The History Of Homelessness In America

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Homelessness and housing insecurity is something that has plagued the 21st century. So, now we ask ourselves, how did it get so bad? How has America, one of the richest countries in the world, had one of the highest homelessness rates? A dive into the history of how homelessness has reached this point gives us answers on how to get rid of housing insecurity and ensure that everyone has a stable roof over their head. However, not all of these questions are answered, but some more ideas of how we can end homelessness will be discussed. There are many reasons why someone can end up homeless, even people who least expect it. People who are mentally unstable, people just released from prison, and even people with a job can end up with housing insecurity. …show more content…
Most of them, however, did it voluntarily, they wanted the rush and experience of traveling and moving along freely. After the Civil War, the Great Depression, and the Industrial Revolution, the U.S. economy took a hit. Homelessness became a big issue, there was a growing demand for housing in the city as people moved looking for jobs, but that demand was not met with more affordable housing. Many people were without a home, and this is when the stigma of being called “tramps” and “wayfarers” began to paint them in the eye. People began becoming homeless, not due to their own ‘incompetence’ or fault, but because the government did not respond to the demands for more affordable housing. The decrease in affordable housing available has pushed tenants out of their homes and with nowhere to go. The cost of rent has been increasing to extremely high rates, making them completely unaffordable. There are people who work full time and still find themselves unable to find a place to live. There are also new requirements to be accepted to rent a place, with owners asking for proof that they make three times the income, background checks, and credit …show more content…
Affordable housing is one of the most needed elements to decrease homelessness rates. Providing resources and aid for people to ensure they can live happily and are able to work on themselves as well as support their families is crucial to the end of homelessness. Having communities come together and help each other is crucial to everyone’s success. Implementing available childcare that is affordable would allow parents to go to work or go to school for a chance to earn a higher income. Many parents struggle finding ways to go to school or work while taking care of their children and become stuck relying on welfare checks that are not enough money or then have to live off one low income to sustain whole families. Implementing healthcare aid in communities. Many people struggle with mental health but are not able to access it and work and money can cause big strains on people. People may not be able to work or lose their job due to their mental health issues, which can further worsen when becoming
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