In the present day and throughout history, homelessness and poverty have always been a highly crucial issues in almost every society across the globe that cannot stay unnoticeable. According to the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty (2015), every year, “at least 2.5 to 3.5 million Americans sleep in shelters, transitional housing, and public places not meant for human habitation” (p. 1). In addition, approximately 7.4 million people have already lost their homes due to financial straits and economic necessity and are currently doubled-up with others (National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, 2015).
Despite the fact that these numbers are constantly growing, it is hard to define the real scope of this problem partly due to the absence of a single commonly accepted definition of homelessness.
Over the last several decades, the majority of researchers have focused on people who are staying in homeless shelters or simply living on the streets and other public spaces to define and capture homelessness (O’Donnell, 2020). At the same time, a substantial number of specialists subsequently suggested to consider more factors and reasons that may lead to homelessness and review this phenomenon’s definition. Thus, according to the European Typology of Homelessness and Housing Exclusion (ETHOS), homelessness is additionally constituted by the terms of “rooflessness” and “housing exclusion” (O’Donnell, 2020). Specifically, people who are supposed to experience “rooflessness” stay in shelters or another supported accommodation or are released from prisons and other types of institutional facilities (O’Donnell, 2020). In turn, “housing exclusion” means that people stay in inadequate or insecure accommodation, such as violent or crowded dwellings and mobile homes.
Moreover, in the present day, homelessness is divided into chronic, transitional, and episodic on the basis of a period during which people stay homeless (National Coalition of the Homeless, n.d.). For chronically homeless individuals, shelters are long-term housing and not an emergency arrangement. People with substance abuse problems and disabilities traditionally consist of this population group. Transitional homelessness implies people’s stay in shelters for one time and for a short period of time (National Coalition of the Homeless, n.d.). In the majority of cases, transitional homeless citizens are young individuals who were forced to stay in homeless shelters by some catastrophic events before moving to more stable housing. Finally, episodically homeless people shuttle in and out of this condition (National Coalition of the Homeless, n.d.). They are frequently chronically unemployed and may have mental health, substance abuse, and medical problems.
In general, a lack of affordable housing and housing assistance programs’ limited scale may be regarded as essential factors of homelessness. According to The National Low Income Housing Coalition, housing wage substantially exceeds the hourly wage of an average renter (National Coalition of the Homeless, n.d.). Other essential factors that may lead to homelessness include limited access to affordable health care, mental disorders, domestic violence, and various addictions. However, poverty may be regarded as the major reason that is intrinsically connected with homelessness.
Poor people frequently become homeless due to their limited resources. They cannot pay for all basic needs, including food, housing, education, health care, and childcare. Choosing what necessities to cover, poor individuals may drop housing as it traditionally absorbs a substantial part of income. Poverty is the main reason for the homelessness of children and adolescents, along with abuse and family conflicts (Embleton et al., 2016). The United States Census Bureau states that in 2016, the national poverty rate was 12.7% – in other words, there were more than 40 million people living in poverty (National Coalition of the Homeless, n.d.). It goes without saying that in the present day, the number of poor citizens has increased due to difficult economic conditions caused by the spread of the coronavirus. The main factors that contribute to the increase of poverty rates are a lack of available public assistance from the government and an absence of employment opportunities. At the same time, even if an individual has a job, it does not guarantee his or her escape from poverty.
It goes without saying that poverty has a devastating impact on individuals and their families. As previously mentioned, it is inextricably linked with homelessness and substandard housing; it is connected with food insecurity, inadequate nutrition, unsafe neighborhoods, inadequate child care, and under-resourced schools (American Psychological Association, n.d.). In particular, poverty has a more negative impact on children in comparison with adults as it traditionally leads to mental health and medical problems due to limited access to medical aid, socioemotional and behavioral problems, poor academic achievement, abuse and neglect, and developmental delays. Concerning the latter, due to permanent stress caused by poverty, children may have difficulties with concentration, memory, and the development of basic academic skills.
To conclude, it is essential for all states across the globe to undertake all possible efforts to reduce the rates of poverty and homelessness even if these conditions cannot be eliminated completely in a natural order. Potential solutions include governmental financial support, especially in periods of challenging economic conditions, and addressing all kinds of social inequalities. All individuals should have a right for home, food, medical health, education, and childcare.
References
American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Effects of poverty, hunger and homelessness on children and youth. Web.
Embleton, L., Lee, H., Gunn, J. Ayuku, D., & Braitstein, P. (2016). Causes of child and youth homelessness in developed and developing countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Pediatrics, 170(5), 435-444.
National Coalition of the Homeless. (n.d.). Homelessness in America. Web.
National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty. (2015). Homelessness in America: Overview of data and causes. Web.
O’Donnell, J. (2020). Estimating annual homelessness. Demographic Research, 43(1), 1-34.