Cause of Homelessness in New York
Walking along the busy streets of New York, it is easy to come along a homeless person asking for a chance to buy foodstuff. Homelessness has become a rising issue in major cities in the world, and New York City is not exceptional. New York City is one of the most populous cities in the world, and the issue of homelessness has been on a steady increase in recent times. Homelessness can be defined as the condition where one is unable to afford the proper standards of housing or living below the minimum standards of accommodation. As a social problem, homelessness is a complex social issue that is brought about by underlying factors of social and economic factors such as poverty, sexual orientation and preference, and mental and psychological health. New York City is one of the most expensive cities to live in, and as many such people cannot afford housing or rent to live in the houses in the city. Apart from the lack of permanent housing and food, access to medical services proves to be a challenge for homeless people. Although homelessness is a complex social problem, the state and national governments can intervene to help homeless people find permanent housing that is safe for them as well as have access to medical attention.
Homelessness is a serious issue that needs to be addressed as soon as possible because of its rate of rising. One of the leading causes of homelessness is poverty and lack of income to afford a decent and stable home. New York City is quite expensive, and many people are unable to keep up with the rent rates in many of the residential areas in the city. Thus, many families are left to move to the streets and homeless shelters that are based around the city. However, these homeless shelters are overpopulated and lack adequate resources to satisfy their needs. Access to medical services is one of the underlying challenges that homeless people face. Access to medical services itself is expensive and can be viewed as one of the causes of homelessness. According to an article by Salit and her colleagues, “hospitalization costs that may be associated with homelessness itself” (1). The high cost of medical services can be attributed to why people decide to become homeless. After being discharged from the hospital, they cannot afford the cost of treatment and end up spending most of their life savings to settle hospital bills; thus, they end up homeless since they cannot afford rent.
The New York state government and the federal government intervention could help resolve the complex social issue of homelessness in the city could be solved. Homelessness in New York has been on the rise over the years due to various issues such as poverty, lack of income, and high cost of medical services. The government’s intervention is a necessary service that could help solve the issue of homelessness. Providing cheap housing units could help settle homeless people who are unable to pay the high rent experienced in New York City. Another possible solution would be to provide cheap and affordable housing for people to afford to pay the hospital bills. Lastly, the government to increase employment opportunities for the homeless to earn an income to change their lives. I believe that the partnership between the state and nation governments would help remedy the issue.
Work Cited
Salit, Sharon A., et al. “Hospitalization costs associated with homelessness in New York City.” New England Journal of Medicine 338.24 (1998): 1734-1740.