Main Reasons of Homelessness

There are many reasons individuals and families find themselves without a home. The family or individual may have experienced the loss of a job, an accident, an expensive health diagnosis, or many other unfortunate life events could have caused the loss of a home and stability. This has been a long-standing public issue that needs adjustments in funding and resources.

According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, shelter and security are considered basic needs, second only to food, water, and warmth. If a person is to evolve and grow to be a productive member of society, he or she needs food, water, rest, and security. Without the comfort of knowing there will be food on the table for every meal and a place to rest at night, people are unable to fully function to their best ability. This has a major impact on who these people are able to be in society. Without basic needs met, people are unable to act as volunteers for other causes, to take care of their children, to look presentable for a job, and the list continues.

Some people are able to pull themselves and their families out of homelessness. This could be achieved through hard work and effort, by luck, or a combination of hard work and luck. When people are absolutely unable to help themselves because of financial, health, or other reasons, that is when the community should be able to offer a helping hand.

Humans are naturally social creatures. Contrary to popular current beliefs, we will all need assistance from others in our lives at some point. Some people may only need a friend to listen to their issues, some may need assistance in finding a new job when they have been laid off, and others yet may need financial help because of a crisis. Regardless of what needs a person will have throughout there life, it is important that there are available resources to be utilized in times of crisis.

Not only is falling into homelessness stressful and a strike to one’s ego, it is also incredibly expensive to work out of it. In order to rent or buy a living space, a down payment or security deposit is often required. This amount of savings is usually unattainable for those struggling with homelessness. The money that is earned is used for food and temporary housing, making it incredibly difficult to build a savings account. This is assuming nobody involved is suffering from a substance abuse disorder.

It is often thought that homeless people are all suffering from a drug addiction or alcohol addiction. This is an unfair and critical view that shrouds the actual cause of homelessness. Substance and alcohol abuse can be the cause of homelessness but often happens after homelessness occurs. Regardless of how and when drug and alcohol dependence occurs, it should always be viewed as a mental illness and treated as such.

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