foreclosures

When you visit our cities you see them - the old woman pushing her belongings in a shopping cart; the young mother bathing her baby in a MacDonald’s bathroom; the vet wearing three layers of clothes under fatigues. Many of them don’t know where they will sleep from one night to the next. A few still own a car that affords them the luxury of having a familiar place to lay down when evening comes.

 In 2009, there were 1.6M homeless people in shelters. According to the US Conference of Mayors, the main cause of homelessness is the lack of affordable housing. It’s documented that drug and alcohol abuse, as well as mental health issues can impact homelessness, but the overriding factor for many people is unemployment and poverty.

Generally, homelessness is defined as a person who "lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." Although it once seemed largely confined to our cities; it has migrated toward rural and suburban areas. Before the 1980’s, the homeless population was mostly composed of men or at least that’s what experts tell us, but that has changed. Within the last couple of decades, the numbers of homeless women in the United States has grown. Many of them are on the streets because of divorce, abandonment, or domestic abuse, but just as with other homeless groups, unemployment and poverty allow few options.

some observations: