Reasons for Homelessness

Far from being a hoary Reagan-era cliche of the 1980s, the phenomenon of homelessness has waxed and waned throughout American history--to varying degrees of attention from its politicians. However, getting a grip on the root causes of homelessness--which cuts across virtually every age, class, race and sex line--can be tough, since many income-, employment- and opportunity-related factors can come into play. In fact, when analyzed objectively, the scariest part of becoming homeless is how easily it can happen to anyone, through no fault of their own. Given the foreclosure crises of 2007-08 and resulting economic meltdowns, the only certainty is that homelessness will become even more of a problem.

Types

Unstable income is the most commonly identified root cause of homelessness, one that gathered steam as manufacturing declined during the 1980s, and accelerated during the next two decades--particularly in financial and service industry jobs that could be easily outsourced to cheaper wage economies, like those of China and India. Domestically, 20 years of flat wages left a greater gap in covering cost of living expenses, effectively scuttling the rule that rent should not exceed 25 percent of income. A trend toward emptying out mental hospitals, which began during the more liberal 1960s and 1970s, created a new homeless underclass that lacked the support structures--including adequate medical insurance--essential to a stable life. Substance abuse has also been a traditional fast track to homelessness, since it can interfere with the commitments of holding down a job and raising a family.

Features

Getting a grip on the modern face of homelessness is difficult due to many overlooked subtleties.One key example is the so-called "hidden homeless" phenomenon--the term for people lacking permanent residences, yet maintaining one through the goodwill of friends and relatives. Similarly, the nation's working poor may become homeless through wages that barely keep them out of poverty, failing the traditional requirement of one month's rent upfront, plus an equivalent amount for a security deposit. Unemployment insurance, which runs out after six months in most states, is no longer a buffer, since many people remain jobless for far longer time periods. With the worsening economy and fierce competition, even for low-level jobs, many are ending up in dire economic straits. Divorce and domestic abuse are equally overlooked factors, since the departing partner is worse off financially--at least in the short run--yet many domestic violence shelters often only allow maximum stays of 30 to 90 days. This reality forces victims to consider returning to their batterer, while lack of credit and stable income may impact divorced people seeking to establish themselves on their own.

Geography

Homelessness is commonly associated with the "mean streets" of Chicago, Los Angeles or New York, yet rural areas are also experiencing many of the same problems often due to the decline of major industries like timber, mining and farming, leading to massive layoffs. People who have no family resources, in turn, must depart to a larger town with homeless shelters and missions. Rural areas get less attention in social sciences literature, yet their residents account for nine percent of the nation's 600,000 estimated homeless people, according to statistics compiled by the Coalition Against Rural Homelessness (CARH). Similarly, although one in 20 metropolitan areas are defined as high poverty areas--meaning rates of 20 percent or higher--one in five rural counties fall into those categories, according to the coalition. Some social critics also believe that the welfare benefit limitations signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996 contributed to an upswing of homeless populations in areas that traditionally had seen little fluctuations, such as the Appalachian Mountains, for example.

Considerations

The correlation between homelessness and increased housing prices--whether the subject is home values or monthly rents--cannot be emphasized enough, according to advocates. Beginning in the 1970s, the growing gentrification of many urban areas left lower-income residents with fewer options after developers received tax breaks to convert older apartment buildings labeled as tenements into higher-priced luxury condominiums. In many cases, the clearing of notorious public housing complexes, such as the Robert Taylor Homes demolished in Chicago in 2007, scattered residents further and wider without an immediately affordable alternative to replace them. Incomes have failed to keep pace with these trends, effectively putting even moderately priced areas beyond reach for someone earning $10 or less per hour.

Warning

It is far easier to end up homeless than many people believe, whether through one missed paycheck, an illness or an eviction. In many urban areas, landlords can start eviction proceedings after only five days. Amid that backdrop, the only certainty is that new causes will arise to bedevil the experts, such as the impact of natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina or the increased numbers of bankruptcies that followed the credit crunch that gripped America during the fall of 2008. With current networks of temporary housing and local homeless shelters often strained to the breaking point, addressing these problems will require greater insight into their varied causes, followed by the implementation of concrete remedies to offer some long-term relief.

Resources

• Rosie's Place: Why Are People Homeless?
• Coalition Against Rural Homelessness
• Rising Rents Leave Homeless No Escape