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Affordable Housing and Homelessness

Housing that is not too expensive for people of limited means / having no home or permanent place of residence

Affordable Housing and Homelessness

Homelessness is frequently attributed to factors including poverty, unemployment, and a shortage of affordable housing. These risk factors may be made worse by individual weaknesses like:

  • disordered thinking and substance abuse
  • assault and trauma
  • domestic abuse
  • sudden and severe sickness
  • divorce 
  • a partner’s death
  • disabilities

Shelters around the US indicate an increase in the number of individuals seeking assistance, and wait lists have doubled or tripled recently. There are likely more homeless persons outside of shelters.

Where Do Homeless People Go?

Some have established encampments in big cities in parks and other public areas, and inflation is making matters worse. Since 1986, rent has climbed at its quickest rate, making homes and apartments unaffordable for more Americans.

People who live on the streets are more frequently victims of crime, violence, and unfavorable weather, such as intense heat. Without internet access or a postal address, people frequently struggle to locate another employment after losing their current one in the turmoil of homelessness.

When it comes to politics, homelessness has become a severe issue for Democrats in major cities, where it is most noticeable. Compared to the years before the epidemic, more Americans now worry a lot about homelessness.

Where the Problem Began

The policies that prevented the US from creating enough homes decades ago led to the current homelessness catastrophe. The National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates that seven million tenants with meager incomes cannot find affordable housing.

Access to housing is the most crucial element when it comes to homelessness. Although they play a part, poverty, mental illness, addiction, and other problems are less important. For instance, while having comparable or lower rates of homelessness, many cities and states have greater rates of poverty, mental illness, and addiction than other regions of the US.

The Fundamental Issue

Researchers who study housing utilize the musical chairs scenario, where there are ten persons for nine seats. One individual is excluded from receiving a chair because of an extenuating situation. Is the person’s situation the issue, or is it the shortage of chairs?

So, the issue of homelessness is one of supply and demand. There is not enough housing to accommodate everyone. And when individuals fight for supply, the available houses cost more money. As a result, more individuals become priced out and homeless.

By implementing legislation and zoning regulations restricting the number of available houses, policymakers have exacerbated the situation. Instead of duplexes or apartment complexes that may accommodate many more, most plots are only designated for one family. Additionally, homeowners frequently object to proposed dwellings, so obstructing them.

They worry that extra housing, especially for low-income people, may alter their neighborhoods’ character or lower their houses’ value. As population growth has outpaced the construction of new homes, zoning regulations and local protests have combined to exacerbate a housing shortage year after year.

The Fight Against Homelessness

More Americans are worried about the availability of affordable housing than other local problems. Adults are more likely to think this is a significant issue where they live than they are to say the same about drug abuse, the pandemic’s effects on the economy and health, or crime.

Regardless of income level, city inhabitants frequently perceive the lack of affordable housing as a more pressing issue than suburban or rural residents. Some states and towns have started addressing the problem.

Recent legislation in California and Oregon effectively ended single-family zoning. But it took decades for homelessness to reach this point, and it will likely take years to adequately address.

Homelessness is typically linked with Democratic-run cities in Democratic-run states, but as more Americans move to the Sun Belt and the West, this association seems to be fading. These typically Republican states risk creating a crisis for themselves if they make the same errors as their coastal counterparts.

In addition to the rising interest rates, housing and shelter programs can assist in addressing the fundamental reasons behind homelessness by providing various crucial recovery support services, such as mental and substance use disorder treatment, employment, and mainstream benefits.

According to research, preventing homelessness is more cost-effective than dealing with problems when someone finds themselves in that situation. Rehousing a person gets more difficult and expensive the longer they are without a place to live.

Rapid rehousing facilitates the quickest transition from an emergency or transitional shelter or living on the streets into stable housing. It also links people with helpful, neighborhood-based organizations that aid with house maintenance.

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