reasons causing homeless in the United States

reasons causing homeless in the United States

Homeless people are those who do not have a permanent, safe, or appropriate home to reside. They live in the streets as rough sleepers, often begging for favors from passersby. Several factors contribute to homelessness. Initially, demographic factors, including race, age, and gender, play a pivotal role in the issue of homelessness. In the United States, due to discrimination and social injustices, such people as Native Americans, Pacific Islanders, and the blacks fill in most cities of the country. Besides, men and boys are most represented in the streets as rough sleepers compared to women and girls. Moreover, studies reveal that most people sleeping on the roads are of middle age, mainly due to lack of employment.

Many reasons cause homeless in the United States. Firstly, unemployment and poverty is the leading cause of homelessness globally. Specifically, this affects the youths who, after finishing their education start to find life difficult hence fleeing to the streets. Notably, poverty limits a person’s ability to secure a suitable home, healthcare, education, and proper food. Consequently, such people live in the streets where they incur no cost for a livelihood. Secondly, mentally ill people who lack family support and rehabilitative care are filling major cities in the United States. Finally, domestic violence affects girls, women, and children who later ran to the streets for safety.

Remarkably, homelessness influences the social and economic status of a country. Homelessness affects a country’s competitive power due to the enormous capitals the government spends on the homeless. Montgomery claims that feeding, educating, and housing the homeless is a hefty investment for the government to afford (505-514). Noteworthy, street children and the mentally ill people commit vices in the society such as thievery, which drain people socially.

In the streets, homeless people are exposed to a broad range of diseases, both chronic and acute, that affect their physical and mental wellbeing. Significantly, the homeless are vulnerable, stressed, and depressed people, a state that affects their mental, emotional, and physical health. Young girls and women suffer from rape, which not only affects their mental health but also exposes them to HIV/AIDS. Such diseases as chronic schizophrenia and skin conditions are rampant to this group of people.

Remarkably, operational laws, programs, and organizations work to resolve the issue of homelessness. Organizations, including Goodwill and Mercy Housing, have different functions and administrations, but they serve to resolve the issue of homelessness. On the note, Mercy Housing focuses on providing safe and permanent house for every homeless person. Contrariwise, Goodwill aims at creating job opportunities that assist in eliminating poverty, which is directly linked to homelessness. The two organizations are effective in promoting social justice and promoting equality.

Goodwill is more effective at resolving homelessness compared to Mercy Housing. Goodwill is designed for providing opportunities for employment, which prevents homelessness. Therefore, I would choose Goodwill to offer sustainable solutions that solve homelessness in every country.

Arguably, naysayers claim that it is irrelevant to feed and support the homeless for various reasons. Mainly, such people argue that it is their choice to stay in the streets, and providing them with a home is useless. Some people claim that it is relevant to give them food and other gifts, but they do not deserve a home. Skeptical ideas maintain that street people belong to the streets and they should remain there. I find the claims to be faulty; it is critical to offer housing to the homeless to save them from cold and other diseases that are likely to affect them. They deserve support and care, as well as a therapeutic intervention. Overall, homelessness is an aspect of social injustice that calls for government intervention to resolve the tragedy.