In this world where luxuries are in abundance, there are still some people who strive to get the basic necessities of life. It is hard to believe that most of the people suffer from homelessness. We are living in a generation where no one ever thinks about homeless people. All thanks to the unequal distribution of wealth prevailing in our society. People living in a cozy, comfortable and luxurious home may never understand the miseries of homeless people.
There are still many facts about homeless people who have not come into the limelight yet. The reality always goes unnoticed as no one is really bothered about these homeless people. No one really knows the prime reasons behind the increasing homelessness. Ironically many people in this world are still struggling hard to get themselves into a shelter for a living. Here are ten heartbreaking facts about the homeless.
Table of Contents
1. More Than Half a Million People Are Homeless
Sometimes it is really hard to believe that this world could also be a cruel place for some people. More than half a million people are still in search of an affordable shelter home. All thanks to the increasing inflationary practices in our economy. According to a report, there are more than 500,000 people who are homeless in the US. It is difficult to consider that in a world where luxuries do not have an end, some people are still longing for a home to live in. There could be many reasons for this such as unemployment, recession, price hike, inflation, deflation and many more. These homeless people become bound to spend nights on the road, be it scorching summers or chilling winters. Some even opt for unsecured and temporary housing and some even live under the bridges.
2. More Than One-Quarter of Homeless People Are Children
According to reliable sources, there are more than 1,30,000 of homeless people who are children under the age of 18 years. More than thousands of these children are unaccompanied and are facing many hardships. Many of these children are seeking shelter in roads, empty cars, and buses, public parks, foster homes, etc. as they are economically weak. There are more than one million homeless children who are currently studying in public schools. Unlike other children, these homeless children are deprived of the basic necessities of life for maintaining a good standard of living.
3. More Than Ten Thousand Veterans Are Homeless
More than 56,000 veterans are homeless and are in search of an affordable shelter or a foster home. According to a survey, over fifty percent of these people are living in shelters while the rest of them are unsheltered. Out of these, more than 4,500 homeless veterans are women. These women remain unsheltered and are in constant search for work to earn a living. They have low standards of living as they cannot fulfill the basic requirements of living.
4. Domestic Violence Is the Pivotal Cause
Most of the women at least once in their lifetime would have experienced domestic violence and sexual assault in their lives. More than eighty percent of homeless women are victims of domestic abuse, violence, and assault. As a result, these women have to escape out of their homes in search of a secure place where they can live safely. This is the prime cause of homelessness in women. They are bound to leave their homes and search for a safe place to live in.
5. Lack of Rent Affordability
More than fifty percent of homeless people cannot afford to pay rent to seek shelter in comfortable homes. The inability to pay the rent has become one of the most rooted reasons for people becoming homeless. When people are not able to afford the rent, they are bound to leave their home and as a result, they become homeless. The lack of affordability of rent has left many people with no options, other than being homeless.
6. Lack of Suitable and Affordable Shelters
Due to low-income and economically weak status, many people are unable to rent a good place to live in. As a result, there has been a substantial reduction in the number of affordable shelter and foster homes. The only option homeless people have with themselves is to seek for a suitable and affordable place to live in. But the reality seems to be bitter as there is a lack of suitable and affordable places to live for these people, leaving them homeless.
7. Property Mortgage
In order to seek a loan or credit from financial institutions and moneylenders, most of the people mortgage their property. People end up mortgaging their lands or homes as collateral for seeking credit loans. But when they are not able to repay the amount of loan which they had taken, their mortgaged property is taken away. As a result, they are bound to leave their homes and become homeless. Their property is taken away by the moneylenders or banks to compensate for the loan amount.
8. Lack of Government Help/Incentives
There is a lack of government assistance for people belonging to low-income groups. The inadequacy of employment opportunities is the prime cause of poverty among homeless people. The process of allotment of affordable homes and shelters have somewhat come to an end. Poor people do not receive adequate benefits and incentives from the government. All thanks to the increasing number of homeless people.
9. Severe Untreated Diseases
Most of the homeless people belong to low-income groups and suffer from poverty. These people become prone to severe diseases as they do not have enough money to maintain a good living. As a result, most of them prefer self-medication instead of seeking treatment from a doctor. Many of them even develop a severe mental illness because of their prevailing conditions which later on become incurable.
10. Equivalent to Crime
Homelessness has become equivalent to crime. Homeless people mainly suffer from poverty. For them, begging is the only way to earn a living. They beg in front of the people for money and food. Many cities have considered begging as a criminal activity and at places, it has become illegal for poor people to take shelter. The number of countries who have criminalized begging and homelessness is increasing subsequently.
What Is Homelessness?
It refers to a state of living where a person is living in a house that lacks the basic necessities of life. Homeless people have to struggle hard to attain a minimum standard of living. Also, the homes which they live in, do not have a secured tenure of living. As a result of this, homeless people tend to develop a feeling of insecurity in them. The state of being homeless might affect them in a negative way.
What Are the Effects of Being Homeless?
Homeless people are deprived of all the things which are required to maintain a good lifestyle. The effects of being homeless could result in health and temperamental issues and they feel alienated from other people. Some possible effects of homelessness people are as follows:
- Health: As these people are deprived of basic minimum necessities of life, they are not able to take care of their health properly. These people become prone to deadly diseases, such as malnutrition, tuberculosis, heart diseases, HIV/AIDS, skin diseases and many more.
- Personality: The state of being homeless can throw a negative impact on the personality of the people suffering from homelessness. Homeless people lack confidence and self-esteem. As a result, they feel agitated and there are increased chances of violence and abuse and might develop behavioral problems.
- Assault: Homeless people are prone to assaults, such as domestic violence and abuse, sexual assault and human trafficking. These people are very poor and eager to perform any work to earn a living. As a result of this, many people take advantage of homeless people.
- Insecurity: Homeless people feel pretty much insecure about their status of living. They lack a secured home, minimum standards of living and basic necessities of life. They tend to develop behavioral problems and also become emotionally and psychologically very weak.
Conclusion
In a progressive generation, it is quite hard to believe that some people are still longing for food and shelter. Begging is being recognized as a criminalized activity and there is a lack of government assistance for the betterment of poor people. People belonging to low-income classes are struggling every day to earn a living. Due to the inadequacy of funds and lack of employment opportunities, poor people are becoming homeless. Homeless people go through many traumatic situations and strive hard to earn money. They face many assaults form people belonging to the upper-class. Poor and homeless people get exploited in the name of money. Homeless people are prone to severe disease as they cannot attain minimum standards of living. Homeless people are always in search of a place where they can take shelter. Its high time for us to take effective measures to eradicate such problems.
