My wife is a part time social worker at a state hospital, so she tells me some heartbreaking stories. The constant theme she hears is.."I never thought this could happen to me or my family."
If you have a job, medical insurance, home, family support...most view homelessness as "enough is enough."
If you lose your job, get seriously ill forcing you into poverty and no support..."public insensitivity."
The problem will always be two fold. You have many that have no choice but to be homeless and others that prefer it and do it for a living. For those that need help, they find it hard to get it due to all the red tape.
Homelessness has tripled in the last 10 years.
There is a big city lake behind my house surrounded by several thousand acres. In the last few years homeless people have built small tent cities around the lake, use the shelters for water, etc...The police run them out, but they come back. I would say 80% are the former white middle class, homes foreclosed, no jobs. I was shocked to find a disabled man that once lived in my neighborhood living back there. He had no disability plan and was waiting for SS approval, no income, no family. He stayed in his home until the sheriff removed him and just moved into the woods behind his home. I helped get him on medicare and he was in line waiting for S8 housing.
Many of the homeless are those ill, can't get proper meds or treatment.
Many think sick can go get free treatment and help from state hospitals or clinics, that's seldom the case unless a life threatening emergency. The red tape is as long as the wait. All levels of government are cutting programs that help the homeless.
Right now they say 72% of foreclosures are due to unemployment, people that once worked can't find work, more effected are the skilled trades. Millions more to come this year. If these people still can't find jobs, they can't even pay rent....sadly a number of them will end up homeless.
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