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Causes.

"In 2004 the United States Conference of Mayors... surveyed the mayors of major cities on the extent and causes of urban homelessness and most of the mayors named the lack of affordable housing as a cause of homelessness.... The next three causes identified by mayors, in rank order, were mental illness or the lack of needed services, substance abuse and lack of needed services, and low-paying jobs. The lowest ranking cause, cited by five mayors, was prisoner reentry. Other causes cited were unemployment, domestic violence, and poverty."

The major causes of homelessness include:

· The failure of urban housing projects to provide safe, secure, and affordable housing to the poor. Additionally, many workers cannot afford to live where they work, and even in moderately priced communities housing costs require a large portion of household income.

· The deinstitutionalizations movement from the 1950s onwards in state mental health systems, to shift towards 'community-based' treatment of the mentally ill, as opposed to long-term commitment in institutions. There is disproportionally higher prevalence of mental disorders relative to other disease groups within homeless patient populations at both inpatient hospitals and hospital-based emergency departments.

· Redevelopment and gentrification activities instituted by cities across the country through which low-income neighborhoods are declared blighted and demolished to make way for projects that generate higher property taxes and other revenue, creating a shortage of housing affordable to low-income working families, the elderly poor, and the disabled.

· The failure of the U.S. Department fo Veterans Affairs to provide effective mental health care and meaningful job training for many homeless veterans, particularly those of the Vietnam War.

· Deprived of normal childhoods, nearly half of foster children in the United States become homeless when they are released from foster care at age 18.

· Natural disasters that destroy homes: hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, etc. Places of employment are often destroyed too, causing unemployment and transience.

· People who have served time in prison, have abused drugs and alcohol, or have a history of mental illness find it difficult to impossible to find employment for years at a time because of the use of computer background checks by potential employers.

· According to the Institution of Housing in 2005, the U.S. Government has focused 42% more on foreign countries rather than homeless Americans, including homeless veterans.

· People who are hiding in order to evade law enforcement.

· Adults and children who flee domestic violence.

· Teenagers who flee or are thrown out by parents who disapprove of their child's sexual orientation or gender identity. A 2010 study by the Center for American Progress shows that a disproportionately high number of homeless youth (between 20–40%) identify as LGBTQ.

· Overly complex building code that makes it difficult for most people to build. Traditional huts, cars, and tents are illegal, classified as substandart and may be removed by government, even though the occupant may own the land. Land owner cannot live on the land cheaply, and so sells the land and becomes homeless.



· Foreclosures of homes, including foreclosure of apartment complexes which displaces tenants renting there.

· Evictions from rented property.

· Lack of support from friends or family.

· Individuals who prefer homelessness and wish to remain off the grid for political and ideological purposes. Often self-identified as Gutter Punks or Urban Survivalists. The Department of Housing and Urban Development rarely reports on this counter – cultural movement since Gutter Punks and similar individuals often refuse to participate in governmental studies and do not seek governmental assistance for ideological or political purposes.

· Lack of resources in place in the communities to help aid in prevention of homelessness before it becomes a crisis.

According to the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the demand for emergency shelter in 270 U.S. cities increased 13% in 2001 and 25% in 2005. 22 percent of those requesting emergency shelter were turned away. Traditionally single men have constituted the majority of the homeless. In the 1980s there was a sharp rise in the number of homeless families in certain parts of the United States; notably New York City. Most homeless families consist of a single mother and children. A significant number of homeless people are teenagers and young adults, mostly runaways or street children. A 1960 survey by Temple University of Philadelphia's poor neighborhoods found that 75% of the homeless were over 45 years old, and 87% were white. In 1986, 86% were under age 45, and 87% were minorites.

According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development's 2008 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, the most common demographic features of all sheltered homeless people are: male, members of minority groups, older than age 31, and alone. More than two-fifths of sheltered homeless people have a disability. At the same time, sizable segments of the sheltered homeless population are white, non-Hispanic (38 percent), children (20 percent), or part of multi-person households (33 percent). Approximately 68 percent of the 1.6 million sheltered homeless people were homeless as individuals and 32 percent were persons in families.

In 2008 more than two-thirds of all sheltered homeless people were located in principal cities, with 32 percent located in suburban or rural jurisdictions. About two-fifths of people entering an emergency shelter or transitional housing program during 2008 came from another homeless situation (sheltered or unsheltered), two-fifths came from a housed situation (in their own or someone else's home), and the remaining one-fifth were split between institutional settings or other situations such as hotels or motels. Most people had relatively short lengths of stay in emergency shelters: three-fifths stayed less than a month, and a third stayed a week or less.

 


III.Conclusion.

By its very nature, homelessness is impossible to measure with 100% accuracy. More important

than knowing the precise number of people who experience homelessness is our progress in

ending it. Recent studies suggest that the United States generates homelessness at a much higher

rate than previously thought. Our task in ending homelessness is thus more important now than

ever.


IV. References.

1. Donohoe, Martin, M.D., "Homelessness in the United States: History, Epidemiology, Health Issues, Women, and Public Policy", Ob/Gyn & Women's Health journal, 2004;9(2) July 7, 2004.

2. Jump up^ The 2012 Point-in-Time Estimates of Homelessness. 2012 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report. Washington, D.C.: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2012.

3. Jump up^ "Facts and Figures:The Homeless". PBS. 2009-06-26.

4. Jump up^ "The 2013 Annual Homeless Assessment report (AHAR) to Congress". The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. p. 42.

5. Jump up^ A New Look at Homelessness in America, Urban Institute, 1 February 2000

6. Jump up^ America's Homeless: Populations and Services, Urban Institute, 1 February 2000

7. Jump up^ Vacant Houses Outnumber Homeless People in U.S. Truthdig, 31 December 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2014.

8. ^ Jump up to:a b Hunger and Homelessness Survey. A Status Report on Hunger and Homelessness in America’s Cities: A 25-City Survey, 2008.

9. Jump up^ "First Annual Homelessness Assessment Report" (PDF). Huduser.org.

10. Jump up^ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McKinney%E2%80%93Vento_Homeless_Assistance_Act

11. Jump up^ https://www.onecpd.info/resources/documents/5thHomelessAssessmentReport.pdf

12. Jump up^ The rules and regulations promulgated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) pursuant to the McKinney-Vento Homelessness Assistance Act of 1987, as amended by the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act of 2009, codified at 42 U.S.C. § 11301 et. seq.

13. Jump up^ "Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, 42 U.S.C. § 5601 et. seq. (2010)". Retrieved 2013-06-25.

14. Jump up^ "Head Start Act of 1981, 42 U.S.C. § 9801 et. seq. (2010)". Retrieved 2013-06-25.

15. Jump up^ "Violence Against Women Act of 1994, 42 U.S.C. § 13925 et. seq. (2010)". Retrieved 2013-06-25.

 


V.Annotation.

This report about Homelessness and thier categories in U.S. This theme very actually in our days that`s why reported about that.


Date: 2015-02-03; view: 790


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