There are lots of problems in the world, with poverty and homelessness topping the list. Nobody wants to be homeless, because it causes pain to everybody, not just the victim. It is a very urgent problem that needs to be fixed. There are about 1.6 billion people lacking adequate housing worldwide, and the Citizens of the United States need to work to end it by providing aid and help to all in need.
There are lots of causes of homelessness. Some of these causes seem unfair, and they are certainly are. Veterans are one of the most type of people that are homeless, and for a very sad reason. Their wives did not agree with them going to serve their country, and they get divorced. So when the veterans come home, they have nothing to come home to and are forced to live on the streets. There are also people who are born into homelessness, which is very unfortunate also. For them, they did nothing to even remotely deserve that.
Speaking of people born into homelessness, I think we need to focus more on children. According to Homelessness Children and Youth, about 1.4 million people were homeless at the start of the 2013-2014 school year. Those who are homelessness are more likely to suffer from acute and chronic health problems later in life. Examples of these health problems are asthma, hyperactivity/inattention, or just behavioral problems. Homeless children are more than twice as likely to repeat a grade, become expelled, get suspended, or most importantly, have to drop out of high school. With the whole family being homeless, the child is more likely to be separated from their family. This is because the child is placed in foster care, or the parent leaves the child in the care of another family member, because either the parent is not ready to parent a kid or does not have enough to care for them.
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There are 3 main types of homelessness in this world. The first one is called chronic homelessness. These are usually seniors, and chronic homelessness is the least common. The most common type is transitional homelessness. In this case, the people are going into homelessness for a short amount of time, most likely due to a catastrophic event. The final type of homelessness is episodic homelessness. In this stage, people are going in and out of homelessness frequently. This usually belongs to those who are younger, because of abuse, unemployment, mental illness, or other medical problems.
If you really dig deep into the statistics, I believe that you will be truly shocked. California has the most homelessness, with 134,000 people. New York is second, having 90,000. On average, there are over 560,000 homeless people on a given night in the United States, with 41,000 being children. Also, almost 270,000 are disabled, and 40,000 being veterans. However, homelessness has decreased, which is great. Since 2007, the homelessness rate has decreased by over 14 percent.
New York is the state with the highest rate homelessness in 2017. Out of 10000, 45.3 are homelessness. That might not sound like a lot, but New York’s total population is 8.623 million, according to the United States Census Bureau. That would mean that almost 38,000 people are homelessness in the state of New York alone.
There are 2 main reasons about how homelessness started. One is when affordable housing that low income people can afford is out of reach. Back in the 1970’s, this was not a problem. But by the 1980’s, this was a lot harder, and the rents just keep on rising, making this such a big problem for those people and families. To make this better, we can construct some more lower income housing, just for those who need it.
The other main cause of homelessness is people’s health. These two are actually incredibly linked together, which is a very interesting fact. As you might know, it is incredibly hard to get a job when you have a disability. If you can’t make money, there is no way to buy a house. Also, if you need to pay to keep yourself in good health, that will eventually take out of your housing bills.
As a United States citizen, there are lots of ways to help. Your first option is to donate. You can do this several ways, but I recommend going to The National Alliance to End Homelessness. There are lots of options, and it is very easy. Another way to help is to volunteer at a shelter. St Patrick’s Center is always accepting your help, and always appreciate it. If you want to volunteer, I recommend going there. The last main way to help is to just have a conversation. You never know how much that can influence somebody’s life.
As you might know, homelessness is most common in very poor countries. Also, we are not one of those countries, even though it might seem that way sometimes. That means that if we want to be looked at around the world as the helpers, we need to help. The best way to do this to to send aid and supplies. If this country treats this as something in our country, we can get so much done. I know there are plenty of volunteers willing to help, and the money would be giong to a great and worthwhile cause.
However, if the whole world works together, it can accomplish a lot more. Every country can help each other. We need to invest in more low income housing, amd possibly start up more relief programs for the homeless. Social connectedness also plays a big role in homelessness. When some people finally do move into an apartment or house, they end up suffering from loneliness, depression, or relapse. Connecting them with kids can help remove some of their stress, and just brighten their day in general. Another option is to get an eviction-prevention grant, which will give the family more time to become more financially stable. This can be a big help for people who are trying to get a job very soon.
The two principal factors of homelessness are low incomes and lack of sustainable housing. Lots of poor quality jobs can contribute to the lack of housing people have. Sometimes, those jobs are their only choice and so they do what they can to make any money possible. Also, the person has to make the choice to feed them and possibly their kids, or pay their bills for the house. Not surprisingly, it is usually the food.
People have realized that most people who who are homelessness are not mentally ill, however the closing of mental hospitals all around the country is often said to be critical in rising the rates of homelessness. The closing of mental hospitals is called deinstitutionalization. Without them, people are not able to get the help they need. And without money, those who are mentally ill can’t access the resources they need to become financially stable. Then as you might infer, they will probably go on to become homelessness.
There are a lot more factors that contribute to homelessness. Sadly, the leading one is race. Due to racism and segregation, African Americans and Caucasians are more likely to be homelessness then other races. Another big factor is age. Roughly one fourth of homelessness people are 50-64, and as you get older, it gets harder to work. Another big factor is prior imprisonment. Homelessness Risk Factors for Homelessness says, “Roughly half of older homeless men and one-fourth of older homeless women report prior imprisonment.” When you come out of a prison, there are a lot of companies that will not accept of hire you, and so you would be simply forced to have a very low income job, therefore not able being to pay for a house.
Getting a high quality job is very crucial to being able to buy a home. A lot of people are able to work, but nobody wants to hire them. If there are more companies who will hire those people, the rates of homelessness will surely go down, because this will give the people a chance to become more stable with their money and eventually be able to move into an apartment. However, there is another benefit to this route. Keeping people busy during the day can distract them from bad things like drug or alcohol abuse.
There are lots of warning signs of homelessness. There are three main topics of this, including lack of transportation/attendance, poor health/nutrition, or lack of continuity in education. As talked about earlier in the essay, dropping out of school will prevent you from getting a high quality and high paid job. When you cannot come to school, you miss out on the learning you need to move up grades and eventually graduate high school. Maintaining a good health is hard, and when you can’t you are forced to spend your money on hospital bills or medicine. One more important warning sign is skipping from school to school very rapidly. This is most likely because the parent is trying to find money somewhere else, and each job does not pay enough for the whole family.
If you have ever been out in a big city walking or driving? If you have, the chances are high that you have been asked for money or food by somebody who is homeless. This is being talked about around the world, if begging should be banned. Most times, people are annoyed by this, but you have to think about what they are currently going through at the moment. The side that says it should says that people need to be trying to find work or just try to make money, and that this is making this country look unacceptable. However, there is another side that thinks otherwise of this problem.
The claim is that hearing and sight impaired people and other disadvantaged people have no other choice but to beg.
References
- National Alliance to End Homelessness – What Causes Homelessness
- National Health Care for the Homeless Council – Causes of Homelessness
- National Institute of Mental Health – Science News about Homelessness
- BMJ Open – The Physical and Mental Health of Street Children in Egypt
- National Alliance to End Homelessness – Family Homelessness
