A serious problem in the United States is the increase in homelessness. I am interested in this particular topic because I have interests and concerns as to why people are becoming more and more in need and why the homeless rate keeps increasing rather than declining. The reason this issue is so important and why we need to get involved to make a change in these people's lives is because the outcomes produced are far greater and worse than projected. I have experienced substantial increases in rent at times forced my family to move either back with my grandparents or simply find a room to be able to increase savings. I plan on taking this knowledge and applying it to my life so that I have the lowest chance of falling into that category.
In the United States, homelessness is a major problem. According to recent findings by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, there were almost 600,000 individuals who were homeless (Psychnet). The lack of affordable housing is a major contributing factor being that housing prices are simply over the roof compared to what one makes in a minimum wage job to be able to pay off the mortgage. In addition, the lack of affordable housing is the increase of alcohol and drug addiction. Addiction is another major role in homelessness as it causes more of a challenge to be able to rescue people from these poor conditions.
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Without a doubt, in recent years, the lack of affordable housing has been the leading agent in the overall homelessness of Americans (Pyschnet). For one who is already struggling as a lower-income person, the U.S. has no laws that provide any sort of assistance and the right to an even mediocre shelter is finite (niche). As a result, homelessness has not decreased and house affordability remains at critical levels. No one in the U.S can afford a one-bedroom apartment while gaining the minimum wage working full time and because of insufficient funding, only 25% of renters who qualify for the assistance receive it, thus adding to the risk of a potential foreclosure for not having sufficient funds for the mortgage (niche). In 2012, nearly 11 million people were recognized as low-income families and only half were eligible to continue paying off their homes as the construction of new homes and businesses increased the rent making it unaffordable for the families already residing there. So much of the expenses are focused toward the rent and the utilities of the house, that little to no money is left for other necessities such as gas or groceries, nonetheless luxuries (Campbell).
It should be noted, that between 2008 and 2009 there was a jump of about 32% in the amount of foreclosures that occurred ever since the start of the recession. Due to over 6 million jobs being lost, many families were forced to see themselves as either “partially” homeless or were forced back to relatives' homes which overflowed many households. The National Low Income Housing Coalition predicts that over 35% of families are facing this horrific experience and about 31-50$ are at risk of a certain foreclosure. The situation for many struggling families of low income is essentially that they are exposed to homelessness if they either get injured, have a sort of sickness, or are simply one paycheck away from seeing themselves living on the streets (National Homeless).
In the same way that affordable housing was a contributing factor to homelessness, drug and alcohol addiction also plays a major role in guiding one to the streets as substance abuse often leads the family to fight, disengage, and altogether fall apart.
Addictive disorders rip apart families and relationships with friends and usually cause one to lose their job which can then also lead to a deeper addiction making the challenge all that more difficult for people to intervene and make a difference (National Homeless). For example, a person who is currently striving and doing everything in their power to be on time with paying their mortgage but has an addiction can ultimately fail to pay and as a result, lose their home. In some cases, many people who abuse substances do it because they suffer from a mental illness and use that drug as a sort of “medicine”, thus making it very difficult for them to recover as they are faced with more obstacles and usually fall right back into their addiction since substance abuse is so widely used among the homeless. If homeless people end up having children, those children are also more likely to struggle in school to catch up, are more likely to abuse drugs due to growing up in a homeless family, or abuse (sexual, emotional, or physical) (addiction center).
In the United States, homelessness is an increasing problem mostly due to the lack of affordable housing and because of substance abuse. Drug addiction also goes hand in hand with poverty as poverty causes addiction and addiction also causes poverty. The simple of rising prices in places where homes were readily available, caused many families to face evictions and sadly live in the streets.
One solution that I think would help improve the current crisis is to protect homeless people from being evicted from properties that have been foreclosed and bought by new owners unless they have an adequate shelter or if they are causing a disturbance. That way homeless people do not have to struggle more than what they are already going through and will reduce the chances of them falling back directly into addiction as they are not being exposed to the street as often. Another way we can help prevent this crisis from increasing is to emphasize the need to permanently fund the National Housing Trust Fund for people with extremely low income and reduce the barriers that are preventing people from receiving house benefits (niche). I will utilize this research and statistics in my personal life by making sure that I avoid all and any aspects that might lead me to a drug addiction which can drag me down to poverty and always keep that notion of roughness and the cruelty one must go through when living in those certain types of situations as motivation to do better for myself and my family.
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