There are millions of homeless people in the United States. In 1998, there were about 3 million. New York alone contains 60,000 homeless. In Chicago, in1981 50 homeless people died due to freezing to death. In December 1982, Chicago shelters turned down around 30-50 people a night because there was no room. From 1982-84 in Detroit, there was a 300 percent increase in homelessness. In 1983 in Seattle, shelters turned down around 4,000 families, or roughly 16,000 people. Even in a small city’s like Yakima, Washington homelessness is a significant problem. Some say the cause of homelessness is the lack of jobs. Others say that it is due to lack of housing. There are other types of homelessness, too, like refugees who lost their homes due to wars. However, if we all do a little to help this problem, we can accomplish a lot.
Some people are homeless even though they have a job. The way this happens is that they work but they don’t make enough money to get above what people call the poverty line. Today an estimate of fifty percent of the homeless have a full or part time job, but still don’t have enough money to pay their bills. Many homeless go to shelters that provide food for them. Unfortunately many of these shelters are overcrowded and by the time some people get to the front of the line the food is gone. Some shelters also provide sleeping for the homeless, but still these are also crowded and provide no privacy for them.
Many homeless instead of going to shelters sneak into abandoned buildings and sleep there. Others might even find an abandoned car and make that they’re home. Many homeless families choose to live in makeshift houses rather than in shelters because they fear that their children will be taken away from them if their situation is seen or reported to the police. Or maybe the police won’t take them but social workers may see that the children are neglected or abused and then take them away.
The Term Paper on Homeless In America People Homelessness Society
Homelessness In America The Stewart McKinney Act of 1987 defines a homeless person as One who lacks a fixed permanent nighttime residence, or whose nighttime residence is a temporary shelter, welfare hotel or any public or private place not designated as sleeping accommodations for human beings. Included in the homeless population are people who stay with friends or family for a short period of ...
The percentage of homeless people in America is the following. 45% of homeless are unaccompanied men.40 % are families. 34% of the homeless are mentally ill. 26% are under the age of 18. 21% are domestic violence victims. 14% are unaccompanied women. And 11% are physically disabled. So as you can see anybody can become homeless and at any time.
Some people predict that by the year 2003 there will be about 19 million Americans homeless. That is more people than the population of the state of Florida. This is really bad and we all have to contribute and help. There are many companies that are helping homelessness. A very popular one in Florida is Camillus House. They do many things to help homeless people. People donate many things to the company to help people. These are some examples of things needed books, money, movie tickets, and typewriters, TV’s. There are many things that can be donated. But these are only some. Since 1960, Camillus House has offered humanitarian services to those in need. It was established by The Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd, our commitment is to every person in need of love, respect, and the chance to live a dignified life. Through our many programs, Camillus House has proven to be a beacon to those in need and a valuable resource for Miami-Dade County.
