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1400L
Homelessness
Date: 2024
From: Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection
Publisher: Gale, part of Cengage Group
Document Type: Topic overview
Length: 2,261 words
Content Level: (Level 5)
Lexile Measure: 1400L
Full Text:
Homelessness occurs when individuals and families lack adequate or permanent housing. People experiencing homelessness may
seek out temporary residence in a public shelter, live in their vehicle, or sleep in public spaces. Others find shelter with friends or
family, join homeless camps, or live in accommodations intended for short-term stays.
According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) 2023 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR),
653,100 people experienced homelessness in the United States on a single night that year, the highest number recorded since
reporting started in 2007. The total represented an increase of 12 percent from the previous year, or approximately 70,650 more
people. More than 60 percent of people experiencing homelessness were in locations such as shelters and transitional housing, while
nearly 40 percent were unsheltered, people staying overnight in places not intended for human habitation, such as streets, vehicles,
and parks. Of this population, over thirty-four thousand were "unaccompanied youth" under age twenty-five. Additionally,
approximately 31 percent of the population who were homeless dealt with chronic homelessness, which occurs when an individual
experiences a continuous year of homelessness or at least four periods of homelessness during the previous three years that total
twelve months or longer.
Economic stress, social inequities, generational poverty, medical or mental health crises, and political issues can lead to
homelessness. Natural disasters can also leave thousands of people without stable housing. A lack of support for migrants, refugees,
people with mental illness, and members of the LGBTQ+ community (which includes lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer
people, and others with a broad range of sexual orientations and gender identities) further complicates obtaining housing.
Main Ideas
Homelessness, or the lack of permanent housing, has existed in the United States since colonial times. Increases in the
number of US residents experiencing homelessness have corresponded with periods of social upheaval and economic
transition.
People and families experiencing homelessness may seek temporary residence in public shelters, live in their vehicles or
motels, sleep in public spaces, join homeless camps, or stay with friends or family.
Poor health can be a symptom and a cause of homelessness, as health expenses cause about two-thirds of US
bankruptcies. The lack of basic first aid, good nutrition, protection from the elements, and other factors contribute to many
health problems associated with homelessness.
Federal, state, and local governments pursue a variety of approaches to mitigate homelessness, including subsidizing
emergency, transitional, and low-income housing as well as permanent supportive housing and rapid rehousing programs.
Several states and localities have sought to protect people experiencing homelessness by considering legislation to ensure
their rights and by categorizing violence directed at homeless populations as hate crime.
The Supreme Court ruled in 2024 that laws that address homelessness by imposing fines or jail time for sleeping outdoors
do not violate the Constitution.
History of Homelessness in the United States
Homelessness in the United States dates to colonial times and increased significantly during the eighteenth century. Though
homelessness resulted from varying economic and social factors during the colonial periods, homelessness was widely viewed as the
outcome of an individual's character flaws or moral deficiency. Industrialization and urbanization created new housing challenges in
the 1800s that were further complicated by the introduction of the railroad, which dramatically increased mobility. Many travelers
found themselves in unfamiliar territory without employment or other means of support.
The Great Depression (1929–1939), a worldwide economic collapse during which nearly 25 percent of the US population became
unemployed, triggered a wave of homelessness. Shantytowns—communities of makeshift shacks—sprang up in rural areas and
around cities. These communities were called "Hoovervilles" after President Herbert Hoover, who took office the year the Depression
began. In 1933 President Franklin D. Roosevelt introduced the New Deal, a group of policies that spurred economic recovery,
provided jobs and unemployment relief, and instituted reform to address homelessness and other social ills.
Homelessness increased again in the United States following the end of World War II (1939–1945). However, the federal government
minimized the war's impact through programs like the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly called the GI Bill. White
servicemembers received most of the bill's benefits because several stipulations prevented veterans of color from accessing them.
State and local governments and private banks also practiced racial discrimination in housing developments and lending.
Following the war, the mental health community began exploring the benefits of deinstitutionalization and community-based care. In
1963 Congress passed the Community Mental Health Act (CMHA), which released long-term patients from state psychiatric hospitals
into outpatient programs. In several states, however, the community-based programs proposed under the CMHA went underfunded,
and people with mental illnesses increasingly experienced homelessness.
By the 1980s a decline in manufacturing and a rise in service industries cost many unskilled laborers their jobs and homes. Between
1980 and 1983, substantial cuts in spending on public housing, health care, and welfare benefits left many women, children, retired
people, veterans, and individuals with mental illness unable to afford housing. Following efforts by advocacy groups addressing
homelessness, Congress passed the Urgent Relief for the Homeless Act in 1987. Later renamed the McKinney-Vento Homeless
Assistance Act, the law made provisions for programs to aid and address homeless populations nationwide. The McKinney-Vento Act
was amended with the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act in 2015 to include provisions that make it easier for students
experiencing homelessness to access education.
Health Care and Homelessness
Inadequate and expensive health care can place individuals at risk for homelessness. According to a study published in 2019 in the
American Journal of Public Health, 66.5 percent of personal bankruptcies in the United States are caused by medical issues.
People's health may also decline after becoming homeless. The National Health Care for the Homeless Council reports the average
life expectancy of people experiencing homelessness is twelve years shorter than that of the general population. According to a
paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) in November 2023, individuals experiencing homelessness
have a mortality rate 3.5 times higher than those living in stable housing.
Higher health risks and poorer health outcomes among unhoused people stem from low access to good nutrition, personal hygiene,
and basic first aid, as well as violence and drug use. Rates of infectious disease transmission are also higher in shelters and other
group housing arrangements, and homelessness presents complications to receiving regular, uninterrupted treatment for severe
health conditions. In addition, people who sleep outdoors are at increased risk for conditions associated with weather exposure, such
as frostbite, hypothermia, and skin and foot problems.
The McKinney-Vento Act authorized the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to administer the Health Care for the
Homeless (HCH) program when it was enacted in 1987. The program merged with other health care programs under the
Consolidated Health Center Program in 1996. According to HHS, nearly 1.3 million patients experiencing homelessness were served
by the HCH and other federally supported health care programs in 2020.
Affordable Housing and Public Housing
The country's first public housing project opened in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1923. Following the onset of the Great Depression, the
federal government launched its first affordable housing programs and public housing developments. The National Housing Act of
1934 established the Federal Housing Administration to provide insurance for private homes, while the Housing Act of 1937 created
public housing for low-income US residents. HUD has overseen these and other housing programs since its creation in 1965.
Subsequent federal policies have targeted unfair housing practices and economic obstacles to securing housing. Tenants in public
housing projects typically pay the housing agency 30 percent of their income for rent and utilities. According to HUD, about two
million people lived in public housing projects (also called Section 8 Project Housing) in the United States in 2023. Another two million
low-income households used Housing Choice Vouchers to assist with rent costs. These vouchers provide participants with funds to
support housing costs at approved residences.
Urban studies experts contend programs that target specific needs or provide comprehensive services can be most effective at
preventing or helping people transition out of homelessness. Stable housing can offer people and families experiencing
homelessness the ability to address factors that have made finding permanent housing difficult, such as a substance use disorder,
unemployment, or domestic and intimate partner violence. The permanent supportive housing model combines affordable housing,
health care, and other services.
The supply of affordable housing has not kept up with demand. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, 7.3 million
more affordable housing units were needed to house the nation's eleven million extremely low-income households in 2023. Only
fourteen affordable units are available for every one hundred extremely low-income households nationwide. According to Harvard
University's annual State of the Nation's Housing report released in 2024, 22.4 million renters, or half of all renters in the United
States, were "rent burdened" in 2022, meaning that their rent exceeded 30 percent of their pretax income. The figure represents a
two million increase in rent-burdened households since 2019. About half of those households paid more than 50 percent of their
pretax income for housing.
Discrimination and Criminalization
Discrimination compounds the economic and health factors that contribute to homelessness in the United States, especially among
marginalized groups. In the 2023 AHAR, HUD identified that people of color experience homelessness at a disproportionate rate.
Further, according to the National Center for Transgender Equality, about 20 percent of transgender people report experiencing
housing discrimination, and one in five report experiencing homelessness at least once during their lives. Transgender people have
also reported harassment at homeless shelters, leading many to avoid them.
Familial rejection also contributes to homelessness among LGBTQ+ youth. According to the nonprofit organization True Colors
United, youths who identify as LGBTQ+ are 120 percent more likely to experience homelessness than their peers. A 2022 Trevor
Project survey found that 28 percent of LGBTQ+ youth experience homelessness or housing insecurity at least once in their lives.
Among Native/Indigenous LGBTQ+ youth, the figure increases to 44 percent, and among transgender and nonbinary youth, it
increases to about 37 percent.
Since the early 1990s local and state governments have increasingly criminalized activities associated with homelessness such as
sleeping and begging in public spaces. According to the 2021 report Housing Not Handcuffs published by the National Homelessness
Law Center (NHLC), forty-eight US states have at least one law that criminalizes homelessness. Further, while only four states
prohibit sleeping in a parked vehicle, 43 percent of US cities had municipal laws prohibiting sleeping in a parked vehicle as of 2019.
The US Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) strongly advises against laws that criminalize homelessness. The
organization maintains that such laws undermine the impact of organizations providing services to people experiencing
homelessness. Some states and jurisdictions have sought to protect people experiencing homelessness from violence directed at
them because of their circumstances. As of 2023 seven US states and the District of Columbia included unhoused people as a
protected group under existing hate crimes legislation.
Several states have proposed adopting a Homeless Bill of Rights that would forbid local governments from passing laws restricting
certain behaviors. As of 2024, three states and Puerto Rico had passed such legislation. At least seven additional states had
proposed but not enacted a Homeless Bill of Rights. In 2023, New York City became the first city in the country to pass a Homeless
Bill of Rights.
Critical Thinking Questions
In what ways do some cities and states criminalize homelessness? In your opinion are such laws justified? Explain your
answer.
Do you think your state should pursue legislation that guarantees affordable rents for people at all income levels? Why or
why not?
Under what circumstances, if any, do you believe people experiencing homelessness should be considered a protected
group under the law? Explain your reasoning.
Politicization of Urban Homelessness
In many large US cities, homeowners and renters struggle with high real estate costs. In some cases, investors' purchase of large
numbers of houses to operate as long- or short-term rental properties reduces housing supply while driving up costs. In addition,
zoning restrictions limit multiple-occupancy dwellings, often in favor of upper-middle-income and luxury housing, further limiting the
affordable housing supply.
According to analyses using AHAR and US Census data, the proportion of people experiencing homelessness who are unsheltered
increased from 31 percent in 2015 to 40 percent as of 2023. People sleeping on streets or camping in tents—sometimes in large
group encampments that lack sanitary facilities, trash collection, and other city services—have become increasingly visible in many
cities. The cluttered physical appearance of such areas and fears that they endanger public safety have led to hostile political
initiatives against visible homelessness. Republican lawmakers have increasingly blamed the scale of homelessness and issues
associated with large unhoused populations in US cities on liberal approaches to both unhoused populations and substance use
issues.
In Grants Pass, Oregon, a group of unhoused people sued the city in response to three ordinances aimed at eliminating visible
homelessness by prohibiting sleeping and camping in public areas. The group argued the ordinances violated the Eighth
Amendment, which prohibits "cruel and unusual punishments." The US District Court in Oregon ruled in their favor. However, in June
2024 the Supreme Court overturned this decision, concluding that local governments do not violate the Eighth Amendment by
imposing fines or jail time on individuals who sleep or camp in public spaces. The National Alliance to End Homelessness
condemned the ruling, arguing that it permits localities to penalize unhoused individuals even when the localities do not provide
adequate shelter. The organization contended the ruling sets a precedent for other cities to adopt ineffective law enforcement
measures to address homelessness instead of investing in evidence-based solutions, such as affordable housing.
Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2025 Gale, part of Cengage Group
Source Citation (MLA 9th Edition)
"Homelessness." Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2024. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,
[Link]/apps/doc/PC3021900081/OVIC?u=gamb95599&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=df65fd9e. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
Gale Document Number: GALE|PC3021900081
