Homelessness can be described as a person who lacks a fixed, adequate nighttime residence. To be considered homeless a person must have a primary nighttime residency that is a publicly operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations. It is impossible to know exactly how many people are homeless in the United States. The numbers fluctuate everyday because some find homes, some lose their homes, and most of the time the homeless are in places that aren't counted. The only thing that is known is that homelessness is increasing. A growing shortage of affordable housing has made climbing out of homelessness nearly impossible for someone who lives in extreme poverty ("Homeless").

Not being able to afford housing does not mean that the person is completely without a source of income. Almost one in five homeless persons are employed. The connection between impoverished w

In 1997, thirty percent of workers were employed in non-standard work arrangements ("HomelessnessÉ"). These consist of independent contracting, working for temporary help agencies, day labor and regular part-time employment. This type of work typically offers lower wages, fewer benefits and less job security. The underemployment rate stands substantially higher than the unemployment rate. Measures of underemployment reflect not only individuals who are unemployed, but also involuntary part-timers that want to work full-time. Thus, for many Americans, work provides no escape from poverty ("Homeless").

The homeless problem has been forgotten due to the arrival of new national issues such as AIDS and illegal drugs. The public is simply tired of opening their hearts and wallets to a situation that has seen little change (Wilkerson, 156). By avoiding the problem it doesn't mean that it will go away. Bitter cities have turned to eviction to try to solve their ever-growing homeless problem (Cohen, 28). Where are almost thirty-five million people to go when the only home they have known has been a box underneath a bridge that is being fenced off because the city is "tired" of dealing with the problem?

Over time, some people will find housing while new people will lose housing and become homeless. This is seen in a New York shelter where a single bed will accommodate as many as six different people in one year ("Homeless"). Only a concerted effort to ensure jobs that pay a living wage and the availability of affordable housing will bring an end to homelessness.

Reports of a growing economy and low unemployment mask a number of reasons why homelessness persists in the United States. Due to the passage and implementation of the welfare reform legislation, welfare caseloads have dropped sharply ("Homeless"). However, the declining welfare rolls simply mean that fewer people are receiving benefits, not that they are employed and d

Some topics in this essay:
United Due, Market Rent, , Homeless Displaced, Truth Deinstitutionalization, Demonstration Program, HomelessnessÉ Declining, Rent Homeless, minimum wage, Braden Johnson, jobs pay, people homeless, market rent, homeless people, fair market, Department Labor, poverty line, fair market rent, apartment fair market, homeless persons, homeless seen, due low, two-bedroom apartment fair, afford two-bedroom apartment,