Summary: The Epidemic Of Homelessness

Homelessness in this country is unfortunately becoming a bigger issue every day. To me, it seems that ever since the economy went down more and more people are losing their homes and are unable to pay their bills, forcing them on to the streets and into shelters. Poverty is easily associated with homeless people and these people who are affected by this literally only have what is on their backs. I also believe that a strong epidemic of drug use fuels homelessness. In January of 2014 there was a reported 578,424 people experiencing homelessness in the United States. Of that number 216,197 were people in families and 326,163 were individuals. Nine percent of the homeless population are veterans (National Alliance to End Homelessness). When

I can attest that while it is an expensive county to live in, not everyone is not able to keep up. The real estate market can be quite absurd and unfortunately the rate of pay is just like anywhere else. I have found lately that while the cost of living continues to increase the rate of pay does not. Growing up I never really encountered a homeless person, or someone standing on the side of the road with a sign asking for money or food. Now I feel that I see it too often. I was leaving the local home depot recently and while I was pulling out of the parking lot there was a man standing next to his car with what I am assuming was one of his kids, holding a sign saying he lost his job and needed money to feed his family. My heart sank for him a bit, but I also tend to question if these people are telling the

It’s said that on any given night in January, one of the coldest months of the year there was roughly 4,000 people homeless in 2013 (Partnership for Strong Communities). There are many factors that play a role in homelessness. These factors range from losing a job, being an addict, having no family. Someone who decides to move thinking they can make it where they end up can lead to homelessness. No one wakes up and says “I want to be homeless”, its unfortunate circumstances that lead to these situations. Yes, people who are drug addicts’ maybe have a little bit more of a choice, but they are suffering from a disease that for some is not easy to walk away from. I think we need to start focusing on how we can help these individuals. I know many will say but we already do and it already costs our government lots of money. But if we can help someone while they are still in a temporary position then we can possibly interrupt the path towards a chronic situation. We especially need to find a focus on helping our veterans, but we also need to help everyone in the