HOMELESS IN AMERICA

HOMELESS IN AMERICA
A homeless person (homelessness) is one who lacks a fixed permanent nighttime residence, or whose nighttime residence is a temporary shelter, welfare hotel, or any public or private place not designed as sleeping accommodations for human beings.
There are several factors that contribute towards increase of homelessness in America, these factors are;
Poverty is considered the main and largest contribution of homelessness. Poverty is the part and parcel of every society. To be poor means to lack the basic necessities. Once it strikes it is unstoppable and inevitable and drives that drove many people out in the streets around the globe. It is believed that the number in poverty is intensifying day by day. How to hamper it is yet unknown to the world.
It was estimated that in 2000, 11.3 % of the U.S population lived below the line of poverty. Of those number children ranked as the highest individuals who are homeless. The trend continued to increase even further. In 2004, 12.7% of U.S population or 36 million people live in poverty in a nation that’s considered one of the richest in the world.
It is believed that so called welfare is not providing the necessary benefit to those families who are in need. Fewer people are receiving assistance which doesn’t meet their needs. For instance in 1996, the well known public assistance Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) changed to Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) to stabilize family situation but to no avail. The TANF benefits and Food Stamps all together were not sufficient.
The majority of those people are affected families headed by single mothers. To support their children these mothers must have enough resources, but the welfare gives them less than they need. Because of this, 20% of those families have no options but to become homeless in America.
Homelessness occurs as a result of failing to pay rent. This happens when an individual works but earns less than required or the person is fired from a job he/she is depended on. Most of the time, these people live in the cities and the bills are high and they get evicted if they don’t pay their rent on time. Even though the government has provided some shelters for homeless people, overcrowding forces many individuals to live in the streets.
Some people lose their homes due to destruction in nature. The natural disaster causes the greatest loss to many people. It may even cost their lives. People, who remain homeless in the aftermath of the disaster, end up in unsafe places. They don’t have insurance to reconstruct their homes because they cannot afford insurance at all or can't move to new areas. So to make the ends meet, they live wherever they can find shelter, a good example is what happened in New Orleans Louisiana 2005 after the hurricane strike Gulf of Mexico as a result of it a big number of people became Homeless.


Solutions to Homelessness in America
So far the U.S has improved its homelessness status, but more needs to be done. We have institutions like Section 8 and Welfare, which offer financial plans. What these financial planners do is construct a minimum payment so that those without jobs can have financial security as well as shelter where they can live. There are other organizations such as the Red Cross, Salvation Army, and Care that help with materialistic items, such as clothes, house hold materials, and other items used for hygiene purposes. Anyone can donate clothes; can foods, and learning materials there. It is great that these resources are available, but it does not fix being homeless it just gives them enough to get by. What our nation needs is something that will bring a lasting solution for homelessness and poverty.
Ways to End Poverty
A way to end poverty in our nation is to increase economic growth. This is basically having more jobs be available to the unfortunate. America is under a high amount of debt; therefore increasing cash flow throughout the nation is beneficial for both the shareholders and the nation as a whole. The high rate of poverty has been one of the results of a weakening American economy, with a debt of 43 trillion dollars. Most of the nation is poor because of the lack of financial education. Also, by not knowing how to read and understand rates, mortgages and taxes.
Education
In addition to economic growth, education is also an important factor in solving the homeless problem in America. Everyone should be required to at least have a high school diploma. For those who have not graduated, drop-outs, or those in other situations, there could be resources to allow finishing their education. Research shows that education allows people to get better jobs.