Why The US Can't Solve Homelessness

#1: Invisible People: https://invisiblepeople.tv/category/learn-more/homelessness/

Check out this basic but really great explanation of “Why People are Homeless?”

People become homeless when their wages and income are not enough to cover rent or a mortgage and other necessities like food, medicine, health care, transportation, and child care.

Circumstances and life-altering events that cause a person to become homeless include:

Low-paying jobs

Lay-offs

Serious illnesses or accident

Lack of income

Loss of a loved one or divorce

Lack of support networks

Evictions

Foreclosures

Poverty

Natural disasters (i.e. hurricanes, floods)

Fires

Lack of resources when re-acclimating to the community (veterans, released for jail, discharged from hospital)

Across Virginia, there is a shortage of rental homes affordable and available to extremely low income households (ELI), whose incomes are at or below the poverty guideline. The state of VA is short 174, 187 affordable and available rental home for extremely low income renters. $51,690 is the Annual household income needed to afford a two-bedroom rental home at HUD's Fair Market Rent! Many of these households are severely cost burdened, spending more than half of their income on housing. Severely cost burdened poor households are more likely than other renters to sacrifice other necessities like healthy food and healthcare to pay the rent, and to experience unstable housing situations like evictions.

https://nlihc.org/housing-needs-by-state/virginia

When you become homeless, you lose so much. You no longer have a place to sleep, store food, cook, and eat. There is nowhere to keep your clothes, or go to the bathroom and take a bath or shower. Giving up your pets, furniture, belongings, and mementos is likely. You may need to leave your neighbors and neighborhood and may have a harder time getting to school or work. Many homeless people have limited contact with family and friends. Homelessness leads to increased feelings of uncertainty, vulnerability, and isolation.

Instagram and/or Facebook

#1: Invisiblepeople (Invisible People)

#2: Nationalhomeless (National Alliance to End Homelessness)

#3: Momentsofhopeoutreach (Moments of Hope)

#4: pacemshelter (PACEM)

#5: havencville (The Haven)

Invisible People

https://invisiblepeople.tv/stories-from-homeless-people/

This organization has a passion about giving a face and voice to the homeless. Check out 1 or more of the stories!

Myth:

People choose to be homeless.

Fact:

A variety of different factors can contribute to an individual’s experience of homelessness. Often, people experience homelessness when all other options have been exhausted, and/or they are dealing with circumstances that make it difficult to maintain housing. Some of the obstacles that may lead people to their experiences of homelessness include:

-Eviction

-The affordable housing crisis

-Coping with mental illnesses or addictions, which makes it difficult to maintain independent housing

Myth:

People experiencing homelessness are lazy.

Fact:

In order to survive, many people who experience homelessness are constantly in search for the necessities of life, such as food, shelter and a source of income. Therefore, due to the barriers that they face, many people experiencing homelessness do not have the option of being stagnant or lazy. For example, searching for a job becomes even more challenging when an individual does not have access to a phone, computer, or fixed address on a regular basis.

Myth:

People experiencing homelessness should just find a job.

Fact:

There are already people experiencing homelessness who are employed; however, it is much more difficult to find a job while experiencing homelessness. A number of different challenges, such as: lacking a permanent address, not having regular access to showers, barriers to transportation, and other difficulties like mental illness, make it difficult to obtain employment. Even when individuals experiencing homelessness find jobs, they are often part-time or minimum wage positions. This work fails to adequately meet their needs, due to expensive housing costs.

Myth:

All people who experience homelessness are addicts.

Fact:

Many people who experience homelessness do not struggle with substance abuse problems or addictions. Just like in the general population, only a percentage of those who are experiencing homelessness deal with addictions. People experiencing homelessness may deal with other issues related to their experiences of homelessness, including trauma and mental illness, for example.