Studies Consistently Show the Primary Cause of Homelessness in America is Lack of Affordable Housing

Lack of affordable housing is the primary cause of homeless in America.Photo byAdam ThomasonUnsplash

Tent cities are popping up across America as rent prices rise at an unprecedented rate.

The general perception of the homeless population is negative and damaging. The homeless are usually seen as people with drug or alcohol addictions, mental illness, or those who are unemployed.

While all these issues do contribute to homelessness, they are not the main cause of homelessness.

The main cause of homelessness is a lack of affordable housing.

Drugs & Alcohol

According to the National Institute of Health, approximately one-third of the homeless population have drug or alcohol problems.

Furthermore, studies consistently show homelessness is the cause of substance abuse problems, not the other way around.

Think about it. If you were homeless and had to put your head down on the concrete every night; you might want to drink or use drugs to forget about the hopelessness of your situation.

Mental Illness

Studies show the mentally ill account for about 20-25% of the homeless population.

Homelessness itself can worsen the risk of mental health issues due to increased stress, which sometimes lead to anxiety and depression.

Unemployment

A commonly held perception is that homeless people are unemployed or just don’t want to work. This is not true. Many homeless people do work. They just can’t find affordable stable housing.

For example, a 2021 study from the University of Chicago estimated 53% of the homeless living in shelters were employed. And 40% of the unsheltered homeless population were employed either full or part-time.

The hazards of being homeless also make it difficult to seek employment. It’s not easy to stay clean and groomed when you’re unhoused.

Lack of Affordable Housing

Substance abuse, mental illness, and unemployment account for a percentage of the homeless population.

But the primary cause of homelessness is lack of affordable housing.

Even with full-time employment, many people can’t keep up with rising rent prices.

The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $1,769.00 per month. This is a staggering amount considering the current federal minimum wage is only $7.25 per hour. The federal minimum wage will increase to $9.50 per hour on July 1st, 2023.

Average rent has increased 8.86 % per year since 1980. Meanwhile average wages declined 26.0% faster than average rent increases year over year.

Rent increases are even higher in some cities across the nation. In Los Angeles for example, rents have increased by 65% in the last 10 years.

Not surprisingly, Los Angeles has the largest homeless population in the nation. Even at $20 per hour, it would be difficult to keep up with the staggering rent prices.

Long Term Solutions

There are solutions, but federal and state policymakers have not done much to address this issue.

One solution that has been proposed is to give financial incentives to developers to build more affordable homes.

In my opinion, they could also raise the cap on income limits so more people would qualify for housing vouchers.

What is your opinion? What could be done to address the rising costs of rent and living expenses?