Common Causes Of Youth Homelessness example essay topic

Statistics documenting the extent and causes of homelessness vary widely. There is no easy answer to how many people are homeless. Some experts in the field assert there are two broad categories of homelessness which sometime overlap. The first category, episodic homelessness, refers to people who are temporarily homeless because of extreme poverty. Oftentimes, they are homeless for brief periods of time. The chronically homeless, who compromise the second category, are those for whom homelessness has become a way of life.

However, there are infinite causes that lead to homelessness. (Hurley 9) Low wages and limited employment opportunities are definitely contributing factors. One out of five homeless Americans do work either part time or full time. Minimum wage puts housing out of reach for employees because income is not sufficient to afford basic family needs.

For example, under the current minimum wage, income earned by a full time worker is 85% of the estimated poverty line for a family of three. In contrast, as recently as 1967 a person working full time at minimum wage earned enough to raise a family of three well above the poverty line. In 1996, congress raised the minimum wage from $3.35 to $5.15 an hour. This has made only a slight difference in comparison to the inflation of the 1980's. In every state, more than minimum wage is needed to allow a family to afford a one or two bedroom apartment at Fair Market Rent.

According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, in a medium state a minimum wage 2 worker would have to work 83 hours per week to afford a two bedroom apartment at 30% of their income, the federal definition of affordable housing. The U.S. department of Labor recently reported, from 1983 to 1996 workers in the bottom one-tenth of the workforce lost 93 cents per hour while highly paid gained $1.73 per hour. The high-tech industry has created many new jobs paying high salaries, resulting in a decline in job opportunities for low-skilled workers. Because of this, we have seen an unprecedented incidence of chronic unemployment and underemployment.

Transportation has also become a barrier to employment because low-income workers have limited resources to get to those higher paying entry-level positions in the suburbs where the job growth is most rapid. For individuals with children, childcare is another obstacle. Only 10% of the families who qualify for federal childcare receive assistance. An average American family pays 7% of income to childcare, as opposed to the 25% paid by low-income families. (Molloy 55-58) Further complicating the problem of low wages and job opportunities is the lack of affordable housing. It is nearly impossible to get a job without having a permanent residence, address, and phone number.

Getting a permanent address requires steady income; usually from a job. In 1997, the U.S. Conference of Mayors conducted a study of the status of hunger and homelessness. They found that housing applicants wait an average of 19 months to receive assistance, and applicants for Section 8 housing programs was so long the cities stopped accepting applications. (Burleson 63-67) On any given night, it is estimated at least 600,000 people are homeless. Of those, approximately 200,000 are mentally ill. They are among the poorest people in our nation, earning or receiving in Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and other benefits an average annual 3 income of $4,200.

Most would like to work, but this population faces the highest barriers to employment. One half of the mentally ill suffer from drug and alcohol abuse, and many use these substances as a means of self-medication. Approximately 4% to 14% of adults in homeless shelters have been in a mental hospital. They are the most susceptible to violent crimes. However, many mentally ill homeless also encounter the criminal justice system as offenders, arrested for trespassing, petty theft, shoplifting and prostitution. They often face stigmas associated with their illness and discrimination by potential landlords and neighbors.

Substance abuse is yet another cause of homelessness. Addiction both precipitates and sustains homelessness. Alcohol abuse is a common stereotyped cause of homelessness, although this is usually a result of homelessness. One third or 33.3% of homeless suffer from alcoholism. Ten percent abuse other substances. The highest percentages of abusers are minority men, then black women, and white men.

Homeless drug users tend to be younger and are more likely to be Black or Hispanic. There was an increase in the number of homeless, crack-dependent women with children. The mid 80's boom of crack helped to increase these numbers. Twenty-five to ninety percent of street children have developed some form of substance abuse, starting as early as five years old. It is difficult to remain sober without stable economic security, without a place to live, and without medical care. Housing programs often reject substance abusers.

(Substance Abuse and Homelessness 78-83) Homelessness is often caused by circumstances beyond our control, but others choose homelessness as a permanent lifestyle. In an article entitled, "Help the Needy-Boot the Greedy" a viewpoint of voluntary homelessness is explored. The author states, "They have their own rules, protocols, and street justice. As individuals and as a nation, we pride ourselves in helping 4 others.

However, street people care for each other and share with each other because each knows the special horror of going without. In Escondido the highest concentration of the hardcore is in the vicinity of Mission Ave. and Rock Springs Road. It's perfect. Apartment and motel dumpsters galore, recycling centers, two "cheap" liquor stores, nice grocery stores, fast food dumpsters, a floppy motel, and some great hiding places.

It just doesn't get any better for those who don't care about themselves or society". He suggests " we ignore sign holders and report panhandlers to business owners, require fast food vendors to keep dumpsters locked (those big green piggy banks that hold the key to Pandora's box), and stake out liquor stores that are breaking the law by selling booze to known street drunks". (Klug 59-62) Domestic violence and explosive family conflict is also a main cause of homelessness, which may directly result in poverty. A group of collective surveys conducted in the mid-eighties, assessed that 78 to 90% of the homeless population was considered to be Caucasian, single men, under 40 and with a high school diploma.

(Anderson and Snow 32-33) However, some recent surveys suggest there has been a shift in the homeless population. As of 2000, the National Coalition for the homeless stated 1.35 million U.S. children are homeless on any given night. They also released statistics saying the average age of a homeless person is nine years old. (HELP USA) The most common combination of reasons is mothers fleeing an abusive situation with their children, internal family conflict, and living in substandard conditions. However, poverty also traps families in neighborhoods with more gang activity, drug dealing, and violence.

So biological families compete and often lose to alternative families (gangs) and fast money (drug dealing). This is increasingly true in families from less affluent nations. (Cwayna 31) Most common causes of youth homelessness are related to symptomatically dysfunctional families, 5 usually where abuse, chemical dependency and / or neglect are common. In a report prepared for the U.S. Senate on the youth served under the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act in 1999, twenty six percent of homeless youth and twenty nine percent of runaways reported physical or sexual abuse. (Cwayna 21) Some people may be rendered homeless by mass disasters such as earthquakes, floods, fires, or tornadoes. The homeless street people are mostly perceived as homeless by virtue of their own imperfections or moral failings.

Women and families are viewed of most agencies, and individuals who tend to treat homeless men as less worthy or deserving. (Anderson and Snow 9) Society continues to search and debate the cause of homelessness. Homelessness has been a problem throughout our nation's history. Hopefully, society can one day stop history from repeating itself.

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