Over time, transitionally homeless individuals will account for the majority of persons experiencing homelessness given their higher rate of turnover. Such persons are likely to be younger, are probably recent members of the precariously housed population and have become homeless because of some catastrophic event, and have been forced to spend a short time in a homeless shelter before making a transition into more stable housing. Transitionally homeless individuals generally enter the shelter system for only one stay and for a short period.Yet such persons represent a far smaller proportion of the population compared to the transitionally homeless. These individuals are likely to be older, and consist of the “hard-core unemployed”, often suffering from disabilities and substance abuse problems. Persons most like the stereotyped profile of the “skid-row” homeless, who are likely to be entrenched in the shelter system and for whom shelters are more like long-term housing rather than an emergency arrangement.
There are three types of homelessness – chronic, transitional, and episodic – which can be defined as follows: Chronic Homelessness Many people who are addicted to alcohol and drugs never become homeless, but people who are poor and addicted are clearly at increased risk of homelessness. Addiction – The relationship between addiction and homelessness is complex and controversial.Mental Illness – Approximately 16% of the single adult homeless population suffers from some form of severe and persistent mental illness (U.S.Conference of Mayors identified domestic violence as a primary cause of homelessness (U.S. In addition, 50% of the cities surveyed by the U.S. Domestic Violence – Battered women who live in poverty are often forced to choose between abusive relationships and homelessness.Lack of Affordable Health Care – For families and individuals struggling to pay the rent, a serious illness or disability can start a downward spiral into homelessness, beginning with a lost job, depletion of savings to pay for care, and eventual eviction.Other major factors, which can contribute to homelessness, include: Additionally, most states have not replaced the old welfare system with an alternative that enables families and individuals to obtain above-poverty employment and to sustain themselves when work is not available or possible. Decline in Available Public Assistance – The declining value and availability of public assistance is another source of increasing poverty and homelessness and many families leaving welfare struggle to get medical care, food, and housing as a result of loss of benefits, low wages, and unstable employment.Even if people can find work, this does not automatically provide an escape from poverty. Lack of Employment Opportunities – With unemployment rates remaining high, jobs are hard to find in the current economy.While the poverty rate has been slowly declining since 2014, a couple of factors account for continuing poverty: There were 40.6 million people in poverty. If you are poor, you are essentially an illness, an accident, or a paycheck away from living on the streets.Īccording to the United States Census Bureau, the national poverty rate in 2016 was 12.7%. Often it is housing, which absorbs a high proportion of income that must be dropped. Difficult choices must be made when limited resources cover only some of these necessities. Poor people are frequently unable to pay for housing, food, childcare, health care, and education. Homelessness and poverty are inextricably linked. In fact, the hourly wage needed for renters hoping to afford a two-bedroom rental home is $13.96 higher than the national minimum wage of $7.25. The National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates that the 2017 Housing Wage is $21.21 per hour, exceeding the $16.38 hourly wage earned by the average renter by almost $5.00 an hour, and greatly exceeding wages earned by low income renter households. Recently, foreclosures have also increased the number of people who experience homelessness. A lack of affordable housing and the limited scale of housing assistance programs have contributed to the current housing crisis and to homelessness.