The Issue of Homelessness in US
Homelessness is a huge area of concern in the United States and it is something that social services and government officials are struggling to deal with. It is estimated that at any given time there are more than 500,000 people homeless in the United States. Of the half a million homeless Americans, approximately a quarter of them are children. One of the biggest factors that is contributing to the large number of homeless people in the country is that there is a substantial lack of affordable housing. Let’s take a look at some of the most important facts.
Who Is Affected By Homelessness?
If you have never had any personal experience of homelessness, it is likely that you have a pretty inaccurate idea of what, or who, a homeless person is. It is very easy to assume that homeless people are the stereotypical drunken bums we see in the movies. However, in reality homelessness is something that can affect anybody. As already noted, around 25% of homeless people in the United States are children and there are currently around a million children in the public school system who are classed as homeless. It is hard to pin down an exact figure because different organizations define homeless as different things. For example, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development base their figures on people who are living in homeless shelters, transitional housing, in cars or on the streets. However, the National Center for Homeless Education also includes children who are sharing housing on a temporary basis and those currently waiting for foster care placement since they have no fixed address of their own. It is believed that several thousands of homeless children are unaccompanied, meaning that they have no parent or othe adult caring for them.
Another group of people who are a large part of the homeless population are veterans. On any given night at least 57,000 veterans are homeless and almost 40% of them will sleep unsheltered in parks and alleyways. This accounts for more than 11% of the total homeless population in the United States.
Contributing Factors Of Homelessness in The United States
One of the biggest causes of homelessness in the United States is a severe lack of affordable housing and with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development having their budget slashed this is set to continue. It is estimated that around 10,000 units of subsidized low income housing are lost each year. Since 2001 one eighth of the nation’s low income housing has been permanently lost. It is not only the low income families who are suffering. It is estimated that most people are spending half of their income on rent and since 2008 one in ten mortgaged properties has been foreclosed on, making the demand for affordable housing even greater. Public rental assistance does exist, but waiting lists are several years long. As an example, Charlotte, NC just opened up their applications after 14 years of not accepting new applicants and 10,000 families applied!
domestic violence
Another major contributor to homelessness is actually domestic violence. It has been suggested that as many as 90% of female homeless people are victims of physical, sexual or mental abuse. They have found themselves homeless after fleeing from their homes often in fear for their own lives. They have nowhere else to go and are forced to make the choice between remaining in a dangerous and abusive situation or sleeping rough.
Other Problems Stemming From Homelessness
Being homeless and not having a safe place to sleep is a big enough issue by itself, but it also leads to many other issues. For example, a growing number of cities across the country are criminalizing homelessness meaning that not only are people battling homelessness, but they are also at risk of gaining a criminal record making it harder for them to get a job or rent an apartment thus making it even more difficult for them to get out of homelessness. The National Law Center conducted a study in 2014 on Homelessness and found that 18% of the 187 cities asked consider sleeping in a public place illegal, 43% will arrest someone sleeping in their car and 53% make it illegal to sit or lay down in certain public places.
Another major issue relating to homelessness is the detrimental affect that it has on health. Statistic show that 6% of the general population suffer from severe mental illness. However, in the homeless population this figure rises to 25%. Around half of these people are self medicating and are likely making the situation worse by adding addiction and poor physical health into the mix. Studies suggest that homeless people have a life expectancy of 30 years less than the average person. The average life expectancy in the homeless population is just 47, but homeless women are unlikely to live beyond 43 years of age.
In conclusion, homelessness is a big issue in the United States and it is one that affects people from all walks of life. A lack of affordable housing and support for the poorest of our population has resulted in large numbers of people left with no place to live.
References:
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-homelessness-idUSKCN0T908720151120>
http://nlchp.org/documents/No_Safe_Place>
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16272120>
http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/10/14/10-facts-about-being-homeless-in-the-usa/>