The Problem and Causes of Homelessness (Homelessness Part 1)

Hi. I’m Lone Candle.

THE PROBLEM

Over half a million people in the United States are homeless, and this count has been well over the half million mark for a long time. In 2007 over 647 thousand people were homeless. Fortunately, before Covid, that number was declining, but even so, as of 2019, 567,715 people were homeless. That number is likely a major undercount. The number could be well over two million because it’s hard to find every homeless person and officially count them.

The greatest impacts of homelessness are on the homeless themselves. They often sleep with a lack of comfort and an excess of filth, while being treated by passerbyers either as pariahs or like they don’t exist. Being without shelter can be hot, it can be cold, it can be hungry. It’s dangerous, as the homeless are vulnerable to theft, assaults, and rape. Not having the ability to take care of oneself is harmful to one’s mental well-being. We shouldn’t wish the psychological and physical effects of homelessness on anyone. Among people living in New York City shelters, the mortality rate is two to three times greater than the city’s general population.

Homelessness also affects society in a variety of ways.

Each nonworking homeless person is someone not being a productive member of society. They must live by begging, stealing, and charity, rather than productivity. Efforts to feed, shelter, and care for the homeless are expensive…