News / Economic Divide

US homelessness: An undeniable crisis

Friday, 27 November 2015 8:59 AM [ Last Update: Friday, 27 November 2015 8:59 AM ]

A resident sets up a fire at a homeless encampment near K and 27th Street, NW, as the city tries to clear up the location November 20, 2015 in Washington, DC. (AFP)

The US does not want to acknowledge the depth of the problem, but homelessness, in all its forms, has gripped many US cities.

Hawaii is the latest example of how severe homelessness is in America. The governor had to declare a state of emergency due to the 40% increase in homelessness in the state.

Another city that has saw an increase has been New York City. With a population of 8.5 million people, the figures for 2014 indicate there are about 60,000 homeless people. But a later study showed that number to be closer to 75,000.

A report by the HUD, the Department of Housing and Urban Development released a report in November indicating there are over 500,000 homeless people in the US. The alarming part of this figure was that 25% of them were children. In the case of New York City, 40% were children.

The slow economic recovery in the US, and a rise in homelessness are a couple reasons for this. Yet in major cities, money does not trickle down to the lower parts of society, indicative of a weak economy. Furthermore, the homeless received a major blow when it was revealed that all states in the US did not have enough

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