Main Causes of Homelessness

Our society has numerous amounts of homeless people wandering around in the streets. People aren’t born homeless but many factors could have led to their difference in lifestyles and lack of unstable shelter. Some of these reasons include: “lack of affordable housing, low paying jobs, substance abuse and lack of needed services, mental illness and lack of needed services, domestic violence, unemployment, poverty, prison release and re-entry into society, and change and cuts in public assistance.”

The lack of affordable housing plays a major role for the homeless rate in the United States. The availability of affordable housing decreases as the high cost of housing continues to increases due to the variation of the wealth and income of our nation.

Approximately one-third of the adult homeless population is mentally mental incompetent or disabled. There were 50,000 mentally ill in California that is homeless because they lack sufficient mental health care.

“In 1990 a study found that half of homeless women and children were fleeing abuse.” Those who suffer from sexual, physical and mental abuse tend to leave their household without a place to stay and struggle to establish a new residence.

Convicts who are discharged from prison have a tough time establishing residence because of the isolation from family and friends and the limited resources they have. It is also challenging for them to be employed because of their criminal record.

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