Homeless in America Essay - 1088 Words

The problem of homelessness in America is growing dramatically. Its a problem that can strike anyone when you least expect it. Therefore you should address this as a major crisis that affects our society. I feel as Americans we should come together to create solutions to end a growing epidemic of homeless people. Statistics show people living in poverty are most at risk of becoming homeless. Economically they are at a higher risk of losing what little they already have. The number of homeless families with children has increased significannot ly over the past decade. They are among the fastest growing segments of the homeless population. They are approximently 40% of people who are homeless. In rural areas the largest group of†¦show more content†¦The elimination and cut backs of public mental hospitals resulted in the building of Community Mental Health Centers. The serious mentally ill who were supposed to benefit by these developments were replaced by people who were well off and thought they were sick. Making the problem worse the serious mentally ill were unable to re-enter hospitals because of tighter admissions standards ( Contemporary World Issues 1990). Without hospitalization or the ability to support themselves they were forced to the streets. Declining wages have put housing out of reach for many workers. In every state, more than minimum wage is needed to afford a one- or two-bedroom apartment. A minimum-wage worker would have to work 87 hours a week to afford a two-bedroom apartment (U.S Conference of Mayors 1998). Thus insufficient income leaves many people homeless. For families and individuals struggling to pay rent, a serious illness or disability can push them over the edge into homelessness. This might begin with a lost job, reduction of savings to pay for care, and eventual eviction. I feel in writing this essay we should all help the homeless to get back on their feet. They are in desperate need of a helping hand, to get through this. Other reasons for helping the homeless are, they are human beings as well as you and I, it reduces our taxes if there were no homeless, and some crime will be eliminated on the streets.Show MoreRelatedHomeless in America1684 Words   |  7 Pagesstreets of vast cities of United States. Less attention are shown to those who are homeless, people focus more on bigger issues when this is a major problem that has occurred for years. Statistics shows that 1.6 million youth run away from home each year between the ages of 12 and 17. The predominant race for runaways is White non-Hispanic (57%), Black non-Hispanic (17%), Hispanic (15%), and Other (11%) follow (Blaha). Homeless children most likely leave their original homes because of the way of life andRead MoreEssay on Homeless in America825 Words   |  4 Pagesissues nationally i s people who are becoming homeless and the fact that one third of the homeless population have served this country, which is around 195,000 veterans. Thats more than the death count of the Vietnam war. Most homeless people are male about three percent are women, most are single and come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Its a major issue, this is America there should not be thousands of people across this nation that are homeless especially our veterans. They gave their lifeRead MoreEssay on Homeless in America1648 Words   |  7 PagesHomeless in America Homelessness affects millions of Americans each year, with approximately one third of this population suffering from severe mental disorders. In Las Cruces we have a number of homeless people that have a mental disorder. Las Cruces does not provide the homeless mentally ill with sufficient services. it is necessary to provide them with support, protection, treatment, and rehabilitation. Although surveys have been conducted defending that mental illness does cause homelessnessRead MoreA Vulnerable Population: The Homeless in America919 Words   |  4 PagesA Vulnerable Population: The Homeless in America Introduction Homelessness in America should be a growing concern. When discussing the United States current economic crisis comparisons with the Great Depression are becoming more and more common. Tent cities or makeshift shelters in specified areas or just beyond city limits are becoming familiar sites across the country. Each of these cities contains dozens if not hundreds of families struggling to just survive (Maide, 2010). HomelessnessRead MoreAnalysis of the Homeless Family in America1728 Words   |  7 Pagesthe Homeless Family in America Introduction While homelessness may be an issue that is so far from the minds of the average American family, the truth remains that the current homelessness statistics in America suggest that the issue of homelessness is far more average than one could ever imagine. As of January 2012, The National Alliance to End Homelessness published a series of reports that listed the number of homeless Americans at 636,017 with a rate of homelessness at 21 homeless peopleRead MoreEssay on Homeless Women in America1099 Words   |  5 PagesHomeless Women in America   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Today in the U.S. there is a large percentage of people that are homeless. There are so many questions when one sees a homeless person, for example why doesn’t he or she get a job and get out of the streets? People that make comments like the one just made probably doesn’t really know anyone that is homeless so they do no understand what they go through. In the book â€Å" Tell Me Who I Am,’’ Elliot Liebow tries to explain what the cost and gains are for women livingRead MoreHomeless Population in America Essay2680 Words   |  11 PagesOne of the most prominent social issues is that of the homeless population. According to Korge Furst, 24 percent of the homeless population are severely mentally ill, 20 percent are physically disabled, 19 percent are employed, 14 percent are victims of domestic violence, 14 percent are veterans, while 3 percent are HIV positive (Chp. 2.4, 2012). Although there are numerous programs and policies to er adicate homelessness, we still see that the numbers continue to rise. Essentially, social theoriesRead MoreThe Homeless Veterans Wandering On The Streets Of America1465 Words   |  6 Pagesabout the homeless veterans wandering in the streets of America. All around America there is numerous homeless veterans who seek for a better way of life. They crave for jobs, food, and shelter. All they want in life is to live the American Dream, a dream full of opportunity and wealth. In 2013, Veteran Affairs had an estimation of 610,042 homeless people recorded in the United States, and over 394,698 of those homeless people were living in shelter homes. This means that 215,344 homeless people wereRead MoreEssay about Homeless Children In America1111 Words   |  5 PagesHomeless Children in America   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To be homeless is to not have a home or a permanent place of residence. Nationwide, there is estimated to be 3.5 million people that are homeless, and roughly 1.35 million of them are children. It is shown that homeless rates, which are the number of sheltered beds in a city divided by the cities population, have tripled since the 1980’s (National Coalition for Homeless, 2014). Worldwide, it is estimated that 100 million children live and work on the streets.Read MoreWhat America Is Doing About the Homeless4088 Words   |  17 Pagesnot even have to be their fault. For this reason exactly is why Americans should consider this a major crisis today. The amount of people becoming homeless in America is constantly growing. Although some people can get out of being homeless pretty quickly, more and more people are becoming homeless every day, and the more people that become homeless, the more people crowd the streets we live on. There is many different views on where these people should live such as on the street or in permanent