Poverty and Homelessness
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, poverty is defined as "the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions" and homeless is defined as "having no home or permanent place of residence." Homelessness and poverty are two different things, but they are closely linked because the poor often don't have the money to pay for necessities such as housing, food, child sure, healthcare, and education. This causes people to go bankrupt and leaves them homeless. The National Coalition for the Homeless said "in 2005, 13.3% of the U.S. population, or 38,231,521 million people, lived in poverty" ("Why Are People Homeless?"). Poverty and homelessness are everywhere. However, it is more likely to find people living on the streets in cities than in the country. In cities, "people experience homelessness for an average of eight months" (National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness). 35% of homeless people are families with children, 23% are veterans, 25% are children under 18, 30% have experienced domestic violence, and 20-25% suffer from a mental illness. Many people believe there are many homeless people who are homeless due to drug/ alcohol addictions, and they wouldn't be completely wrong. The National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness states that "drug and alcohol addiction affect about 20% of the homeless population" ("Overview of Homelessness In America").