On any given day, approximately 730,000 people in the USA are homeless. However, statistics on how many people who are homeless in the United States vary because some people may be counted twice and others are not counted at all (Stein 2). This surprising number shows that homelessness is a serious problem in the United States which needs to be dealt with and should not be ignored.

Before trying to solve homelessness, a person must first understand the causes of homelessness and what can be done to prevent people from becoming homeless. Many people believe that homeless people choose to be homeless because they do not have jobs. What people need to realize is that many things can lead to a person to become homeless. Many times, the circumstances which make a person homeless are out of that person’s control. Causes of homelessness include population change, absence of General Assistance benefits, the high percentage of one person households, high unemployment rates, a poor job market and the current high cost of living (Hombs 12). As anyone can see, many things factor into being homeless in the United States.

An increase in homelessness in recent years is directly
linked to the reforms of aid programs for the public. This started with the decrease of General Assistance which primarily aids single homeless people (Hombs 73). With less help from the government, people end up on the street because they have depended on the government in order to have a house, food, and ultimately, life. When people transition out of prison, rehab, foster care or mental institutions, they often end up living on the street or in shelters due to inappropriate discharge and poor after care planning (15). Institutions should be required to follow-up on patients. This is one cause of homeless which could rather easily be prevented. The deinstitutionalization of several mental health
services in the 1980’s placed countless people on the street (Fleisher 37). The discharge of people from prison and psychiatric treatment has lead to a significant increase in the category of the homeless population. between 900- 1,000 people go from being in prison to being homeless each year (Hombs 73). Lack of community placements, which include both short term and long term housing, for deinstitutionalized people have sent these people to shelters (15). These people take up shelter beds which could be put to better use if these people had been taken care of properly in the first place. Homeless people who are mentally ill show a great need for permanent housing. These people take up shelter beds for great periods of time because the mentally homeless are almost always remain in this predicament for the rest of their lives.

In addition to the lack of community placements, other housing problems can lead to homelessness. This includes the inadequate amount of housing available to low income families. A report from Housing and Urban Development (HUD) found that a decrease of the million affordable housing units occurred between the years of 1997 and 1999 (Talvi 29). Due to the economy, unemployment rates have reached 6%. That statistic shows a 50% increase since November 2000. However, housing prices have remained at historic highs (Stein). Now more than ever, more people are unemployed and housing is becoming increasingly difficult to afford. High unemployment rates show that finding a job is very difficult for homeless people. These people do not have any transportation to a job site. They don’t even have an address to put on their job application (Gottfried 66). People who cease to receive welfare often have difficulty finding work. Those who find jobs usually do not have a high enough wage to afford housing (Lyndersen 146). Studying have found that half the people who left the welfare roll in 1997 *.........................*

Homeless people are classified into three categories: 1 Episodically homeless 2. Chronically homeless 3. Transitionally homeless (Hombs 64). The transitionally homeless are people who are briefly homeless for one period in their lifetime. Shelters provide the best solution for this population (Hombs 65). The episodically homeless are people who go in and out of shelters systems. This population travels between shelters, correctional facilities, hospital and detoxification faculties (Hombs 64). For this population, job training
and a steady income would probably be the best solution to end their homelessness. A good wage and affordable housing units would provide a home for them. The chronically homeless, those who are mentally ill, substance abusers or are very sick and will probably always be homeless, take up 50% of shelter beds each year but represent only 10% of the homeless population (Stein). For this category of the homeless population, permanent
housing is definitely the best solution. In almost all cases, the people who are chronically homeless are helpless when it comes to finding a home. These people usually can not hold jobs, so they have no income to pay for a house. Nationally, there are about 150,000 chronically homeless people (NCH 2). Permanent housing would get these people off of the streets and would also free up shelter beds for the transitionally and episodically homeless.

The majority of homeless people are either children , veterans, mentally ill or
women abuse victims (Fleisher 37). The fastest growing segment of the homeless population is the homeless families who now make up around 35% of the population (Stein). Experts believe that the number of mentally ill homeless people on the street is twice that of institutionalized mentally ill people (Hombs 12). In 2001, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence estimated that approximately half of all homeless women and children are fleeing domestic violence ( Fleischer 37). Survey show that about twenty percent of the homeless population hold regular jobs and 40 % are families with children. A US conference of mayors found that 20 % of the homeless had a job and 22% are mentally disabled and 34% are drug or alcohol dependent (Homeless *page number?*) 71% of the United States Homeless population lives in central; cities, 21% live in suburbs and 9% live in rural areas (Hombs 57). The National Survey of Homeless Service Providers and Clients found that for 28% of homeless clients their episode homelessness lasted for 3 months or less. But for 30%, it has lasted for more that two years (Fleisher 37). As anyone can see, the problems which lead to homelessness and the people who live on the streets are very diverse. This calls for a variety of solutions to the one problem of homelessness.

The United Nations released an International Bill of Rights, This established that
all people have a right to housing (Hombs 189). The 2001 report for the institution for children and Poverty found that, between 1970 and 1995, the amount of affordable housing for low- income renters jumped from non- existence to a shortage of 4.4 million affordable housing units (Fleisher 37) The demand for assisted housing exceeds the supply only about 1/3 of low income household receive a housing subsidy (NCH 1) The 2002 report released by the National Homeless Civil Rights Organizing Project found that 100% of those surveyed found that they lacked enough shelter beds to meet demand ( Talvi 29). Secular nonprofit organizations operate 60% of housing programs ( Hombs 56). The 2003 Status Report on Hunger and Homelessness of 25 major cities found that 30% of all individual request and 33% of all family requests for emergency shelter were not met (Fleisher 37). A recent survey found that twenty seven major US cities felt that requests for an increase of shelters went unnoticed (O’Brien 31). Many people refuse to go to shelters because they feel that they are safer on the streets. Many shelters are places where
theft and violence occur often (Gottfried 65).

Homeless people receive aid from three main (what’s the word?), government aid, private aid and religious aid. Religious agencies operate 55% of food agencies. The government provides for only 5% of food agencies (Hombs 56). Unlike government welfare programs, charities such as Gospel Rescue Ministries, hold to the principle that the homeless should not receive something for nothing (Tanner 160). At a Mission I visited in Seattle, homeless people would attend a worship service and would be provided with a meal afterwards.

Homeless people who seek assistance from social service organizations for drug and alcohol treatment and job counseling have a good chance of finding housing (Lyndersen 145). As Andrew Cuomo said, “Assistance programs can replace the nightmare of homelessness with the American dream of a better future.” (Lyndersen 143). 37% of homeless people receive food stamps, 11% receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI), 30% receive Medicaid, and 9% receive General Assistance or another local cash benefit (Hombs 56). Food stamps are used in a national program which helps poor families buy food. These monthly coupons or cards are set for specific dollar amounts (Hombs 278).

The number of people living on the streets in America is staggering. This is a problem which cannot be ignored. People must realize that many homeless people could do nothing to prevent the condition that they are currently living in. Many outside factors which contribute to this predicament include high unemployment rates, inadequate affordable housing and the improper discharge of several people from jails, rehab facilitates and mental institutions. The homeless population is just as diverse as the problems which put these people in this terrible condition. Many homeless people are mentally ill. Several are addicted to drugs or alcohol. In recent years, the number of families on the street has grown at staggering rates. This includes one-parent families, many of which are fleeing domestic violence. With so many people in various states of homelessness, one can see that solving all homelessness will be a quite complex process. Government, private and religious aid will all contribute to the helping of this impovered group of our nation. For the chronically homeless, permanent housing must be provided. These people, who are almost all mentally homeless, are rather helpless when it comes to holding a job and being able to afford housing. These people will continue to be homeless unless different aid programs step up and provide housing for these people. Permanent housing for the chronically homeless would also benefit the transitionally homeless by removing the chronically homeless from shelters. This would provide more adequate shelter for the transitionally homeless who only remain without a home for a very brief period of time. The episodically homeless, people who travel in and out of shelters, institutions and housing, require a steady income in order to afford housing. These people are generally very capable of working but are not hired when prospective jobs see that these people have not been employed for a long time. Job training would prove to be very beneficial for this category of homeless people. During my trip to Seattle, I visited a restaurant run almost entirely by homeless people. This restaurant is committed to providing training and real life experience of working and cooking in a restaurant. The restaurant provides its homeless workers with the skills, experience and resume (what’s the word?” needed in order to get them a job. Homelessness has become a real nightmare in the United States. Just imagine how the people feel who live this nightmare everyday of their lives. They dream of a better life. They dream of a roof over their head, food in their stomachs, and money in their pocket from the job that they hold. The homeless are people too. Everyone deserves a home. The United States can’t ignore the nightmare any longer. We must do whatever we can to make the dream of a homeless-free America come true.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: YNLissa,

Yesm I didnt read the whole thing either, I'm too tired, but I do agree that homelessness is a big problem in the U.S. and that we should do more to help stop it.

I just saw it and decided I am too tired.

Am I the only person who stopped caring after the end of the first paragraph. Seriously, did anyone actually read the whole thing?