Homelessness In America Research Paper

Kyle Freels Mr. Moffit AP Language and Composition 4 April 2024 Homelessness in America Homelessness has been an issue in the US since the 1870s, first having its roots in the civil war. To be considered homeless, one must not have fixed or regular night time housing. The homeless population has been steadily rising over the last few years, growing most in big cities. Overall, the homeless population surpassed 650,000 in 2023 and has been on the rise since. In the United States, the homeless population is split between many groups of people. One of those groups is the individuals that have gone through hardship and are unable to afford a place to live. The second group are people who suffer from mental illness who are unable to take care of …show more content…
The biggest cause of homelessness is a lack of affordable housing. Now more than ever there is a lack of low income housing which is causing people to save money rather than using it to put a roof over their head. Another reason that people end up homeless is mental health. Mental health can be broken down into two categories, mental disorders and substance abuse. Almost 21 percent of people have experienced some kind of mental illness and one in five homeless suffers from some kind of substance abuse. The third reason that people end up homeless is when their life at home has become unsafe. In some cases of domestic violence, living at home becomes too dangerous and the individual has to leave. The problem is that some people don’t have anywhere to go, so they end up on the streets. Even though the homelessness rate has been on the rise recently, there are plans in place to try and flip the script in the near future. The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness has produced a plan that they believe could decrease homelessness by 25 percent by 2025. The “All In” plan has three main solutions, housing and support, crisis response, and

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