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<blockquote data-quote="athena" data-source="post: 229054" data-attributes="member: 9953"><p>Uh...I guess it is a choice. I mean, I would probably choose homelessness over abuse or if I were in fact struggling with a mental illness. But I think we need to reconsider the factors involved in homelessness and the demographics of this population in the United States.</p><p> </p><p>Total Number <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">As many as 3.5 million people experience homelessness in a given year (1% of the entire U.S. population or 10% of its poor), and about 842,000 people in any given week.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_States#_note-9" target="_blank"><u><span style="color: #606420">[10]</span></u></a></li> </ul><p>Familial composition<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_States#_note-10" target="_blank"><u><span style="color: #606420">[11]</span></u></a> <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: blue">40% are families with children—the fastest growing segment.</span></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">41% are single males.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">14% are single females.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">5% are minors unaccompanied by adults.</li> </ul><p><em>1.37 million (or 39%) of the total homeless population are children under the age of 18.</em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_States#_note-11" target="_blank"><u><span style="color: #606420">[12]</span></u></a></p><p> <span style="color: black">Health-concerns<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_States#_note-13" target="_blank"><u>[14]</u></a> </span> <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: black">22% are considered to have serious </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_illness" target="_blank"><u><span style="color: black">mental illnesses</span></u></a><span style="color: black">, or are </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disabled" target="_blank"><u><span style="color: black">disabled</span></u></a><span style="color: black">. </span></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: blue">30% have </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Substance_abuse" target="_blank"><u><span style="color: blue">substance abuse</span></u></a><span style="color: black"><span style="color: blue"> problems.</span> </span></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: black">3% report having </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS" target="_blank"><u><span style="color: black">HIV/AIDS</span></u></a><span style="color: black">. </span></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: black">26% report acute health problems other than HIV/AIDS such as </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuberculosis" target="_blank"><u><span style="color: black">tuberculosis</span></u></a><span style="color: black">, </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pneumonia" target="_blank"><u><span style="color: black">pneumonia</span></u></a><span style="color: black">, or </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexually_transmitted_infections" target="_blank"><u><span style="color: black">sexually transmitted infections</span></u></a><span style="color: black">. </span></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: black">46% report chronic health conditions such as </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_blood_pressure" target="_blank"><u><span style="color: black">high blood pressure</span></u></a><span style="color: black">, </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetes" target="_blank"><u><span style="color: black">diabetes</span></u></a><span style="color: black">, or </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer" target="_blank"><u><span style="color: black">cancer</span></u></a><span style="color: black">. </span></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: black">55% report having no </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_insurance" target="_blank"><u><span style="color: black">health insurance</span></u></a><span style="color: black"> (compared to 16% of general population). </span></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: black">58% report having trouble getting enough food to eat. </span></li> </ul><p><span style="color: black">Backgrounds<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_States#_note-14" target="_blank"><u>[15]</u></a> </span> <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: blue">23% are veterans (compared to 13% of general population). </span></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: blue">25% were physically or </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_abuse" target="_blank"><u><span style="color: blue">sexually abused</span></u></a><span style="color: blue"> as children. </span></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: blue">27% were in </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foster_care" target="_blank"><u><span style="color: blue">foster care</span></u></a><span style="color: blue"> or similar institutions as children. </span></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: black"><span style="color: blue">21% were homeless at some point during their childhood.</span> </span></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: black">54% were </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incarcerate" target="_blank"><u><span style="color: black">incarcerated</span></u></a><span style="color: black"> at some point in their lives. </span></li> </ul><p><span style="color: black">Education<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_States#_note-15" target="_blank"><u>[16]</u></a> </span> <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: black">38% have less than a </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_school_diploma" target="_blank"><u><span style="color: black">High School diploma</span></u></a><span style="color: black">. </span></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: black">34% have a High School diploma or equivalent (</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G.E.D." target="_blank"><u><span style="color: black">G.E.D.</span></u></a><span style="color: black">). </span></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: black">28% have more than a High School education. </span></li> </ul><p><span style="color: black">Employment<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_States#_note-16" target="_blank"><u>[17]</u></a> </span> <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: black">44% report having worked in the past week. </span></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: black">13% have regular jobs. </span></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: black">50% receive less than $300 per month as income. </span></li> </ul><p><span style="color: black">Duration<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_States#_note-18" target="_blank"><u>[19]</u></a> </span> <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: black"><span style="color: blue">80% of those who experience homelessness do so for less than 3 weeks. They typically have more personal, social, or economic resources to draw upon.</span> </span></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: black">10% are homeless for up to two months. They cite lack of available or affordable housing as responsible for the delay. </span></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><span style="color: black">10% are so called “chronic” and remain without housing for extended periods of time on a frequent basis. They typically struggle with mental illness, substance abuse, or both. </span></li> </ul><p><span style="color: black">These statistics are from various sources such as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the National Coalition for the Homeless.</span></p><p> </p><p>There apparently are individuals that choose to be homeless but are only a small portion of the entire population. These are probably the ones that you typically see at the shelters and soup lines because they know first where to find these locations, when to show up, and are pretty much living off these charities. These individuals are the exception not the rule.</p><p> </p><p>What is really sad is that individuals with foster care backgrounds experienced rates of homelessness nearly 8 times higher than the non-foster care population.</p><p> </p><p>There is more information at wikipedia:</p><p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_States#_note-18" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_States#_note-18</a> (Information specific to the U.S.)</p><p> </p><p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeless#Main_causes_of_homelessness" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeless#Main_causes_of_homelessness</a> (More generalized not just specific to the U.S.)</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="athena, post: 229054, member: 9953"] Uh...I guess it is a choice. I mean, I would probably choose homelessness over abuse or if I were in fact struggling with a mental illness. But I think we need to reconsider the factors involved in homelessness and the demographics of this population in the United States. Total Number [LIST] [*]As many as 3.5 million people experience homelessness in a given year (1% of the entire U.S. population or 10% of its poor), and about 842,000 people in any given week.[URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_States#_note-9"][U][COLOR=#606420][10][/COLOR][/U][/URL][/LIST]Familial composition[URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_States#_note-10"][U][COLOR=#606420][11][/COLOR][/U][/URL] [LIST] [*][COLOR=blue]40% are families with children—the fastest growing segment.[/COLOR] [*]41% are single males. [*]14% are single females. [*]5% are minors unaccompanied by adults.[/LIST][I]1.37 million (or 39%) of the total homeless population are children under the age of 18.[/I][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_States#_note-11"][U][COLOR=#606420][12][/COLOR][/U][/URL] [COLOR=black]Health-concerns[URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_States#_note-13"][U][14][/U][/URL] [/COLOR][LIST] [*][COLOR=black]22% are considered to have serious [/COLOR][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_illness"][U][COLOR=black]mental illnesses[/COLOR][/U][/URL][COLOR=black], or are [/COLOR][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disabled"][U][COLOR=black]disabled[/COLOR][/U][/URL][COLOR=black]. [/COLOR] [*][COLOR=blue]30% have [/COLOR][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Substance_abuse"][U][COLOR=blue]substance abuse[/COLOR][/U][/URL][COLOR=black][COLOR=blue] problems.[/COLOR] [/COLOR] [*][COLOR=black]3% report having [/COLOR][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS"][U][COLOR=black]HIV/AIDS[/COLOR][/U][/URL][COLOR=black]. [/COLOR] [*][COLOR=black]26% report acute health problems other than HIV/AIDS such as [/COLOR][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuberculosis"][U][COLOR=black]tuberculosis[/COLOR][/U][/URL][COLOR=black], [/COLOR][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pneumonia"][U][COLOR=black]pneumonia[/COLOR][/U][/URL][COLOR=black], or [/COLOR][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexually_transmitted_infections"][U][COLOR=black]sexually transmitted infections[/COLOR][/U][/URL][COLOR=black]. [/COLOR] [*][COLOR=black]46% report chronic health conditions such as [/COLOR][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_blood_pressure"][U][COLOR=black]high blood pressure[/COLOR][/U][/URL][COLOR=black], [/COLOR][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetes"][U][COLOR=black]diabetes[/COLOR][/U][/URL][COLOR=black], or [/COLOR][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer"][U][COLOR=black]cancer[/COLOR][/U][/URL][COLOR=black]. [/COLOR] [*][COLOR=black]55% report having no [/COLOR][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_insurance"][U][COLOR=black]health insurance[/COLOR][/U][/URL][COLOR=black] (compared to 16% of general population). [/COLOR] [*][COLOR=black]58% report having trouble getting enough food to eat. [/COLOR][/LIST][COLOR=black]Backgrounds[URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_States#_note-14"][U][15][/U][/URL] [/COLOR][LIST] [*][COLOR=blue]23% are veterans (compared to 13% of general population). [/COLOR] [*][COLOR=blue]25% were physically or [/COLOR][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_abuse"][U][COLOR=blue]sexually abused[/COLOR][/U][/URL][COLOR=blue] as children. [/COLOR] [*][COLOR=blue]27% were in [/COLOR][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foster_care"][U][COLOR=blue]foster care[/COLOR][/U][/URL][COLOR=blue] or similar institutions as children. [/COLOR] [*][COLOR=black][COLOR=blue]21% were homeless at some point during their childhood.[/COLOR] [/COLOR] [*][COLOR=black]54% were [/COLOR][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incarcerate"][U][COLOR=black]incarcerated[/COLOR][/U][/URL][COLOR=black] at some point in their lives. [/COLOR][/LIST][COLOR=black]Education[URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_States#_note-15"][U][16][/U][/URL] [/COLOR][LIST] [*][COLOR=black]38% have less than a [/COLOR][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_school_diploma"][U][COLOR=black]High School diploma[/COLOR][/U][/URL][COLOR=black]. [/COLOR] [*][COLOR=black]34% have a High School diploma or equivalent ([/COLOR][URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G.E.D."][U][COLOR=black]G.E.D.[/COLOR][/U][/URL][COLOR=black]). [/COLOR] [*][COLOR=black]28% have more than a High School education. [/COLOR][/LIST][COLOR=black]Employment[URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_States#_note-16"][U][17][/U][/URL] [/COLOR][LIST] [*][COLOR=black]44% report having worked in the past week. [/COLOR] [*][COLOR=black]13% have regular jobs. [/COLOR] [*][COLOR=black]50% receive less than $300 per month as income. [/COLOR][/LIST][COLOR=black]Duration[URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_States#_note-18"][U][19][/U][/URL] [/COLOR][LIST] [*][COLOR=black][COLOR=blue]80% of those who experience homelessness do so for less than 3 weeks. They typically have more personal, social, or economic resources to draw upon.[/COLOR] [/COLOR] [*][COLOR=black]10% are homeless for up to two months. They cite lack of available or affordable housing as responsible for the delay. [/COLOR] [*][COLOR=black]10% are so called “chronic” and remain without housing for extended periods of time on a frequent basis. They typically struggle with mental illness, substance abuse, or both. [/COLOR][/LIST][COLOR=black]These statistics are from various sources such as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the National Coalition for the Homeless.[/COLOR] There apparently are individuals that choose to be homeless but are only a small portion of the entire population. These are probably the ones that you typically see at the shelters and soup lines because they know first where to find these locations, when to show up, and are pretty much living off these charities. These individuals are the exception not the rule. What is really sad is that individuals with foster care backgrounds experienced rates of homelessness nearly 8 times higher than the non-foster care population. There is more information at wikipedia: [URL]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_States#_note-18[/URL] (Information specific to the U.S.) [URL]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeless#Main_causes_of_homelessness[/URL] (More generalized not just specific to the U.S.) [/QUOTE]
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