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Issues With Homelessness in the

United States
Mike Ries

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Abstract
This paper explores the issue of the increasing homeless population in the United States, and
some of the factors that are leading to this increase. The homeless population has continued to rise
since the 1980s, and is speculated to continue doing so. This paper will analyze the root causes, provide
insightful statistics, and offer possible solutions to the problem.

Introduction
Somebody is regarded as homeless if they do not have a fixed, regular, nighttime residence to
stay at. There has been a homeless population in the United States ever since its foundation. However,
this population has been rising at an unprecedented rate since the early 1980s. There are no fully
accepted answers for the cause of this trend, because there are many different factors that are at play.
The majority of experts agree that economic issues are the leading cause, although social issues,
medical problems, and political factors all have a strong influence on this problem as well.

Methodology
I used two different types of sources to gather information on this subject. The first source was
articles and data that has been publicly disclosed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development. This information was very useful for getting statistics on the state of homelessness in the
United States (as accurate as is possible). It is very difficult to get a real grasp on the number of
homeless, simply because of the nature of the problem. Many are not registered when the census is
conducted and much of the data has to be estimated. Here is a graph created using data collected by the
department, depicting the rise in the homeless population over the last few years.

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I also used the public websites of organizations such as the National Student Campaign Against
Hunger and Homelessness to gather statistics. This website in particular was useful for learning about
the different demographics that are affected by homelessness, and the percentage of the total homeless
population they make up. It also provided useful information about the root causes of homelessness and
how they have changed over the years.

Causes of Homelessness
There are many underlying factors that can lead to somebody becoming homeless, but many
agree there are some that are more influential than others. Economic problems, such as the lack of
affordable housing in the United States are generally considered the main factor at play. There can be a
large gap between wage earnings and the cost of living in America, and this can leave many in a bad
situation and eventually lead to homelessness. Obviously, being unemployed for extended periods of
time also can raise the risk of becoming homeless. Another factor in the economic section is the lack of
affordable healthcare in the United States. Without healthcare, an injury or illness can lead to
bankruptcy in the case of poorer families.
Economic factors are not the only elements at play however. Politics definitely has a strong
influence on the rate of homelessness. In the 1980s, the funding provided by the federal government for
federal housing assistance programs was nearly halved, possibly paving the way for the steady rise we
are seeing today. There are also limitations placed on who is eligible for government assistance

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programs based on things like income, immigration restrictions, and work requirements. Political
factors have a definite effect on the rate of homelessness here. The number of factors that contribute to
this problem are vast, and we still do not fully understand all the mechanisms at play.

Possible Solutions
There are many things that could be done to help the situation in the United States, although
fixing the problem would almost certainly take many years. The issues that are affecting this situation
are very deep rooted. The most obvious and most immediately effective solution would be to
drastically increase the funding of federal housing assistance programs. Although this would certainly
be effective, it may not be a likely choice because of the difficulty of convincing the federal
government of its necessity.
More likely, a good choice to fight this problem in the United States would be to start a national
fund raising campaign, and get as many people involved as possible. Instead of relying on the
government to fund housing assistance programs, concerned citizens could raise the money themselves,
and the leaders of the fundraiser could spend the money in ways they felt was efficient. Campaigns like
this already exist, but I believe if enough people got involved and they were to advertise properly, it
would be the most effective way to start reducing the homeless population.

Conclusion
Homelessness has always been an issue in the United States, and as time goes by, it is becoming
more of a problem than ever before. We need to work on a solution, whether it involves working with
the federal government, or through the good nature of more fortunate citizens. Fund raising campaigns
are an excellent place to start. It is possible to fix this issue that plagues the United States, we just need
to stay determined, and focus our attention towards this important problem.

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Sources

"Overview of Homelessness In America." Homelessness In America. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.studentsagainsthunger.org/page/hhp/overview-homelessness-america>.

"The State of Homelessness in America 2014." National Alliance to End Homelessness:. N.p., n.d.
Web. 15 Oct. 2014. <http://www.endhomelessness.org/library/entry/the-state-of-homelessness-2014>.

"Homelessness in America - National Coalition for the Homeless." National Coalition for the
Homeless Homelessness in America Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2014.
<http://nationalhomeless.org/about-homelessness/>.