Often times, people will instantly allow their minds to wander to the assumption that all people who are homeless have encountered this struggle because they chose to give in to drugs and alcohol. Although addiction can be a cause of homelessness, there are so many other ways that people end up houseless. It is explained that the top 5 causes of homelessness consist of inability to find housing that is affordable, joblessness, poverty, mental health issues, and drug and substance abuse. These causes are important to understand because it helps people come to the realization that not all homeless people are addicts thus, erasing this negative stigma. In fact, causes of houselessness can vary based upon gender. For instance, a major reason that women end up homeless has to do with domestic violence. When females experience continual abuse, they flee these harmful relationships to find safety however, this results in these females lacking housing.
This pressing issue cannot be ignored, especially in the current day and age that we are in. The Covid19 pandemic has caused for unemployment in many Americans and an increase in mental health struggles. These issues can cause housing and bills to become unaffordable as well as an increased chance that people will fall into poverty. It is imperative that we act now in order to make an impact in people’s lives and lessen the struggles that American citizens are having to deal with in result of Covid19. We should not be so quick to judge those that are homeless instead, we should be thinking about what we can do to help.
That being said, it is easy to help those who are homeless. For instance, if you are limited on time, you can donate to food organizations online so that they can distribute food to those in need. There are so many options for where to donate however, a great example would be the World Food Program. If you are limited on money, you can donate your old clothing to Goodwill or the Salvation Army. This costs you no money and it helps those in need find affordable options for clothing. No amount or item is too little or ineffective. Everything and anything that you are willing to donate truly does help. How can you make a difference?
Donate now by clicking the link below:
Sources:
https://joinpdx.org/homelessness-statistics-in-the-portland-metro-area/
https://www.move.org/how-to-donate-your-used-items/
https://endhomelessness.org/homelessness-in-america/what-causes-homelessness/domestic-violence/
https://nlchp.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Homeless_Stats_Fact_Sheet.pdf
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