Abileni Orozco

Ms. Frank
Senior Capstone, Period 8
April 1, 2014
Helpin t!e Ho"eless
#!ere is an esti"ated n$"ber o% abo$t 100 "illion !o"eless people aro$nd
t!e &orld and '(,84) in t!e *nited States alone. Ho"elessness is "ainl+ ca$sed
b+ traic li%e occ$rrences like t!e loss o% lo,ed ones, -ob loss, do"estic ,iolence,
di,orce and %a"il+ disp$tes, depression, $ntreated "ental illness, post tra$"atic
stress disorder, and p!+sical disabilities are also responsible %or a lare portion
o% t!e !o"eless.. /e probabl+ don0t notice t!is, b$t !o"elessness is a bi iss$e
especiall+ in t!e *nited States. .#!ere is a c!ild bein born into po,ert+ e,er+ 11
seconds and 422 o% t!ese !o"eless c!ildren are $nder t!e ae o% 3.4 #!e &orst
part abo$t t!is is t!at t!e a"o$nt o% !o"eless people increases b+ )2 e,er+
+ear. Ho"elessness is pri"aril+ an econo"ic proble" .Ho"elessness in
A"erica 5 6ational Coalition %or t!e Ho"eless4. #!ere are "ainl+ t&o t!ins
bein done to sol,e t!is proble". Pro,idin lon5ter" a%%ordable !o$sin
assistance to !o"eless %a"ilies red$ces %a"il+ !o"elessness. Per"anent
s$pporti,e !o$sin co"bines a%%ordable !o$sin assistance &it! s$pport
ser,ices %or indi,id$als li,in &it! "ental illness, H789A7:S, or ot!er serio$s
!ealt! proble"s, and t!is en!ances !o$sin stabilit+ %or indi,id$als and %a"ilies
&it! special needs. 7% t!ere is not!in bein done to pre,ent t!e !o"eless t!en
t!e n$"ber is -$st oin to increase "ore and "ore; People "a+ not see
!o"eless as a bi deal b$t once t!e n$"bers et !i!er and t!ere are "ore
Abileni Orozco
Ms. Frank
Senior Capstone, Period 8
April 1, 2014
people o$t in t!e streets t!en it &ill beco"e a <real= proble" to societ+. Action
needs to be taken to eli"inate !o"elessness be%ore it is too late.
#!ere are "ore t!an !al% t!e !o"eless are %a"ilies &it! c!ildren. #!e
"a-orit+ o% t!ese people !a,e been !o"eless all t!eir li%e. So"eti"es t!ere are
certain e,ents or series o% e,ents t!at &ere $ne>pected and $nplanned %or, t!is
leads to bein econo"icall+ $nstable. Ho"elessness is pri"aril+ t!e res$lt o%
"a-or tra$"atic e,ents or p!+sical and "ental disabilities. #!ese people do not
c!oose to be !o"eless. #!e+ are !o"eless beca$se t!e+ cannot a%%ord to pa+
rent or "aintain a -ob. #!e ones listed abo,e are -$st a co$ple o% reasons.
#!ere are "an+ top ca$ses o% !o"elessness in A"erica. #!e 1 "ain top
reasons to beco"e !o"eless are bein disabled, "ental iss$es and %inancial
iss$es. Ho"elessness res$lts %ro" a co"ple> set o% circ$"stances t!at re?$ire
people to c!oose bet&een %ood, s!elter, and ot!er basic needs. Onl+ a concerted
e%%ort to ens$re -obs t!at pa+ a li,in &ae, ade?$ate s$pport %or t!ose &!o
cannot &ork, a%%ordable !o$sin, and access to !ealt! care &ill brin an end to
!o"elessness
@ein disabled is one o% t!e "ain ca$ses o% !o"elessness. :r$9Alco!ol
addiction and "ental illness bot! %all in t!e cateor+ %or t!is top ca$se o%
!o"elessness. 7% +o$ are disabled it is !ard %or +o$ to &ork and be econo"icall+
stable. #!e relations!ip bet&een addiction and !o"elessness is contro,ersial.
Abileni Orozco
Ms. Frank
Senior Capstone, Period 8
April 1, 2014
/!ile rates o% alco!ol and dr$ ab$se are increasin a"on t!e !o"eless
pop$lation, t!e increase in !o"elessness o,er t!e past t&o decades cannot be
e>plained b+ addiction alone. Man+ people &!o are addicted to alco!ol and
dr$s ne,er beco"e !o"eless, b$t people &!o are poor and addicted are clearl+
at increased risk o% !o"elessness. 7% +o$ do not treat in +o$r addiction t!ere is
"ore c!ances o% +o$ endin $p on t!e streets. Ho"eless people o%ten %ace
di%%ic$lt barriers to obtainin !ealt! care, incl$din addicti,e disorder treat"ent
ser,ices and reco,er+ s$pports.
Appro>i"atel+ 132 o% t!e sinle ad$lt !o"eless pop$lation s$%%ers %ro"
so"e %or" o% se,ere and s$stainable "ental illness .*.S. Con%erence o% Ma+ors,
200'4. #!e n$"ber o% se,erel+ "entall+ ill people a"on t!e !o"eless
pop$lation increases. Accordin to t!e 2001 *.S. :epart"ent o% Healt! and
H$"an Ser,ices Aeport, "ost !o"eless persons &it! "ental illness do not need
to be instit$tionalized, b$t can li,e in t!e co""$nit+ &it! t!e appropriate
s$pporti,e !o$sin options. Ho&e,er, "an+ "entall+ ill !o"eless people are
$nable to obtain access to s$pporti,e !o$sin and ot!er treat"ent ser,ices. #!e
"ental !ealt! s$pport ser,ices incl$de case "anae"ent, !o$sin, and
treat"ent.
#!e "a-orit+ o% t!e !o"eless people t!at &e see in t!e streets are "ost
likel+ "entall+ or p!+sicall+ disabled. All t!ese people &ant is to et a !o"e and
Abileni Orozco
Ms. Frank
Senior Capstone, Period 8
April 1, 2014
"edical !elp %ro" t!e p$blic. #!e+ tr+ to seek %or ans&ers and !elp b$t no one
&ants to !elp t!e" beca$se o% t!eir conditions. :isabled and "entall+ ill people
are no !ar". #!ose are t!e "ain people t!at s!o$ld o&n a stable !o"e.
@ein disabled !as a !$e correlation bet&een !o"eless people, "akin t!is
iss$e t!e "a-or ca$se o% !o"elessness.
Po,ert+ is anot!er top ca$se o% !o"elessness. Ho"elessness and
po,ert+ are linked. Poor people are %re?$entl+ $nable to pa+ %or !o$sin, %ood,
c!ildcare, !ealt! care, and ed$cation. :i%%ic$lt c!oices "$st be "ade &!en
li"ited reso$rces co,er onl+ so"e o% t!ese necessities, and "ost o% t!e ti"e it is
!o$sin. #!is c!oice takes a !i! proportion o% inco"e. 7% +o$ are poor, +o$ are
essentiall+ "ost likel+ to et an illness, be in an accident, or a pa+c!eck a&a+
%ro" li,in on t!e streets.
7n 200(, 12.'2 o% t!e *.S. pop$lation, or 1(,100,00 "illion people, li,ed in
po,ert+. #!e o%%icial po,ert+ rate in 200( &as not statisticall+ di%%erent t!an 2003
.*.S. @$rea$ o% t!e Cens$s, 200(4.@et&een 2010 and 2011, t!e national po,ert+
rate increased %ro" 1'.12 to 1'.)2. #!is represents an al"ost '2 increase in
t!e n$"ber o% persons li,in in po,ert+B "ore t!an 48 "illion people &ere li,in
in po,ert+ in 2011.
Abileni Orozco
Ms. Frank
Senior Capstone, Period 8
April 1, 2014
As po,ert+ increases t!en !o"elessness &ill increase as &ell. @ein
!o"eless and not bein econo"icall+ stable oes !and in !and. Po,ert+ is not
onl+ increasin in t!e *nited States b$t in ot!er co$ntries as &ell. /e need to %i>
o$r econo"+ so &e co$ld !elp b$ild "ore !o"es and "ake t!e" c!eaper in
order %or t!e !o"eless n$"bers to red$ce.
Man+ people sa+ !o"elessness is ca$sed b+ c!oice b$t t!at is not tr$e.
#!ere is no one in t!is &orld t!at c!ooses to be !o"elessness. 7t !appens
beca$se o% t!e ,ario$s reasons stated. People do not c!oose to be !o"eless.
6obod+ likes to be o$t in t!e streets riskin t!eir li,es e,er+ ni!t. People s!o$ld
!elp instead o% bein inorant and start -$din.
#!e "ain ca$ses o% !i! n$"bers o% !o"eless people in t!e &orld are also
d$e to econo"+. #!e %astest ro&in !o"eless ro$p in t!e *nited States is
%a"ilies &it! c!ildren. Co&5&ae &orkers in partic$lar !a,e !i!er c!ances o%
beco"in !o"eless. 7% "ini"$" &ae keeps oin do&n t!en t!ere &ill be a
decline in "an$%act$rin -obs and nonstandard &ork, s$c! as te"porar+ and
part5ti"e e"plo+"ent. #o keep t!is %ro" !appenin, Conress !as planned a
"ini"$" &ae increase, raisin it to D).'0. :eclinin &aes !a,e p$t !o$sin
as not e,en an option %or "an+ &orkers. 7n e,er+ state, "ore t!an t!e "ini"$"
&ae is re?$ired to a%%ord a one5 or t&o5bedroo" apart"ent at a %air rent. A
recent *.S. Con%erence o% Ma+ors report stated t!at in e,er+ state "ore t!an t!e
Abileni Orozco
Ms. Frank
Senior Capstone, Period 8
April 1, 2014
"ini"$"5&ae is re?$ired to a%%ord a one or t&o5bedroo" apart"ent at 102 o%
!is or !er inco"e, &!ic! is t!e %ederal de%inition o% a%%ordable !o$sin.
*n%ort$natel+, %or 12 "illion A"ericans, "ore t!en '02 o% t!eir salaries o
to&ards rentin or !o$sin costs, res$ltin in sacri%ices in ot!er essential areas
like !ealt! care and sa,ins.
#!e connection bet&een lo& inco"e &orkers and !o"elessness can be
seen in !o"eless s!elters. Ele,en o$t o% nineteen cities reported an increased in
e"plo+ed !o"eless people. /it! $ne"plo+"ent rates re"ainin !i!, -obs are
!ard to %ind in t!e c$rrent econo"+. E,en i% people can %ind &ork, t!is does not
a$to"aticall+ pro,ide an escape %ro" po,ert+.
Ho"elessness is t+picall+ a res$lt o% an econo"ic crisis, &!ic! co$ld be
ca$sed b+ "an+ t!ins like loss o% a -ob, !o$sin5related costs, a relations!ip
endin or %a"il+ break5$p, s$dden illness, s$bstance ab$se, and se,ere and
persistent "ental illness.Help t!e &orld b+ !elpin t!e !o"eless. #!ere are
c!ildren and ,eterans sleepin in t!e streets e,er+ ni!t. One t!in &e can do to
!elp t!e !o"eless &o$ld be to in%or" t!e" abo$t !o"eless s!elters and
,ol$nteer &!ene,er &e can.
Ho"elessness is increasin b+ 82 e,er+ +ear. #!ere are 310,042 people
e>periencin !o"elessness e,er+ ni!t in t!e *nited States and o% t!at n$"ber,
222,1)( are people in %a"ilies, and 18(,84' are indi,id$als. Ho"elessness
Abileni Orozco
Ms. Frank
Senior Capstone, Period 8
April 1, 2014
keeps ro&in and &e need to stop it. Abo$t ) percent o% !o"eless ad$lts,
'(,84) are ,eterans. /e are lea,in people t!at %o$!t %or o$r co$ntr+ o$t in t!e
cold streets. 6ot onl+ is !o"eless increasin e,er+ +ear b$t so is t!e a"o$nt o%
,eterans and disabled people. Help t!e people t!at +o$ can and lead t!e" to t!e
nearest !o"eless s!elter. O%%er t!e" a &ar" blanket or so"e &ater instead o%
"one+. /it! t!e "one+ +o$ i,e t!e" &ill probabl+ %ollo& t!eir addiction. #!e
"a-orit+ o% t!ese people !a,e been !o"eless all t!eir li%e. So"eti"es t!ere are
certain e,ents or series o% e,ents t!at &ere $ne>pected and $nplanned %or, t!is
leads to bein econo"icall+ $nstable.
Abileni Orozco
Ms. Frank
Senior Capstone, Period 8
April 1, 2014
FHo"eAid.F HomeAid. 6.p., n.d. /eb. 1( Apr. 2014.
FHo"eless People G Ho"elessness .Ho$seless G Ho$selessness4.F Homeless
People & Homelessness (Houseless & Houselessness). 6.p., n.d. /eb. 1( Apr.
2014.
FHo"eless Statistics.F Shelter 20. 6.p. FHo"eless 7nternational.F Transforming Slums
in Africa and Asia -. 6.p., n.d. /eb. 1( Apr. 2014., n.d. /eb. 1( Apr. 2014.
FHo"elessness 9 Po,ert+ Stats.F Statistic Brain RSS. 6.p., n.d. /eb. 14 Apr. 2014.
FHo"elessness in A"erica 5 6ational Coalition %or t!e Ho"eless.F ational !oalition
Abileni Orozco
Ms. Frank
Senior Capstone, Period 8
April 1, 2014
for the Homeless
FO,er,ie& o% Ho"elessness 7n A"erica.F Homelessness "n America. 6.p., n.d. /eb.
13 Apr. 2014.
F#!e State o% Ho"elessness in A"erica 2011.F ational Alliance to #nd
Homelessness$. 6.p., n.d. /eb. 13 Apr. 2014.
Homelessness in America !omments. 6.p., n.d. /eb. 13 Apr. 2014.