Homelessness is often considered an epidemic that needs to be cured. 

As of 2018, “a total of 552,830 people were experiencing homelessness on a single night in 2018, this number represents 17 out of every 10,000 people in the United States” (State of Homelessness - National Alliance to End Homelessness). Today, many people are homeless because of events that have occurred in their life that are out of their control including the loss of a loved one, job loss, domestic violence, and other tragic life events. In addition, other factors like depression, untreated mental illness, post traumatic stress disorder, and other physical disabilities push individuals on to the streets (Homelessness, an Epidemic that Must be Cured - by Steven Gurrola with art by Cristal Trujillo | Education). By acknowledging the many reasons that cause homelessness, an end to homelessness can be facilitated.

According to the National Coalition for the Homeless , the two main reasons that people are homeless are lack of affordable housing and poverty, which this article will be focused on. Because poverty is a multifaceted issue, meaning that many factors contribute to poverty, people who live below the poverty line face a number of challenges, but the solutions to such challenges are not so difficult.

What is poverty?

Poverty means not having enough physical possessions or income to meet one’s needs, however, it can include social, economic and political elements. Absolute poverty means that an individual lacks the ability to meet basic personal needs like food, clothing, and shelter. According to the United States 2018 Census, the poverty threshold—also known as the poverty line—for an individual was $12,784 and $16,247 for two people (Income and Poverty in the United States: 2018). In just the United States, the national poverty rate in 2016 was 12.7%, which meant that 40.6 million people were living in poverty (Poverty). These individuals live paycheck to paycheck, if they get a paycheck at all. One small misstep could be the difference between them sleeping in a bed or sleeping on the pavement. Because of this, it is important that a state have resources in place so individuals do not have that kind of misstep, including affordable healthcare and welfare programs. 

What is homelessness?

Homelessness is defined as living in housing that does not meet the minimum standard of living. There are many misconceptions about homelessness that need to be addressed. For instance, it is a stereotype that homeless people are all either addicts or mentally ill, when the truth is, only approximately 16% of the  single adult homeless population suffers from some form of severe mental illness in the United States  (National Coalition for the Homeless Homelessness in America (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 2005)). Next, most people believe that homelessness is a long term condition, but on the contrary, “the most common length of time that someone is homeless is one or two days, and half the people who enter the homeless shelter system will leave within 30 days, never to return” (The Homeless Epidemic). Lastly, a common misconception is that there is only one type of homelessness, when there are in fact three. In addition to the three following categories, individuals are also considered homeless if they are trading sex for housing, are staying with friends and cannot stay for longer than fourteen days, are being trafficked, or left home because of physical, emotional, or financial abuse or threats and have no safe or alternative housing (HUD's Definition of Homelessness: Resources and Guidance). 

First, we have chronic homelessness, which is the traditional scenario that most people think of when they hear the word “homeless.” Chronic homelessness includes individuals who tend to use shelters as long-term housing more than solely for emergency purposes. Such individuals are often older, disabled, addicts, and consistently unemployed (National Coalition for the Homeless Homelessness in America). 

Second, we have transitional homelessness, which include people who only use the shelter system for short periods of time. Most of these individuals are young and have recently faced a catastrophic event that forced them to become homeless but will soon find stable housing.  Most people who are homeless fall into this category.

Lastly, there is episodic homelessness, which includes those who move between stable housing and homelessness. Most of these individuals are chronically unemployed and experience medical, mental health, and substance abuse problems.

The Link Between Homelessness and Poverty

Today, more than ever, homelessness and poverty are linked together. This is because when people are not making a living wage, they have to make tough choices between paying for housing, food, child or health care, and education. More often than not, people are unable to pay for their housing and fall victim to transitional homelessness, which can lead to chronic homelessness. An individual does not have to have a chronic disease or be an addict to become homeless. Although people assume that only individuals in absolute poverty are homeless, that is not the case. Oftentimes, individuals who can meet their basic food and clothing needs lack appropriate shelter and are still considered homeless.

Because poverty and homelessness are so intertwined, attacking one challenge can very well fix the other. By providing support for factors that contribute to an individual living below the poverty line, homelessness can be alleviated. For this reason, access to public assistance needs to be wide spread so that individuals falling behind are able to take care of their families, get medical care, purchase food, and find stable employment.  Having a stable and up to date welfare system in place would allow for people living below the poverty line to obtain benefits that help them live a better quality of life.  In addition to both of these efforts, it is important that legislation gets passed to offer higher wages to impoverished individuals.

It is apparent that without earning a living wage, living paycheck to paycheck is inevitable. Although living wages differ based on location, they are simple to determine. By raising the minimum wage to meet the minimum wage requirements needed to live in an area, poverty rates will quickly lessen. 

Homeless is not a choice, but a result of individuals lacking the proper resources to deal with the hand they were dealt. There is not just one factor that causes homelessness, and in turn, not just one solution.  However, eliminating poverty is an ideal place to start in order to eradicate homelessness. There is hope. All of the data points in the same direction: the homelessness epidemic can be solved, but that means the government must be willing to help people in their countries. By initiating proper, up to date welfare, health care, and education programs, governments can work towards eliminating poverty in their countries. With that being said, poverty is a huge problem disproportionately facing several communities, and will take huge efforts to amend.