Cause & Effects of Homelessness

“Excuse me miss do you have change to spare? I’m homeless and in desperate need of something to eat.” This statement is what many people hear when walking the streets of District of Columbia. Homeless is very prevalent in the world today. The National Alliance to end homelessness reported that 651,859 people in the United States were homeless in 2007 and of that amount 5,320 where residents of the District of Columbia. Decreasing the number of homeless in our society will decrease the number of shelters and the illnesses that occur when being homeless; having no home or shelter is a major societal issue that needs to be resolved in order to make society better. Homelessness is a societal issue that is a result of three causes: a catastrophe, mental illness, and job loss. Homelessness is sometimes inevitable when a catastrophe, an extreme unpredictable event, occurs. These events can range from a fire in the home to the loss of a family member. Hurricane Katrina caused devastation across the U.S. Gulf Coast in the year of 2005, and thousands were left homeless. “Four years later, nearly 12,000 people are currently homeless in state of New Orleans.” Hurricane Katrina destroyed many homes in the Gulf Coast which caused some victims to have new homes built. Because the impact of Hurricane Katrina wasn’t expected to be so bad, many people of New Orleans weren’t expecting to be displaced from their homes. Many victims of this catastrophe didn’t have home insurance and some home insurance didn’t cover the damages that were made so many were left homeless. A fire in the home is another example how a catastrophe can cause one to become homeless. Some fires destroy the entire home or apartment and leave the victims with expensive repairs. Some victims just can’t afford the expenses which causes them to have no shelter. When a fire happens it is unpredicted and some people are unprepared. Catastrophes, the major cause of homelessness, can occur in any one’s life so