Homelessness is like a doom loop. Once a person finds themselves in it, getting out is difficult, as they languish in adversity. Some people with normal lives may be of the attitude of “why don’t they just get a job and get out of it?” But it’s not that easy. Why Is It Difficult to Get Out of Homelessness? This is determined by how an individual became homeless and the depth of the homelessness. Poverty is the main cause of homelessness in many countries. It could also be poverty together with other factors such as devastating injuries, incapacitating sicknesses, deteriorated mental health, dr ..read more

To better understand California’s homelessness and how to combat it, Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration requested for a study of the situation. This call resulted in a statewide research on the topic. Conducted by the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative (BHHI) at the University of California San Francisco between October 2021 and November 2022, the survey interviewed 3,200 unhoused people, ages 18 and older, across the state, including urban, rural, and suburban areas. Read: General Solutions to Homelessness Led by director Dr. Margot Kushel, the research’s findings contradict seve ..read more

Research shows that nearly half (44%) of California’s homeless population is at least 50 years of age, individually. And, with the median age of its unhoused people being 47, it is clear the Gold State’s homeless population is aging. As an aside, the average Californian age is 36.7. Moving on, the male victims of houselessness in California are around two times the size of their female counterparts. And, reports show that non-white groups are overrepresented with Latino making 35% of the homeless population, Black making 26% and Native American, 12%. It is important to mention that while Black ..read more

We previously wrote on general solutions to homelessness. In this section, focus will be given to the recommended solutions to houselessness by BHHI. They mooted: An increased access to affordable housing to extremely low-income households; An increase of targeted prevention of homelessness, such as financial supports and legal assistance; A provision of robust supports to match the behavioural health needs of the population — say, mental health and substance use issues; An increase of household incomes through evidence-based employment supports; An increased outreach and service delivery to ..read more

Although the epidemic keeps getting worse, California has actually spent billions of dollars in recent years to curb its homelessness. In its 2021-22 Budget, California puts aside $7.2 billion to address homelessness. Experts say, with this, the government would have spent $42,000 a year per homeless person. “They’re trying really hard to keep people alive,” Kushel said. “And they’re kind of stuck in this vicious cycle of not having the housing to send people to.” Between 2018 to 2022, as discussed earlier, the Gold State has spent a stunning $17.5 billion, in attempting to deal with its homel ..read more

One who owns a home and a sustainable source of income doesn’t know the importance of them. Homeless people in California know, as they see the other part of life. Homeless people are exposed to increased crimes, 17 times more than the general public.  They also get treated worse than trash by some, as some believe they’re homeless on personal decision. Nearly three-quarters reported they had experienced physical violence, and 24% said they had experienced sexual violence. They also get frequently approached and interrogated by the police, with a good deal of them spending at least one ni ..read more

Homelessness in California is caused by a mix of high cost of housing and poverty. Poverty or insufficient wages or salaries for California’s living cost. Monthly median household income is $960 for some homeless people in the six months prior to them becoming homeless. In other words, cost of living had become unsustainable before they lost housing. Apart from poor income, some homeless people are disconnected from the job market all together. In this connection, Kushel said, “The primary problem for homelessness is economics… this toxic combination of deep poverty and high housing costs. We ..read more

Out of the top 10 homeless cities in the US, 6 are in Carli. The top homeless cities in California in order of severity are Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland, Sacramento, San Diego and San Franscisco. In the country, Los Angeles still occupies the top position, with San Jose, Oakland, and Sacramento, occupying the 4th, 5th and 6th positions respectively. Further, San Diego and San Franscisco occupy the 8th and 9th positions respectively. The homeless population in Los Angeles County is estimated to be 75,000 people, according to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. San Jose has around 10 ..read more

Learn about homelessness in South Africa — its stats, causes and effects as well as the efforts the SA government has made to curb the epidemic. Although it’s one of the biggest economies in Africa, South Africa has a crisis of homelessness. The rate of homelessness in South Africa is appalling, but not surprising given it’s an advanced economy with a history of Apartheid or discrimination. Presently, the Republic of South Africa has the highest level of income inequality in the world. Homelessness In South Africa Poor White Mother with Baby in South Africa’s Squatter Camp | Source: BET.com Wh ..read more

Learn about how to get out of homelessness. Settling into homelessness is difficult, getting out of it is even more difficult. How does one get out of houselessness? The difficulty with getting out of the streets is caused by a couple of essential factors including the lack of finance, the lack of a permanent within-grid address or mailing address, possible poor hygiene (clothing, self) and health conditions and finally and depression or disenchantment. Homeless people do not properly have the “en suite” amenities to prepare for a job interview. Clothing may not be properly taken care of. Thei ..read more