Introduction
The ugly state of homelessness is present and clearly visible in every street in most parts of the United States. It is devastating to see the homeless people trying to survive the hard life surviving the harsh weather conditions. Many people who have never had a firsthand experience would assume that only the alcoholics, drug addicts and the poor are the homeless. This is unlike what is reality. Anyone can be homeless despite a person’s class, level of education and sanity. Homelessness is a national catastrophe that should be well addressed to help in eradicating in society.
Causes of homelessness
Many times homelessness has been misinterpreted to be an experience that happens to wicked and evil people. The notion that society has adopted is that homelessness happens to people who have no vision and dreams in life. The truth of the matter is that majority of the homeless are people with dreams, ambitions and desire to succeed. The barriers are the constraints that surround them making it impossible for them to rise up go beyond their limits. Society has played a big role in neglecting and despising the homeless. Society fails to understand that the homeless need care, support, and nurturing.
Understanding homelessness is very important when working to eradicate it in our society. This enables a person who has not been in this situation to understand how it feels to lack a place to call home. The general understanding is that homelessness is brought by negligence and through events that could have been prevented (Urban Institute). This is not true as there are people who have jobs, are educated, and with stable families but still are homeless. Hence, the biggest reason to understand homelessness and the best way possible to eradicate if not minimize the rate it’s in the country.
There are many causes of homelessness. According to the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, paucity has been the key issue that has rendered many families to the street. There are many families that have succumbed to life on the street due to lack. With the shortage of job opportunities and resources, many families cannot afford housing facilities (Maide). Domestic violence has been a factor that leads to homelessness. The violence that erupts in a home can result in the destruction of properties and separations. There are many broken families who are on the run with no place to call home. Eviction from homes to pave way for the construction of other facilities has been a factor that has contributed to homelessness. Often, families have been evicted from houses without a proper settlement plan. These families are left stranded with nowhere to go.
Teenage homelessness is widespread. Young girls run from their homes the minute they realize they are pregnant. They lack a place to live and they resolve to live on the street. Teenagers are also at risk of being homeless when they fall victim to vices like drug addictions and immorality. They tend to move out of their homestead to live in the street where they could easily access their hobbies. The other major factors that have contributed to homeliness are family disputes, expenses incurred in a divorce procedure, and the death of a loved one (Brendan).
Another aspect that has contributed to homelessness is the natural disaster. These disasters are beyond humanity and cannot be prevented yet they have rendered many homeless. The devastating hurricane Katrina is a good example where many families were left with no place to call home. The destruction of housing was rampant. The sight of young children, mothers and elderly people with no shelter was heartbreaking. These natural calamities cannot be prevented, unlike the other factors that lead to homelessness (Sommer).
Homelessness associated with hunger
Homelessness is closely associated with hunger, crime, child mortality and death (Bredan). When people are living in the street it is very hard for them to acquire other basic needs such as food and clothing. Young mothers on the street cannot be able to shield their young children from the harsh weather conditions. As a result, child mortality is at a high rate for the homeless. Diseases are easily spread among the homeless people in the street. Some become sick due to the unfavorable weather conditions cause deaths to the individuals in the street. A homeless person in the street has the highest chance of getting involved in an accident more than a person safely tacked in the house. Crime is rampant as the homeless opt to do anything to survive.
There is a need for society, government, and well-wishers to team up to help stamp out homelessness in the United States. This can be achieved by the provision of shelter homes for those hit by natural disasters like hurricanes, tornados and floods. The poor people in society should be given an opportunity to own a home (Burt, Carpenter and Hall). This can be attained by the provision of cheap houses that they can afford. It is very hard to get a house that is not expensive that suits an average person. The government should help in the construction of cheap but comfortable homes and place a fee that the poor in society can afford.
How to eradicate Homelessness
The lack of education which plays a bigger role in homelessness should be well tackled. More should be done to end ignorance on youths and adults by working with the cooperation that helps to end poverty. Such organizations include the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty. This one educates and provides homes for the poor in society. Another organization is the National Alliance to End Homelessness. This organization works hand in hand with other Nongovernmental organizations to eliminate homelessness in the country.
It is evident that some churches are working very hard to eradicate homelessness. These churches include the Salvation Army and Catholics. The churches help in building shelters for the homeless while providing them with basic needs. The churches although working all round the clock cannot be able to manage the overwhelming number of the homeless in society. There is a need therefore for every individual to work together and give aid to this organization (Bredan). It is wise to give the organization any aid possible than offering money to a homeless person who in turn uses the money to buy drugs.
Conclusion
In conclusion, homelessness is a national disaster that should be tackled quickly possible before it goes out of hand. It is wiser to understand that homelessness is not reserved for a particular group of people. Anyone can be homeless and therefore measures to end homelessness need to be taken care of by all people. Giving the homeless people on the street money and food are not enough. Efforts are needed to ensure that every human being has a roof on top of their head. By understanding the effects of homelessness the society would understand that what the homeless need is care, education and nurturing. A little help can go a long way to help the homeless.
Works cited
Bredan, Coyne. New Report Shows Increase in Urban Hunger, Homelessness. 2005. Web.
Burt, Martha, R., Jenneth, Carpenter, and Sam Hall. Strategies for improving Homeless People’s Access to Mainstream Benefits and Services. 2010. Web.
Maide, Jeff. Top Causes of Homelessness in America. EzineArticles. 2010. Web.
Sommer, Heidi. Homelessness in Urban America: A Review of the Literature. 2001. Web.
Urban Institute. A New Look at Homelessness in America. 2000. Web.