Homelessness and the Curse of Poverty

By Mike Barnes
Print Education Associate
Homelessness has fallen almost continuously since the year 2007, roughly 1.5 million American use a shelter within a
given year. Homeless advocates say figures badly underestimate the problem. Unemployment, cuts in funding for mental
health care and the psychological effect of war on veterans has fueled the homeless crisis. The Obama administration
intends to formulate a plan to end homelessness among veterans and individuals by the end of 2015 and families by
2020. Expert are divided on whether rapid re-housing programs that provide short-term rental aid will keep individuals
and families from systemic homelessness. Many cities are trying to banish homeless people from their downtown by en-
acting anti-vagrancy laws. Some oppose this approach because they believe that living on the street should not be treat-
ed as a crime. Homelessness experts have accumulated loads of data on human suffering. Some are hopeful because
of the new federal emphasis on ending homelessness as a recognition that homelessness should not be seen and as
unsolvable.














Acknowledgment of housing as a fundamental right will combine with the pressure created by the shortage of affordable
housing, meaning the federal government will need to fill the gap. Subsidizing public housing isnt the only way to fight
this problem, though. Getting the private business sector involved by providing incentives for builders to construct afford-
able housing, in a market based system with a secure safety net that ensures that no one is without housing which is a
vital and essential human necessity. The private sector is better at making houses, but they have no existing incentive to
house low income people who make little to no dollars of income yearly. The government would have to subsidize hous-
ing in order to eliminate homelessness.








Recent federal legislation has, for the time being, helped homeless men and women. Obamacare has made an enor-
mous and immediate difference to the homeless men and women. Eligibility for Medicaid reduces reliance on local non-
profits. With Medicaid and increased production in affordable housing, a resurgence of jobs that pay more than minimum
wage has stimulated economic growth and created a better quality of life for American citizens. Although homelessness
had decreased since 2007, the poverty underlying homelessness remains severe especially among families with pre-
school-aged children. Political scientists and economists have stressed the need to expand the stock of affordable hous-
ing. If these measures are expanded on, homelessness could become a temporary thing among those who suffer from
the systemic effect of poverty.
Source:
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