Sarah’s Social Action Snapshot: 10 Facts About Homelessness
Posted by Sarah Newman on November 18, 2008 at 1:01 pm
CATEGORIES: Global Health, Human Rights
All week I’m writing about hunger and homelessness for National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. These 10 facts will give you a better sense of homelessness and hunger in the US in 2008. They are from the Coalition for the Homeless, HELP USA, National Alliance to End Homelessness and Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
- Most homeless are not lazy people. Many adults living in shelters have jobs but cannot afford housing, especially in major cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Washington, DC where housing costs are astronomical.
- The majority of people in New York City shelters on any given night are families.
- Los Angeles has the highest rate of homelessness in the nation, with approximately 88,000 individuals.
- The number of homeless continues to increase. There are now 35, 200 homeless in New York, up from 21,100 in 1998
- 36.2 million people lacked access to adequate food at some point in 2007.
- There were 13 million “food insecure” households last year. This includes 691,000 children and 783,000 seniors.
- 400,000 US veterans have experienced homelessness this year with 195,827 without shelter on any given night.
- Between 1 and 1.5 million teenagers experience homelessness at least one time per year.
- Homelessness is not just an urban issue. About 9% of all homeless people live in rural areas.
- Homelessness and hunger can be solved when we all devote enough energy and resources to help hungry and homeless people in our communities today. Takepart today by volunteering and supporting the following organizations: Coalition for the Homeless, HELP USA, National Alliance to End Homelessness.
(photo from jspatchwork’s photostream)
CATEGORIES: Global Health, Human Rights
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The poor people! I mean, we should donate and think our selves so lucky. It must be so stressful for those poor people, I can’t believe that we have got such good electonical gadgets, and they have barely got enough food!
this was so helpful! thankyou.
i had a social studies project and this gave me alot of good ideas.
this is so sad though! i cant even believe the things the US is going through. AHH!
Well yeah this is so sad and the saddest part is that we have the resources to help some of these people become active members in the community we live in. I live in L.A. and skid road ( where the homeless resign) in the morning is horrible you see people by the tens lining up to receive there meals from the mission or the locals who have the heart to feed them. Even though this is all good and all I sometimes get the feeling that we are causing some harm as well. Why? well if they know that they just have to stand in line and they are going to get food, some or even most are not going to make the effort to better themselves and the homeless rate is going to continue to sky rocket. i think that if we want to really help we should get to the root and help them stabalize themselves so they could find jobs, homes, and food. but hey thats just the opinion of a 17 year old who is working on a senior thesis.
Well yeah this is so sad and the saddest part is that we have the resources to help some of these people become active members in the community we live in. I live in L.A. and skid road ( where the homeless resign) in the morning is horrible you see people by the tens lining up to receive there meals from the mission or the locals who have the heart to feed them. Even though this is all good and all I sometimes get the feeling that we are causing some harm as well. Why? well if they know that they just have to stand in line and they are going to get food, some or even most are not going to make the effort to better themselves and the homeless rate is going to continue to sky rocket. i think that if we want to really help we should get to the root and help them stabilize themselves so they could find jobs, homes, and food. but hey that’s just the opinion of a 17 year old who is working on a senior thesis.
i think people should help out the people that is here dont have no more babys intill the kids here today is tokk4en care of