of homelessness is a major problem in our society today. The millions of impoverished individuals who face ridicule, shame and a lack of basic necessities are growing. Many of the homeless population are hard-working citizens who experienced financial instability thus leading to their dreaded state. Others aren’t educated or qualified for the few positions available to them. With the economy faltering, the homeless epidemic has risen amid a lack of funding and resources.
It’s true that some families are displaced because of a major disaster like hurricane Katrina or a tornado or a house fire or something similar. But the majority of homeless families in America have never suffered such a catastrophic event. They are typical families suffering common hardships. We see them “temporarily” doubled-up in overcrowded apartments with relatives or friends. Others sleep in cars, or on campgrounds.
This gap has led to the decreasing of education’s quality, and the inequality in residents’ income. Income inequality has put the United States in bad shape. Because of this unfairness, the rich are getting richer whereas the rest are struggling to survive. According to Robert Frank, a New York Times writer, excessive spending by the wealthy has “made it even more expensive for middle-class families to achieve basic financial goals” (Frank; 582). The squeezed society’s neglecting of investment has put both the rich and the poor in a society with low quality infrastructure.