Cause Of Homelessness

First we must define homelessness, now this word means different things to different people. Even the National Health Care for the Homeless Council states that there is more than one “official’ definition. One of the first definitions they have for homelessness is: A homeless individual is defined as an individual who lacks housing (without regard to whether the individual is a member of a family), including an individual whose primary residence during the night is a supervised public or private facility the provides temporary living accommodations, and an individual who is a resident in transitional housing. A homeless person is an individual without permanent housing who may live on the streets: stay in a shelter, mission, single room occupancy
One of those reasons of course is for financial reasons. People lose their jobs or there are no jobs. When this happens the possibility of foreclosure due to nonpayment or eviction is much greater. When this happens a person is forced into a system that sometimes does not have the resources to assist them forcing them on to the streets. Ipatenco states another reason for homelessness is that addiction. Her studies have shown that sixty eight percent of cities report that addiction is the largest cause of homelessness, notes the Portland Rescue Mission. People who are poor and addicted to drugs or alcohol are at a higher risk of becoming homeless. Being poor and addicted means there likely isn’t enough money to pay for the addiction and rent or a mortgage. Without an intervention or treatment program, it’s difficult for homeless individuals to find housing and get off the streets, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless. (Ipatenco) Physical trauma and mental illness are also at the top of the list as reasons for homelessness. For example an abused woman finally gets out of her situation but has nowhere to go but a shelter or the streets she is consider part of the homeless population. A person suffering from mental illness and has alienated themselves from friends and family, has been unable to hold a job and maintain housing may also become homeless due to these
Without proper treatment, follow up and medication many of these people develop chronic illnesses such as high blood pressure, diabetes, emphysema and possibly heart disease. Despite not having insurance when their illness truly gets the better of them they are found in emergency rooms across the country seeking help for illnesses that could have been prevented. Homeless people tend to allow their health to fall to the way side because they are focused on their immediate issues such as lack of or no food, no shelter, or clothing. Also, the frustrations of dealing with government agencies that advertise that they can help but with all the red tape and hurdles you must jump over it ends up being a dead end and they are back where they started. Not to mention those homeless people that cannot fend for themselves the mentally ill, children, abused people…where is their help and assistance? Now without health insurance, adequate housing, food or clothing a homeless person’s life span is much shorter than the average American. Homeless adults have an age-adjusted mortality rate nearly 4 times that of the general population; their average life span is shorter than 45 years.