Annual Homelessness Assessment Paper

Henry, M. et al (2014). Annual Homeless Assessment report (AHAR) to Congress. The department of Housing and Urban Development.

This report highlights the numbers in detail in regard to the state of homelessness in California. The authors of this report have explained and provided point in time estimations of real state of homelessness in California. The main strategic plan is to prevent and end the chronic homelessness issue among families, youths, veterans and children. The actual survey is conducted in the month of January every year, then analyzed for presentation to the congress. This research was carried out in a span of one week to find out the real situation on the ground. The report gives an overview of how the issue is handled on

They attract a 69 per cent of the total number. Following demographics collected from the survey the age of most homeless is between 51-60 years that and 41-50 years that take 29% and 25% respectively. Report covers causes of homelessness to those affected. Some said they could not afford rent, lack of employment opportunities thus resulted to having no source of income. Some could not afford the moving charges that come with evictions thus opted to leave their possessions and live on the streets. Lack of availability of houses and others just state no

Following the aforementioned report, a conference by the mayors is conducted to find out more about the status of the cities. Under this particular conference, the survey too place in December 2008 with 25 cities under scrutiny. One of them being California.

In the report there is unmet needs for shelter as the demand for shelter surpasses the capacity to accommodate people on certain nights. For this reason most cities have set up policies to encourage increment of bed capacity especially periods when the demand is high. The prevalence of homelessness in California seems to be increasing by the day as a result of several reasons, which were explored. To some level it is believed that homelessness does not just occur overnight, rather some people become homeless as a result of a short life crisis that befell them and not as their chosen way of life.

Of the total number of homeless, some exhibited characters that were severely mentally disabled. Some were victims of domestic violence especially women thus opted to go to the streets for safety. Others were physically disable, unemployed, veterans also fell in this category as well as a small percentage of HIV positive