Causes Of Homelessness

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Homelessness and Substance Abuse
Throughout history, there has always been a portion of society living in disadvantaged conditions. With the current high cost of living, global issues, unemployment rate, and low wages, many Americans are finding themselves not only homeless but addicts. One would think that in this advanced century, there would not be individuals living without the basic necessities such as food, water, and shelter. Unfortunately, there are millions of people with nowhere to sleep. Besides the many problems homeless people face daily, one of the leading problems is alcohol and drug abuse. Being homeless with limited access to healthcare or shelter in conjunction with mental illness or exposure to harmful substances can lead …show more content…
With the economy being the main reason, other factors that contribute are substance abuse, political, and social factors. Within the past years, some individuals have found it difficult to parallel their low income with the increase in living cost. For some individuals 50% of their income goes towards housing, the increasing price of housing and the low-wage families receive make it difficult to afford a sustainable living (Bassuk, 2010). Since 2001-2007 the affordable housing stock decreased by 6.3% (Bassuk, 2010). The dramatic increase in health care is also another burden added to a low-income family struggling to maintain a living leading to individuals not only becoming homeless but severely ill (Bassuk, 2010). Individuals working in a demanding job and suffering from a health condition can quickly become unemployed due to not being able to perform the job or too many absences. Now that individual is left with no income or health care. With each new day brings forth a new survival challenge. Besides being helpless, and hungry, struggling with addictions and homelessness are two issues that are difficult to overcome. Chronicity of substance abuse can either lead to homelessness or eventually become a learned habit while living on the streets for a long period of …show more content…
Much discussion is being focused on needle exchange programs and their effectiveness. The purpose of the program is geared towards providing drug users with clean needles at little to no cost. The philosophy behind that idea is to reduce risk factors for diseases such as HIV and hepatitis. However, a number of syringes being use are more frequently reported by younger and homeless injectors (Aidala, 2005). While efforts to continually improve the program is being done, the federal government should play a more active role in making sure needle exchange programs are not increasing the substance use behavior among drug
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