Mental Illness
Most researchers agree that the connection between homelessness and mental illness is a complicated, two-way relationship. An individual’s mental illness may lead to cognitive and behavioral problems that make it difficult to earn a stable income or to carry out daily activities in ways that encourage stable housing.
Lack Of Affordable Housing
Lack of affordable housing is among the leading cause of homelessness. Millions of renters in the US (approximately one in four) cannot afford more than 75% of the rental properties available on the market. After paying their rent and utilities these households are often left with less than 25% of their income to pay for necessities such as food, medicine, transportation and childcare.
Domestic Abuse
Women and children are especially vulnerable to violence-triggered homelessness. To escape domestic violence, people will flee their homes without a plan. If they don’t have a place to stay, they can end up living in cars, shelters, or the street. Even for those who stay, the toll that domestic violence takes makes them more vulnerable to homelessness in the future.
Natural Disasters
Natural disasters can lead to homelessness in many interconnected ways. The most direct cause is the physical destruction of homes from floods, hurricanes, fires, earthquakes, or tornadoes, leaving families with nowhere safe to live. Even when homes are not completely destroyed, they may become uninhabitable due to lost utilities, structural damage, mold, or contamination.
Systemic Failures
While homelessness can occur because of an individual’s or family’s circumstances, we cannot ignore the systemic failures. Homelessness occurs when society fails to identify and support people at risk of becoming unhoused. Failures in areas like correctional services, healthcare services, and child welfare are very common. A society’s failure to address critical issues contribute to homelessness rates.
Unemployment
While low wages contribute to homelessness, unemployment is also a significant factor. Reasons for unemployment vary and some countries have higher rates than others. Once a person is unemployed for a time, they can easily slip into homelessness. Research shows that most unhoused people want to work but face obstacles, such as not having a permanent address.
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