On any given night in the United States approximately 750,000 people
experience homelessness. recent data shows there are 5.2 million more
low-income households that need housing than there are affordable
housing units. The primary cause of homelessness isn’t drug or alcohol
abuse, nor is it mental illness, rather the lack of affordable housing
for low income people and/or families. Over 5 million low income
families pay half of their earnings in housing or live in substandard
conditions.
According to the National Coalition for Homeless Stats
In 50 cities studied, the official estimated number of homeless people
far exceeds the number of shelters and transitional housing space. There
are nearly no shelters in rural areas, thus many homeless are forced to
live with friends and family in crowded, temporary arrangements.
This epidemic doesn’t only speak of those living on the streets; it also
includes minors, those in shelters and transitional housing, living with
friends and relatives, in motels and in their cars. Although there is no
concrete way to determine the exact number of homeless individuals, the
Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates the following:
Approximately 1% of the entire U.S. population is homeless. 10%
of the poor (UNCLEAR), with nearly 842,000 added on any given week.
40% are families w/children (which is the fastest growing segment to
date)
41% single male
5% unaccompanied minors
39% of the total homeless population are children under the age of 18.
Further analysis indicates that of the above statistics:
By Race:
49% Black
35% White
13% Hispanic
2% Native American
1% Asian American
Personal factors:
58% report not getting enough food to eat.
23% Veterans
25% physically or sexually abused
27% were in foster care or similar institutions as children
54% were incarcerated at some point in their lives
Employment/Income stats:
28% have more than a high school education
44% have worked in the past week
13% have regular jobs
50% receive less than $300 per month income
Geographical considerations:
71% live in central cities
21% live in suburbs
9% live in rural areas
These numbers are staggering and demand action. We need to stand
together and do something..
The experience of being in the midst of this crisis is humbling. It’s
hard to imagine the stories behind some of the victims of this epidemic.
Too many bystanders sit back and decide that these people are failures
in life because of their situation. It is too easy to pass judgment on
them until we have walked in their shoes, learn their stories and
attempt to gain an inkling of what their lives are, and have been, like.
Imagine the single mom who has worked hard her entire adult life to
provide for her family. Suddenly, due to the economic crisis or events
beyond her control, she loses her job unexpectedly. Now, imagine this
woman, who has never utilized or taken from the system, making every
effort to get help - only to have door after door slammed in her face.
Day by day everything she has worked for begins to disappear. Her
savings, her resources, her home, her belongs, her self esteem, and
eventually even her will to live through another day.
She’s forced to look into the eyes of her children and tell them that
tonight they have to share this sandwich or even worse, they can’t eat
at all. This isn’t a woman that has lived her life trying to abuse the
system. She’s done everything expected of her, yet when she faces those
in connection to the system, they look upon her poorly and treat her
like she is a failure. Imagine going to seek help from government
agencies and being denied because you don’t have a residence or you
don’t have the ‘necessary documents’ to obtain one. It’s a catch 22.
You can’t imagine the number of people living this same story.
Homelessness is a wide spread occurrence that is seldom talked about and
is reaching “epidemic” status. It is rarely addressed in main stream
media, is shunned in social circles, and, quite frankly, is a truly
scary topic in general – because there are many of us who are one
paycheck away from this very situation. We tell ourselves that the
problem is “too big” and we alleviate our fears and (possible) guilt of
inaction with “how can one person possibly make a difference?”
Individually, there is little or nothing that can be done on an
“elimination” basis. It takes a “movement”; which starts with one
individual, who is joined by another, and another, and another.
We can no longer ignore or push out of our minds this heartbreaking &
forgotten aspect of our fellow human beings. We need to unite in our
compassion and humanitarian efforts to address and help alleviate the
suffering and circumstance of Homelessness by thinking “joint effort”.
We need to ask ourselves,”What can I do to help?”