Homelessness in america Essay -- essays research papers fc

Homelessness in AmericaHere in Tahoe, we ar lucky enough to experience a abundant quality of life, and only a few have to face the horrible life of scantiness and homelessness. However, nationwide, even right outside the basin, homelessness is a growing pestilent across the country. There be many ways one can become homeless for the most part poverty. There are also antithetical concentrations of homeless in different types of terrain, such as urban or suburban areas. Last, there is the ever- growing homeless population, and how much money it costs us for other(a)s to stand firm in poverty. These are the questions we ask ourselves about homelessness, and the only way we can help is to know the facts about this lingering subject.The biggest crusade people are homeless is simply because of poverty. They just cant afford to have a place to live and food in their mouths. As of 2000, 11.3% of the US population lived in poverty.(1) The reduce of people in extreme poverty has bee n increasing since 1999, accounting for 39% of people in poverty, and making less than half the amount of income a soul considered in poverty makes.(3) With this amount of people living in poverty, its no wonder why there are so many homeless today. The reason people are in poverty is because of inflation since the 70s, and the loss of affordable housing projects.(4) This accounts for almost all homeless, but there are also other factors that can contribute as well. There are many people with addiction problems that make them homeless. Its not because they are addicted to drugs, because many people live quite well with an addiction problem, but they could be in a hard point financially, and could be driven to the streets because of money issues. The hard part for them is getting off the streets once theyre on them. Since so much of their money goes to drugs, most drug addicts cant overcome being homeless once they have been for more than 6 months.(1) Mental illness is also a big i ssue causing homelessness. Approximately 22% of single white male homeless people are suffering from a severe mental illness.(1) The main reason is because Millions of mental patients were dis-institutionalized in the 50s and 60s, and affordable housing wasnt an issue until the 80s, when many of them were reaching 50 and couldnt study and afford housing. L... ... are seen and treated in our society. The biggest part of the problem is the way people act about and to homeless people. Its ridiculous to treat anyone different because of their cordial status its pretty much racism. Simple things people can do is just treat people equally, no matter who they are, and not just basing it on how they look.Homelessness is one of the fastest growing epidemics in the United States right now. There are over 3.5 million homeless people in the US now. Also, a quarter of people living on the streets are severely mentally ill, and must be admitted to institutions, and have the capability to if th ey were given or knew they had a chance. The poverty level is constantly rising, and is forcing more and more people onto the streets. We can just sit around and hope someone else does it, or we can take action. adjacent time you walk by homeless man or family, and before you make a judgement about them, just take a flash and think about how easily it could be you.Works Cited1. www.nationalhomeless.org/facts.html2.www.weingart.org/institute3.www.nrchmi.samhsa.gov/facts/4.world book H5. Federal Task Force on Homelessness and Severe Mental infirmity website.