What Does Homelessness Mean to You?

 

What Does Homelessness Mean to You?

Image taken by Israel Bayer.

Homelessness can happen to anyone.  Some causes, according to medlineplus.gov, include lack of affordable housing, being unable to work due to illness or disorders, death of a family member or spouse, divorce, and more.  For many, homelessness happens suddenly or unpredictably.  People who are already experiencing suffering will find themselves without a home, which then leads to even more negative impacts to their health and well-being.  This often puts individuals in a difficult cycle of poverty contributing to poor health which then contributes to homelessness.  This cycle then loops back to where being homeless can contribute to poor health.  There are so many conditions that the homeless population face including the inability to obtain the necessary food to sustain a healthy body and being unable to access health care.  Homelessness also leads to high stress levels due to violence on the streets, the inability to stay safe in unsanitary areas or dangerous situations, and exposure to severe weather.  With all of these conditions stacking and building up into an endless cycle, individuals who find themselves homeless are commonly plagued with lung diseases, skin infections, wounds, malnutrition, substance abuse, HIV, AIDS, and mental health disorders. 

People who are just like us face unprecedented or unfortunate times that force them to leave the life they knew and somehow survive on the streets without a place to call home.  Homelessness is happening all over the country.  According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, it has been recorded that 580,466 individuals have become homeless in our country in just a single night in the year 2020.  So many people in our country are suffering and losing everything that they have.  People who had or have families are suffering and losing the place that they call home.  Just between the years 2019 and 2020, such an increase in the homeless population has revealed a significant incline of homelessness in our country. 

Looking at the data from our country, one may think that the large number of homelessness reflect the large population.  Let’s take a look at the population of Oregon, the home state of Portland State University.  According to oregoncf.org, while the population of Oregon makes up approximately 1.3% of the country’s total population, Oregon’s homelessness population makes up approximately 2.6% of the total country’s homeless population.  Click here for more information.