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What Causes Homelessness In America Essay

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Causes of Homelessness in America
Homelessness in America is a serious problem and is on the rise. When a person is homeless it means they do not have a permanent home. It is estimated that 2.5 - 3.5 million Americans are homeless, most being men and children, and this number is growing (Homelessness in America, 2015). The main causes of homelessness are domestic violence, insufficient income and lack of housing. However there are many more reasons such as mental illness and substance abuse. Homeless people often sleep in shelters, transitional housing, or public places that are not meant for humans to live and sleep.
Domestic Violence is a sad situation for many families. Many battered women will not leave the person being violent because …show more content…

Many families are forced to live with other family members or friends just so they can pay their bills and not live on the street. There is only about one-half of low income rental properties per the amount of low income families that need housing. After paying rent, low income families have already spent 75% of their income. That doesn’t leave much for food, medicine or transportation (Homelessness in America, 2015).
Mental illness is another reason for homelessness. These people have a hard time finding and holding jobs. We see a lot of mental illness with our veterans. In 2014, 11% of the homeless adults were veterans (Homelessness in America, 2015). There are not enough programs to help transition our veterans back into society. Many are suffering from post traumatic stress disorder(PTSD) and there are very few programs to help them overcome this. If they were to try to get help on their own, it could be very costly.
Homelessness is a problem in America that needs to be addressed. We need to focus on the main causes and start programs that would seek these people out and help them. These people not only need shelter, but they also need permanent jobs. If they can find help with employment, there would be a greater chance of them finding permanent shelter. There are a few organizations that try to help, but we need many more to be

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