Homelessness has and continues to affect many people in the United States, such as single parents, children and veterans. No one wakes up and decides to become homeless. Homelessness, in most cases, is an economic problem. However, in other cases, it can be caused by medical and political problems as well. People become homeless for a variety of reasons such as lack of affordable housing, long-term mental illness, drug abuse, juvenile delinquency and lack of public assistance. Understanding the causes that lead to ones inability to maintain stability is not easy, considering that there are many different pathways to homelessness. Ultimately, this is because unemployment rates remain high and jobs are hard to find which makes it hard
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Economic homelessness is, in fact, affected by life occurrences such as the lack of suitable wages, job loss, domestic violence, single family homes or family disputes. In the United States, the number of people living without homes can be divided into many different subgroups including: families with children, juveniles, youth who are unaccompanied by an adult and individual adults. Each year millions of people have or will experience being homeless. People who become homeless have insufficient economic resources to either maintain or obtain housing. Even if people can find work, it is still will not enough to provide an escape from poverty. Housing is considered affordable when it accounts for 30 percent or less of monthly domestic income. Many Americans are spending at least 50 percent if not more of their income to maintain housing throughout the month. This does not include the cost of food, household products or clothing. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, families across the country would need to earn at least $15 an hour or more, nearly three times the current minimum wage, to afford on average, a two-bedroom apartment at fair market rent. According to the Nation Alliance to End Homelessness, in January 2014, there were 578,424 people experiencing homelessness in the United States. Of that number, about 216,197 were families and 362,163 were …show more content…
Many youths are at risk of becoming homeless for different reasons. According to a study by (youth, Gov.) “the number of youth who have experienced homelessness varies depending on the age range, timeframe, and definition used, but sources estimate that between 500,000 and 2.8 million youth are homeless within the United States each year”youth.gov). The article goes on to tell us that “other reasons for youth homelessness are child welfare systems, abuse, neglect, abandonment, and severe family conflict” (youth.gov). These youth are vulnerable to a range of negative experiences including exploitation and victimization. Runaway and homeless youth have high rates of involvement in the juvenile justice system, are more likely to engage in substance use and delinquent behavior, be teenage parents, drop out of school, suffer from sexually transmitted diseases, and meet the criteria for mental illness
Economic homelessness is, in fact, affected by life occurrences such as the lack of suitable wages, job loss, domestic violence, single family homes or family disputes. In the United States, the number of people living without homes can be divided into many different subgroups including: families with children, juveniles, youth who are unaccompanied by an adult and individual adults. Each year millions of people have or will experience being homeless. People who become homeless have insufficient economic resources to either maintain or obtain housing. Even if people can find work, it is still will not enough to provide an escape from poverty. Housing is considered affordable when it accounts for 30 percent or less of monthly domestic income. Many Americans are spending at least 50 percent if not more of their income to maintain housing throughout the month. This does not include the cost of food, household products or clothing. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, families across the country would need to earn at least $15 an hour or more, nearly three times the current minimum wage, to afford on average, a two-bedroom apartment at fair market rent. According to the Nation Alliance to End Homelessness, in January 2014, there were 578,424 people experiencing homelessness in the United States. Of that number, about 216,197 were families and 362,163 were …show more content…
Many youths are at risk of becoming homeless for different reasons. According to a study by (youth, Gov.) “the number of youth who have experienced homelessness varies depending on the age range, timeframe, and definition used, but sources estimate that between 500,000 and 2.8 million youth are homeless within the United States each year”youth.gov). The article goes on to tell us that “other reasons for youth homelessness are child welfare systems, abuse, neglect, abandonment, and severe family conflict” (youth.gov). These youth are vulnerable to a range of negative experiences including exploitation and victimization. Runaway and homeless youth have high rates of involvement in the juvenile justice system, are more likely to engage in substance use and delinquent behavior, be teenage parents, drop out of school, suffer from sexually transmitted diseases, and meet the criteria for mental illness