America's homelessness crisis is getting worse
Homelessness crisis worsens.
America's homelessness problem has the makings of an acute crisis.
Shelters across the United States are reporting an increase in the number of people seeking help, with waiting lists doubling or tripling in recent months. The number of homeless people outside of shelters is also likely to be on the rise, experts say. Some of them are living in encampments, which have been popping up in parks and other public spaces in major cities from Washington, D.C. to Seattle since the pandemic began.
And inflation is compounding the problem: rents have risen at their fastest pace since 1986, putting homes and apartments out of reach for more Americans.
The crisis means more people don't know where they're going to sleep tonight. Living on the streets, people are exposed to more crime, violence and inclement weather, including extreme heat. They can lose their jobs in the chaos of homelessness, and they often struggle to find another without internet access or a mailing address. "There's a certain posture you take when you're homeless," Ivan Perez, who lived in a tent in Los Angeles, told The Times. "You lose your dignity."
Homelessness has become an especially serious political issue for Democrats governing big cities, where it is most visible. He has played a role in recent elections, such as the recall of the San Francisco district attorney last month. More Americans now say they worry a lot about homelessness compared to the years before the pandemic.
The origins of the current homelessness crisis date back decades — to policies that stopped the United States from building enough housing, experts said. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, seven million very low-income renters cannot get affordable housing.
Today's newsletter will look at how the country it has come to this.< /p>
No factor matters more to homelessness than access to housing. Poverty, mental illness, addiction, and other issues play a role, but are less prominent.
Many cities and states in the Midwest and South, for example, have higher rates of mental illness, poverty, or addiction than other parts of the United States, but they have similar or lower rates of homelessness. “What explains regional variations are housing market conditions,” said University of Washington housing expert Gregg Colburn.
Homelessness crisis worsens.
America's homelessness problem has the makings of an acute crisis.
Shelters across the United States are reporting an increase in the number of people seeking help, with waiting lists doubling or tripling in recent months. The number of homeless people outside of shelters is also likely to be on the rise, experts say. Some of them are living in encampments, which have been popping up in parks and other public spaces in major cities from Washington, D.C. to Seattle since the pandemic began.
And inflation is compounding the problem: rents have risen at their fastest pace since 1986, putting homes and apartments out of reach for more Americans.
The crisis means more people don't know where they're going to sleep tonight. Living on the streets, people are exposed to more crime, violence and inclement weather, including extreme heat. They can lose their jobs in the chaos of homelessness, and they often struggle to find another without internet access or a mailing address. "There's a certain posture you take when you're homeless," Ivan Perez, who lived in a tent in Los Angeles, told The Times. "You lose your dignity."
Homelessness has become an especially serious political issue for Democrats governing big cities, where it is most visible. He has played a role in recent elections, such as the recall of the San Francisco district attorney last month. More Americans now say they worry a lot about homelessness compared to the years before the pandemic.
The origins of the current homelessness crisis date back decades — to policies that stopped the United States from building enough housing, experts said. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, seven million very low-income renters cannot get affordable housing.
Today's newsletter will look at how the country it has come to this.< /p>
No factor matters more to homelessness than access to housing. Poverty, mental illness, addiction, and other issues play a role, but are less prominent.
Many cities and states in the Midwest and South, for example, have higher rates of mental illness, poverty, or addiction than other parts of the United States, but they have similar or lower rates of homelessness. “What explains regional variations are housing market conditions,” said University of Washington housing expert Gregg Colburn.
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