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abe u like guys.!!!!!!!
im jackin it
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Most people don't understand what its like to be homeless until they fully see what they truly go through.

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Homeless people are limited to certain activities such going to the library, going to the laundromat, or even going to Disney world. This video shows how it is when you are homeless from a homeless woman's prospective.

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Hidden Homeless – Day in the life of a homeless family

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Most people that oppose to homelessness turn away when they see them lying on the street asking for change or food and let them suffer

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most homelessness homeless people usually gravitate to popular areas that they know a lot of people are at so they can get spare change or food.

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Across the world there are a lot of homeless people. To be exact there are about 1.6 billion homeless people in the world.

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homelessness is an issue that affects all people and ciuld be a scary thing since babies are without homes as well.

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Homelessness should be prevented by the governmenment or even normal civilians. It may seem hard but in reality its no

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Should the government help the homeless?

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Express your views about the growing problem of homeless individuals and whether or not you think the government should help them.

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As the Alliance publishes this updated version of the State of Homelessness, COVID-19 is creating a health and economic crisis in America and throughout the world. It is too soon to determine its ultimate impacts. Thus, this year's report represents a baseline-the state of homelessness before the crisis began. It also reflects some early considerations and predictions about the influence of the pandemic on this vulnerable population.
Homelessness in America

Seventeen out of every 10,000 people in the United States were experiencing homelessness on a single night in January 2019 during HUD's Annual Point-in-Time Count. These 567,715 people represent a cross-section of America. They are associated with every region of the country, family status, gender category, and racial/ethnic group.

Large Subpopulations. Certain subpopulations are significantly represented within homelessness:

Individuals. Seventy percent of people experiencing homelessness are individuals who are living on their own or in the company of other adults. The remainder (30 percent) are people in families with children.

Males. Homelessness is significantly defined by gender. Sixty percent of all people experiencing homelessness are male. Amongst individuals, the numbers are starker-70 percent are men and unaccompanied male youth.

Unsheltered. Far too many people in America sleep outside and in other locations not meant for human habitation. This group includes more than 200,000 people (37 percent of the overall population). Among individuals experiencing homelessness, the numbers are more dire-1 in 2 are unsheltered.

Most At Risk. Numerical size is one reason to focus on a subpopulation within homelessness. Risk is another. Some groups are much more likely to become homeless than the national average.

Pacific Islanders and Native Americans are most likely to be homeless in America when compared to all other racial/ethnic groups. Within the former, 160 people experience homelessness out of every 10,000 compared to the national average of 17 out of every 10,000. Pacific Islanders and Native Americans are numerically small groups within the U.S., making it more difficult for the U.S. Census Bureau and homelessness services systems to count them accurately. Nevertheless, available data suggest they face significant challenges.

Black Americans, multiracial Americans, and Hispanics/Latinxs are similarly situated. Group members are far more likely to be homeless than the national average and white Americans.

Prioritized Groups. Researchers and the public policy world have emphasized some additional subpopulations. Chronically homeless individuals are disabled and have experienced long-term and/or repeated episodes of homelessness. They are currently 17 percent of the population. Veterans, who are 7 percent of people experiencing homelessness, are prioritized due to their service to our country. And unaccompanied youth, who represent 6 percent of the population, are a vulnerable age group consisting of those under 25 years old.

COVID-19 Vulnerable. According to the CDC, some individuals are at higher risk of becoming seriously ill from COVID-19. They include older adults age 65 and over. However, people experiencing homelessness age faster than housed people. Research indicates they have physical conditions that mirror those of people 15-20 years older than them. On a single day, an estimated 202,623 single adults experiencing homelessness are over age 50, suggesting they may be uniquely vulnerable to becoming seriously ill during the pandemic crisis.

An additional CDC-identified risk group is people with pre-existing health conditions. Before the current crisis, growing numbers were experiencing unsheltered homelessness-a living situation associated with poor health. A recent study sampled unsheltered individuals from across the country, finding 84 percent self-reporting existing physical health conditions. Only 19 percent of people in shelters said the same.

Trends in Homelessness

Compared to the previous year, homelessness increased by 3 percent in the 2019 Point-in-Time Count. This marked the third straight year of national-level increases.

Despite this negative movement, the long-term trend has been downward. Overall homelessness has decreased by 12 percent since 2007, the year nation-wide data collection began. The current COVID-19 crisis has the potential to diminish or completely wipe out these modest gains.

Subpopulations. Existing progress has been uneven. Subpopulations prioritized in policy and practice (including funding decisions) have made the most impressive gains over the last decade. Veterans experienced the greatest decreases in homelessness-50 percent. Other subpopulations have realized smaller reductions that, nevertheless, are larger than those in overall homelessness. They include people in families (29 percent), chronically homeless individuals (9 percent), and people experiencing unsheltered homelessness (10 percent).

One group is noticeably falling behind all others. Individuals have only realized a 0.2 percent reduction in homelessness over the last decade. Some are veterans, unaccompanied youth, and chronically homeless. These subgroups have been experiencing greater progress than individuals more generally-but they only make up a minority of the individuals population and help to mask the delayed progress of a sizable majority who are not veterans, unaccompanied youth, or chronically homeless.

Individuals are also solely responsible for the national-level increases in overall homelessness that occurred over the last three years. Individual homelessness increased by 11 percent over that period even as numbers for people in families continued to decrease. This upwards trend exists across a broad range of individuals, including the chronically homeless, men, women, and every racial/ethnic group.

States. As with subpopulations, some states are making more progress towards ending homelessness than others.

Thirty states reduced homelessness since the previous year. Long-term trends further highlight the more successful stories. A majority (37) have reduced homelessness since 2007, with the most significant gains occurring in Michigan (-70 percent), Kentucky (-49 percent), and New Jersey (-49 percent).

Other states have more people experiencing homelessness than they did more than a decade ago. Fourteen have seen their numbers increase between 2 and 72 percent over that period. New and decisive action is necessary to ensure these states build real momentum in the fight against homelessness.

Geographic Regions Experiencing the Greatest Challenges

Identifying the regions with the most challenges informs nation-wide efforts to end homelessness.

Counts. One approach is to examine the locations with the highest homeless counts. They include states such as California, Florida, New York, and Texas as well as Continuums of Care (CoCs) serving New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Texas' Balance of State. These locations share a common characteristic-relatively large general populations. They include major cities and Balance of States encompassing broad expanses of land (with numerous towns and cities).

Fifty-six percent of people experiencing homelessness are in the five states that have the largest homeless counts. More than 1 in 3 are in the twenty CoCs with the highest numbers of people experiencing homelessness. Thus, much of this national challenge is located in a small number of places, with most jurisdictions having a much smaller problem to manage.

Rates. Rates of homelessness are another way of gauging the severity of the problem within a jurisdiction. They reflect the number of people experiencing homelessness in relation to the general population.

Rates across the country are wildly divergent. Amongst states/territories, the District of Columbia (93 people experiencing homelessness out of every 10,000) and New York (47 out of 10,000) have the highest rates. By contrast, Louisiana (6 out of 10,000) and Mississippi (4 out of 10,000) have the lowest rates. Many homeless people reside in high rate jurisdictions. Forty-five percent are in the five states/territories with the highest rates.

Many of the high rate states and CoCs are associated with other notable housing issues. Researchers and advocates cite many of them as having the highest housing costs and highest rent burdens (housing costs as a percentage of income) in the nation.

Some states and CoCs are anomalies. Their counts and rates defy expectations rooted in overall population size and housing costs. Those states and communities may possess unusual characteristics tied to history, government policy, or culture. Some may have homeless services systems that are either highly effective or falling far short of their potential.

COVID-19. Counts and rates typically offer useful information about the challenges facing homeless systems-they reflect the number of people who need homeless services. During the current pandemic, there is a new challenge-the number of people who contract an infectious illness (COVID-19) while needing homeless services.

Self-quarantine, social isolation, and stay-at-home orders are difficult, if not impossible, to follow when you do not have a home. Thus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has offered guidance on how to best serve people in shelters and unsheltered locations. Meeting COVID-19-related health needs is putting new strain on homeless services systems, especially those with large numbers of infected consumers.

Recent research predicts the number of COVID-19 cases that will arise among people experiencing homelessness in the nation's counties. Those facing the most severe challenges mainly reside in major cities such as Los Angeles, New York City, San Jose, Seattle, Oakland, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Phoenix.

Homeless Assistance in America

Homeless services systems do not have enough resources to fully meet the needs of everyone experiencing homelessness. Thus, it is helpful to examine the difficult decisions they must make, including how to allot the limited funds available to them.

Temporary Housing. Over the last five years, the number of temporary housing beds (Emergency Shelter, Safe Haven, and Transitional Housing) has decreased by 9 percent.

A national-level snapshot of these beds during the Point-in-Time count is informative. Individual community circumstances vary. However, in the aggregate, systems were able to offer a year-round bed to only 51 percent of individuals and 100 percent of people in families (the latter with a surplus of over 15,000 beds).

During the winter months, some communities temporarily supplement these year-round beds with seasonal ones. Nevertheless, many people are unsheltered, living on the streets, in abandoned buildings, or other locations not suitable for human habitation. Being unsheltered is mostly a challenge for individual adults, but some families with children are also in these living situations.

COVID-19 is creating a new type of emergency. According to an early estimate, 400,000 new units are needed to prevent the spread of the virus and care for the sick. These accommodations would allow for social distancing, quarantine, and isolation for people who are typically in crowded shelter settings or living unsheltered.

Permanent Housing. While the number of temporary housing beds decreased by 9 percent, the number of permanent housing beds (Permanent Supportive Housing, Rapid Re-Housing, and Other) increased by 20 percent over the last five years.

These numbers reflect a shift in policy priorities. Renewed emphasis is on ending homelessness by moving more people into permanent housing, rather than allowing them to linger indefinitely in shelters and unsheltered locations.

Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia have participated in this trend over the last five years, growing their number of permanent housing beds. Eleven states and territories increased them by more than 50 percent over this short period of years.

Currently, 57 percent of all homeless system beds are designated for permanent housing.

Common Forms of Assistance. Nationally, the most common type of homeless assistance is permanent supportive housing (PSH). Forty-one percent of system beds are in this category which has grown by 96 percent since 2007. Emergency shelter beds, the second most prevalent intervention, have increased by 38 percent since 2007.

Rapid rehousing, the newest type of permanent housing intervention, is continuing along a path of rapid growth. There are 87 percent more beds in this category than there were five years ago.

Transitional housing is the only intervention on the decline-there are 55 percent fewer beds in this category than there were in 2007. This shift is a part of the trend towards more investment in permanent housing solutions.

Populations at Risk of Homelessness

Many Americans live in poverty, amounting to 38.1 million people or 11.8 percent of the U.S. population. They struggle to afford necessities such as housing.

In 2018, 6.5 million Americans experienced severe housing cost burden, which means they spent more than 50 percent of their income on housing. This marked the fourth straight year of decreases in the size of this group. However, the number of severely cost burdened Americans is still 13 percent higher than it was in 2007, the year the nation began monitoring homelessness data.

Another measure of housing hardship is "doubling up," or sharing the housing of others for economic reasons. In 2018, an estimated 4 million people were in these situations. Some of these people have fragile relationships with their hosts or face other challenges in the home, putting them at risk of homelessness. Over the last five years, this number of doubled up people has been trending downward but is still 12 percent higher than it was in 2007.

Over the last decade, the nation hasn't made any real progress in reducing the number of Americans who are at risk of homelessness.

Further, few states are realizing significant improvements in these areas. Within the category of severe housing cost burden, Colorado tops the list but has only reduced its numbers by 13 percent since 2007. Over the same period, Colorado is also the state making the most significant progress in the doubled up category-however, its number only decreased by 34 percent. Most states are seeing their severe housing cost burden and doubled up numbers grow.

Sources and Methodology

Data on homelessness are based on annual point-in-time (PIT) counts conducted by Continuums of Care (CoCs) to estimate the number of people experiencing homelessness on a given night. The latest counts are from January 2019. Point-in-time data from 2007 to 2019 are available on HUD Exchange.

Rates of homelessness are a comparison of point-in-time counts to state, county, and city population data from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program, accessed via American FactFinder (table PEPANNRES: Annual Estimates of the Resident Population, 2018 version). Most CoC boundaries align with one or multiple counties, and about a dozen align with cities that are entirely within one county. However, four CoCs align with city boundaries spanning multiple counties (Atlanta, GA; Amarillo, TX; Kansas City, MO; and Oklahoma City, OK). For these, the population was estimated based on prior year trends.

Data on homeless assistance, or bed capacity of homeless services programs on a given night, are reported annually by CoCs along with point-in-time counts. These data are compiled in the Housing Inventory Count (HIC), which is also available on HUD Exchange for 2007 through 2019.

Data on at risk populations are from analyses by the National Alliance to End Homelessness of the Census Bureau's 2018 American Community Survey 1-year Estimates, accessed via American FactFinder. Poor renter households with a severe housing cost burden are households whose total income falls under the applicable poverty threshold and who are paying 50 percent or more of total household income to housing rent. For people living doubled up, poverty is based on the composition and income of the entire household as compared to the poverty thresholds. A person is considered living doubled up based on his or her relationship to the head of household and includes: an adult child (18 years old or older) who is not in school, is married, and/or has children; a sibling; a parent or parent-in-law; an adult grandchild who is not in school; a grandchild who is a member of a subfamily; a son- or daughter-in-law; another relative; or any non-relative.

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State of Homelessness: 2020 Edition - National Alliance to End Homelessness

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As the Alliance publishes this updated version of the State of Homelessness, COVID-19 is creating a health and economic crisis in America and throughout the world. It is too soon to determine its ultimate impacts. Thus, this year's report represents [...]

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For people who dont know what homelessness is , this is an article that explains the dangers of being homeless

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Homelessness is evolving into a national and international crisis. Within developed countries, homeless rates are now believed to approximate 1% of most urban populations. In the 2001 Canadian census, 14 145 people were counted as living in a shelter. Of note, 1490 (0r 10%) people were under the age of 15. This is made even more worrisome by the fact that these data likely underreport the true extent of homelessness because the census data represent the number of people living in a shelter on one day in May. This figure does not include the number of people staying in motels, transiently with friends, at a YMCA or a YWCA or on the street. This number also does not include people who may have recently become homeless and who were enumerated at their previous residence. Furthermore, these figures would have been drastically different if the census had been done in January when most shelters are at their capacity. In Ottawa in 2006, 1163 children had to stay in an emergency family shelter, and in Australia, the 2001 census reported that 10% of homeless people were children.

In 2006, 9010 people in Ottawa spent time in a shelter for the homeless. This is an increase from 8664 people only 2 years before. In addition to this substantial increase, the face of homelessness has changed from single adult male alcoholics to adolescents, single mothers, underemployed people, elderly people and recent immigrants. Homeless people are the unstably housed and the addicted. They are also the vulnerable people in our communities who experience a health crisis or a family breakdown. Almost any life crisis can precipitate homelessness and shamefully, a large proportion of homeless people are children. Raising children in a shelter or on the streets predicts lifelong problems and places these children at high risk for homelessness as adults., In addition, young adolescents who find themselves on the street quickly become part of the street culture of violence, sexual exploitation and addiction.,

On the surface, homelessness takes its origins from increased urbanization and gaps in the social safety net. The reality of what brings one to the streets and the circumstances that lead to chronic homelessness are infinitely more complex. Poverty, lack of social and family support, failed government policy, fetal alcohol syndrome, societal isolation, lack of resilience, psychiatric illness, and drug and alcohol addiction are all important variables that perpetuate homelessness and are resistant to simple solutions. Living on the streets of a large urban centre is as much about being part of a culture or society with different norms and rules as it is about being without housing.

The cost of homelessness to society as a whole and to homeless people themselves goes well beyond the nuisance of public intoxication and pan handling and the impact on tourism. Despite our attempts to socially isolate homeless people, they are responsible for a disproportionate use of judicial, social and health care resources. At the same time, they do not materially benefit from this investment as they, for example, have similar health indices as those living in underdeveloped countries. Their age-adjusted mortality is 2- to 8-fold greater than the housed population. Those living on the streets suffer from the same spectrum of medical illness as the housed population, yet the frequency of illness is substantially higher among homeless people. In addition, they may suffer from psychiatric disease, mental and physical disability and the consequences of drug and alcohol abuse, including violence, sexual exploitation and infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV and hepatitis C. For example, the incidence of diseases such as diabetes and HIV in the chronically homeless population are substantially higher than in the housed population. A review of the literature shows that the incidence of HIV among Canadian youth living on the street is 6.1 per 1000, as compared with 0.20 per 1000 in the general population.

Although actual measures of substance use among homeless people are hard to ascertain, it is estimated that the they are 6-7 times more likely than people in the general population to develop persistent and pervasive alcohol-related problems. However, it is important to note that the addiction profile among homeless people has shifted from the predominant use of alcohol to polysubstance use, which includes opiates, crack and crystal methamphetamines. The war on drugs has not curtailed the exploitation of people living in shelters.

Despite the public perception that the lives of people without homes are "responsibility free" and that these people choose not to have housing, homeless people report increased violence and drug availability, reduced meaningful social services and a correspondingly hostile community. They are discouraged by a system that works for others but that works against them. For example, negotiating a complex health care system is almost impossible for many. Despite their heavy burden of illness, they lack access primary or preventive health services.,, In addition, transportation to and from medical appointments is often impossible because of timing and expense. Health cards, prescriptions and integrated health services are not usually within their grasp, although health and social policy dictates that they are entitled to these benefits. As a consequence, often the only health care homeless people receive is through the emergency department, which is costly and ineffective., These problems are not unique to health care: they apply equally to the housing, judicial and social systems.

Despite the many challenges, there is hope. There is now an emerging body of evidence identifying cost-effective approaches to address many of the root causes of homelessness and the associated health and social consequences., These strategies include affordable and supportive housing, enhanced social inclusion, harm-reduction strategies, individual and community empowerment, community mental health services and poverty-reduction strategies.

Unfortunately, effective strategies run counter to the ideologies, beliefs and expectations of citizen groups and political parties. In addition, our elected representatives often seek politically expedient, simple and short-term solutions to complex social and health problems. The controversy surrounding strategies like social housing and harm reduction are filled with emotion and strong positions. However, like all complex social issues, they are seldom explained in a short sound bite or within the mandate of a political party despite their best intentions. Successful models such as "housing first" require a long-term integrated strategy that is not solely driven by short-term cost savings.

In order to stem this crisis, first we must identify eradication of homelessness as a major social problem that deserves meaningful government funding. Community engagement and leadership are key to making this metastatic social cancer a front-and-centre priority. Second, every effort should be made to "depoliticize" the problem of homelessness. This may be achieved by focused dialogue involving stakeholders from different backgrounds, ideologies and political colours. Third, strategic investments and energy should largely be focused on evidence-based programs, so that we invest in programs that work rather than in ideologic solutions. We do not believe in a radical departure from the past, but rather in enhanced leadership, collaboration and targeted evidence-based investments. There is no shortage of great ideas, and effective solutions are well within our reach.

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Poverty and human development: Homelessness and health

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Homelessness is evolving into a national and international crisis. Within developed countries, homeless rates are now believed to approximate 1% of most urban populations. In the 2001 Canadian census, 14 145 people were counted as living in a shelter. Of note, 1490 (0r 10%) people were under the age of 15.

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The GDP of America is an astronomical $18 trillion. To put it in perspective, if California seceded from the United States, it would have the eighth largest GDP of all the countries in the world (just beating out Italy).

When you start to consider just how much money exists in America, it makes the fact that we even have homelessness seems all the more absurd.

Depending on where you live across the country, you may have different ideas about how prolific the homeless situation is in this country. That's why stats can help make the realities a bit more clear.

So the question is: how bad is homelessness in America, really?
How bad can it be?
Let's start with the definition: an individual may be considered homeless when they lack permanent housing and have to stay in shelters, abandoned buildings or vehicles, on the streets, or in other forms of unstable situations. They may also be considered homeless if they have to "double up" with friends or extended family members because they are unable to maintain their own housing situation.

We've seen this issue arise in some form since the 1870s and it's continued to pervade our society into the present day. On a single night in January 2015, for example, 564,708 people were considered homelessness in America, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness. That's over half a million people without a roof over their heads.

In a single night in California in 2016, 21.48% of the population experienced homelessness. In New York, 15.7%. That's over 100,000 people in California and 80,000 people in New York.

Homelessness is an issue that pervades many societies around the world but it seems to be an exceptional struggle for the United States. Among the top homeless cities in the world, New York City ranks the second highest on the list, with Los Angeles following at a close third. Other American cities featured include Boston, Washington D.C., San Francisco, and Phoenix.

Although the national rate of homelessness has gone down from 21.5 per 10,000 people in 2007 to 17.7 per 10,000 in 2015, there is still a lot of work to be done - the rate of homelessness amongst individual states continues to be high and the amount of affordable housing remains painfully low.
So what can we do?
As a volunteer EMT, I've seen my share of what can happen on the streets. Many homeless die when it's too hot, too cold, or too wet. These are real people who need real resources, like shelter, food, and clothes. We have to do more as a nation to stop treating the homeless as invisible, and start treating them as human beings. We must do more, as fellow neighbors, developers, lawmakers, citizens, to solve this problem and get people off the streets, because everyone, everyone, deserves a home.

But have we already built a system against homeless by design?

Have you ever wondered why some public benches have that third armrest in the middle? Or why some are just not that comfortable? I never used to give it a second thought. I reasoned it was just the cheapest design available.

As it turns out, they were specifically designed in this way to dissuade people from sitting too long. Or to deter people from sleeping there.

This kind of design practice is subtle but everywhere in our cities and even has an actual term: hostile or defensive urban architecture. It's used to discreetly target loitering and reduce the visibility of those deemed "unappealing" to the aesthetics of the city: the "reckless" teenagers, the poor, the homeless.

Other measures include camping restrictions and even banning private food donations to the homeless. In 2012, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg outlawed food donations because " the city couldn't assess salt, fat, and fiber content " of the food. Apparently it was more important to monitor the healthiness of what his people were eating, even if they were eating nothing at all.
A solution for $46 a year
For a more explicit solution, I think we should look towards Housing First, "a proven approach in which people experiencing homelessness are offered permanent housing with few to no treatment preconditions, behavioral contingencies, or barriers." The project believes that the issues that cause a person to be homeless-unemployment, poverty, mental health, etc.-can be better addressed once they actually have a home.

And the best part is, the program's proving to be working. Using this approach, homelessness could be eliminated at an annual additional cost of $1.7 billion. If this sounds like a lot - it's not. It's about $46 a year per person. Or put even more in scale: 88 cents per week.

Considering it can cost over $100,000 annually to support a chronically homeless person vs. the $35,000 per year to provide permanent housing, this may be a mutually beneficial approach.

Either way, we must continue to take steps towards eradicating homelessness in our country and ensuring that everyone has the basic necessity of shelter. I'd be willing to pay 88 cents more per week for that. Wouldn't you?
Previously published on DanNeiditch.org

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The GDP of America is an astronomical $18 trillion. To put it in perspective, if California seceded from the United States, it would have the eighth largest GDP of all the countries in the world (just beating out Italy).