Homelessness Causes Essay Example For Students

Homelessness Causes Essay Being homeless is often defined as sleeping on the streets. Although thisis the most visible and severe form of homelessness, there are many other typesof acute housing need. These include living in temporary accommodation, poor orovercrowded conditions, or being in mortgage arrears and under threat ofre-possession. (Hope 1986) It is a symptom of many complex problems:mental illness, emotional instability, illiteracy, chronic substance abuse,unemployment, and, most basic of all, breakdown of the family structure. Anyonecan become homeless and the reasons that force people into homelessness are manyand varied. The leading cause, however, of homelessness in the United States isthe inability of poor people to afford housing. Housing costs have risensignificantly over the last decade, while the incomes of poor and middle-classAmericans have stagnated. (Erickson 1991) The millions of Americans whoare unemployed or work in low-paying jobs are among the most vulnerable tobecoming homeless. Therefore, homelessness, housing and income are inextricablylinked. Low-income people are frequently unable to pay for housing, food,child-care, health care, and education. Difficult choices must be made whenlimited resources cover only some of these necessities. Often it is housing,which takes a high proportion of income that must be dropped. Two major sourcesof income are from employment and public assistance. A decrease in either one ofthem would certainly put poor people at risk of homelessness. Additionally,minimum wage earnings no longer lift families above the poverty line. Morethan 3 million poor Americans spend more than half of their total income onhousing, yet the Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates familiesshould spend no more than 30%. (Gilbert 1993) Although many homelessadults are employed, they work in day-labor jobs that do not meet basic needs,while technological acceleration excludes others from a competitive job market. Many factors have contributed to declining work opportunities for large segmentsof the workforce, including the loss of well-paying manufacturing jobs. Thedecline in relatively secure and well-paying jobs in manufacturing, which havebeen replaced by less secure and poorly-paid jobs in the service sector, hasgreatly limited the opportunities for poorly-educated and low-skilled segmentsof the population. This transformation has led to an unprecedented incidence ofchronic unemployment and underemployment. (Hardin 1996) Underemployment isan especially useful measure of the decline in secure jobs since, unlike theunemployment rate, measures of underemployment reflect not only individuals whoare unemployed, but also involuntary part-timers and those who have given upseeking work. (Hardin 1996) In addition to increasing underemployment,an estimated 29.4% of the workforce are employed in nonstandard workarrangements (Economic Policy Institute, 1997) for example, independentcontracting, work ing for a temporary help agency, day labor, and regularpart-time employment. These kinds of work arrangements typically offer lowerwages, fewer benefits, and less job security. As recently as 1967, ayear-round worker earning the minimum wage was paid enough to raise a family ofthree above the poverty line (Sklar, 1995). From 1981-1990, however,the minimum wage was frozen at $3.35 an hour, while the cost of livingincreased 48% over the same period. Congress raised the minimum wage to $5.15per hour in 1996. This increase made up only slightly more than half of theground lost to inflation in the 1980s (Shapiro, 1995b). Thus, full-timeyear-round minimum-wage earnings currently not equal to the estimated povertyline for a family of three. Unsurprisingly, the decline in the value of theminimum wage has been accompanied by an increase in the number of people earningpoverty-level wages and the declining wages have put housing out of reach formany workers: in every state. Slashed public assi stance has also left manypeople homeless or at risk of homelessness. Replacement of the Aid toFamilies with Dependent Children (AFDC) entitlement program a program that wasalready inadequate in meeting the needs of families with the non-entitlementblock rant program will significantly increased the risk of homelessness formany Americans. (Foscarinas 1996) Furthermore, earned income and assetlimitations discourage individuals and families from breaking the cycle ofhomelessness and extreme poverty. Several states have terminated or reducedpublic assistance and food stamps for individuals, while Social SecurityIncome (SSI) is inadequate and sometimes impossible to obtain for disabledindividuals. (Foscarinas 1996) As a result, the number of poor Americansis growing and the poor are getting poorer. Across America, there has been asubstantial decline in the number of housing units that low-income people andthose in need of shelter assistance can afford. Those losses have resultedprimar ily from downtown urban renewal, gentrification, abandonment, and suburbanland use controls. The elimination and reduction of federal low income housingprograms has also dramatically reduced the supply of affordable shelter. the imortance of diversity in an organization Essay Several states have terminated or reduced public assistance and food stamps for individuals, while Social Security Income (SSI) is inadequate and sometimes impossible to obtain for disabled individuals. (Foscarinas 1996) As a result, the number of poor Americans is growing and the poor are getting poorer. Across America, there has been a substantial decline in the number of housing units that low-income people and those in need of shelter assistance can afford. Those losses have .