In 1992, this profile had changed. There were "ninety-seven percent female heads of household with an average age of twenty-two years. Eighty-seven percent were single and only thirty-seven percent had a high school degree. Past work experience dropped to forty percent while substance abuse rose to seventy-one percent and a history of domestic violence rose to forty-three percent. Twenty percent had been in foster care as a child. Almost forty-five percent had never lived in their own apartment". the homeless family population was growing at a rate faster than that of the homeless single population."
ii
"The rate of poverty for the working poor is driving people into homelessness. "It's going to rise because poverty is rising," Linda McKameyey, executive director of Catholic Charities said Those surveyed range from 17 to 85, and the majority were white and non-Hispanic single males, average age 46, with 72 percent having a high school education or more. Nearly half, 49.7 percent, reported mental illness or substance abuse. Their top two reasons for being on the streets: Unemployment and inability to pay rent. Other reasons given include having been incarcerated, having a disability or addiction and domestic violence in their families. Children were 17 percent of the count, mostly male. " About one third of those surveyed are currently employed yet can't afford a place to live."
Media reports of a growing economy and low unemployment mask a number of important reasons why homelessness persists, and, in some areas of the country, is worsening. These reasons include stagnant or falling incomes and less secure jobs which offer fewer benefits.
While the last few years have seen growth in real wages at all levels, these increases have not been enough to counteract a long pattern of stagnant and declining wages. Low-wage workers have been particularly hard hit by wage trends and have been left behind as the disparity between rich and poor has mushroomed. To compound the problem, the real value of the minimum wage in 2004 was 26% less than in 1979 (The Economic Policy Institute, 2005). Although incomes appear to be rising, this growth is largely due to more hours worked -- which in turn can be attributed to welfare reform and the tight labor markets. Factors contributing to wage declines include a steep drop in the number and bargaining power of unionized workers; erosion in the value of the minimum wage; a decline in manufacturing jobs and the corresponding expansion of lower-paying service-sector employment; globalization; and increased nonstandard work, such as temporary and part-time employment (Mishel, Bernstein, and Schmitt, 1999).
Each state, county, and city addresses the problem of homelessness on their own level. One major federal legislation is the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 that provides money for emergency shelters, rehabilitation of single room occupancy dwellings, nutrition assistance, health and mental health care, job training, education for homeless children, and other social services for homeless people.iii
Most social work literature agrees that homelessness is mostly the result of lack of affordable housing, higher unemployment, and lack of education. DiNitto states that, "Although there are different views of homelessness, perhaps there is more agreement that the United States has a serious shortage of affordable housing. The largest item in most household budgets is housing. Whether in the form of the monthly rent or mortgage payment, housing consumes an increasing portion of the personal budget. As far back as the Housing Act of 1949, Congress acknowledged the need for a "decent home and a suitable living environment for every American family.' After years of increasing rates of home ownership, it has become more difficult for many Americans to realize the "American dream' -- owning a home. It is also increasingly difficult to pay the rent. A 1992 study by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that many low-income households are paying half their income for rent and that in thirty-nine of forty-four metropolitan areas studied, housing exceeded the entire grant received by AFDC families."
Senator Gorton (R-WA) offered a floor amendment to the Senate version of Labor-HHS Education FY98 appropriations bill, S. 1061. The Gorton amendment would eliminate the McKinney Education of Homeless Children and Youth by consolidating most K-12 education programs into a large block grant that would go directly to local education agencies with no requirements or restrictions on how funds are to be spent. The House Labor-HHS Education FY98 Appropriations bill, H.R. 2264, does not contain such a provision so would support the McKinney Education of Homeless Children and Youth and would increase the program funding by $2,000,000.00. Both bills provide $826,000,000.00 for the Consolidate Health Centers. The House bill would increase funding to Projects of Assistance in Transition from Homelessness by $3,000,000.00 while the Senate bill would increase it by only $2,000,000.00. The Senate bill increases funding to the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Project by only $2,500,000.00 but the House bill would increase it by $5,000,000.00. Neither bill would provide funding for the Adult Education for the Homeless Program nor incremental Section 8 vouchers. Both bills provide $823,000,000.00 for HUD Homeless Assistance Programs and $100,000,000.00 for FEMA Emergency Food and Shelter Program. v This disagreement between House and Senate continues with every bill introduced every year no matter the subject or content. It is not what the people want or really need. It is, "I know what is best for the people and you don't."
"The bulk of the " literature on homelessness fits into two categories, one focusing on the personal problems believed to characterize homeless individuals, and the other on structural conditions believed to increase homelessness. These different perspectives are typically associated with quite different social policies, one seeking to reform social services to better address the implicated pathologies, especially drug abuse or psychiatric impairment, the other focusing on restructuring the labor market, creating low-income housing, and remodeling welfare. Although these perspectives are in many ways contradictory, they implicitly share an important but usually unaddressed issue: they assume that current policy is a consequence of functioning bureaucracies executing the logic and will of top policy makers and that future policy will reflect government priorities in the same way," Gerstel, et al.vii In my opinion, neither policy is correct. Until we take steps to regain our government and our economy by removing the Federal Reserve from our government and our pockets, we will continue to increase homelessness.
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