Homelessness is one of those sad things that every culture has had to deal with to some extent since the beginning of civilization. However, different cultures have addressed the issue in different ways. For example, under more socialistic governmental systems, homeless people are typically handled by the government. This involves providing shelter, food, and clothing. Under more capitalist systems, they are typically handled by individuals and organizations. While neither one of these systems is better or worse, there is no system that has managed to fully get to the roots of the problem. This is just one of many sad facts about homelessness.
Oftentimes homelessness starts with mental issues, post traumatic stress disorder, drug use, and disability. One possible reaction is to assume the Darwinist position. This would say that those who cannot provide for themselves will either go hungry or not have a place to live. While most people don’t outright adhere to this position, it is often the underlying assumption that many of us have, especially when we simplify the position into lazy people and non-lazy people. Another possible position is to assume the altruist position. This would say that we should do everything we can to help those who have little. It too, often over simplifies the problem. Not all homeless people are the same and many require different types of assistance. These are 25 hard to swallow facts about homelessness.
25
California accounts for 20% of the homeless population in the United States
24
California, New York, Florida, Texas, and Massachusetts account for half of the homeless population in the US
23
1 out of every 50 American children will be homeless at some point in their lives
22
The 3 most commonly cited causes of homelessness are poverty, lack of affordable housing, and unemployment
21In any given year about 1 out of every 200 American adults will be homeless
19
At least 30 cities have criminalized giving food to the homeless
18
In some areas, like Hawaii, officials have attempted to solve homelessness by providing one way plane tickets elsewhere
17
A study at Princeton found that our brains tend to process images of homeless people more like they process objects than actual human beings
16
There is actually an entire generation of homeless Japanese youths who live and sleep in internet cafes
15
A 59 year old homeless man in North Carolina held up a bank for $1 in order to be sent to jail and receive healthcare
14
Fatherless homes produce 70% of high school dropouts, 85% of kids in detention facilities, and 90% of homeless children
13
Nearly one quarter of homeless people in the United States are veterans
12
Nearly half of those veterans have a diagnosable mental illness
11
There has been a National Hobo Convention in Britt, Iowa every year for the past century. They even crown a King and Queen.
10
The country of Albania built hundreds of thousands of bunkers under communism. Today some of them are used to house homeless people
9
Nearly 1/3 of homeless people in the United States are younger than 24
8
About half of the youth on the street report that their parents knew they were leaving but didn't care
7
Sylvester Stallone was homeless and even sold his dog for $50. Not long after, however, he sold the script for Rocky and bought back his dog for $3,000
6
Nearly 20% of youths will run away at least once
5
HIV rates are up to 9 times higher among the homeless than in comparative samples of the population
4
While veterans, people with disabilities, and single parent families have always been at risk of homelessness, these days more of the working class is at risk of homelessness than ever before
3
In some regions like Central Texas, the fastest growing population of homeless people is women and children
2
In 2012 a homeless woman in Canada returned a purse she found that contained $10,400
1
There are 5 times more vacant houses in the United States than the number of homeless people
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