McCarthy 1

Kathryn McCarthy
Mrs. Heyer
1B
11 May 2016
Homelessness in America- The Facts, the Impacts, and Combatting Homelessness in
the Sioux City Community
In the year 2014, 1,488, 465 people used homeless shelters in America
(Doran). Several individuals and families in cities across America are living without a
home. With such a large population being homeless comes a plethora of negative
impacts on the community and the individual. However, there are efforts that the
community can make to aid the epidemic and help get homeless people off the
streets. To fully understand the homelessness problem, people of America must
understand the facts and causes of homelessness, people understand the effects of
homelessness on the individual and community, and how to take action in local
communities to prevent or lower the homelessness rate.
To fight homelessness, the facts and statistics first must be understood to set
a goal to assess the problem on a national scale and in the local communities of the
United States. On a national scale, homelessness affects approximately 1.5 million
people (Doran). This is a 4.6 percent increase from 2013. However, combatting the
issue of homelessness must be specified for each individual community since each
community has separate issues. In Sioux City in 2010, 324 people reported being
homeless, an 8.7 percent increase (Montag). A much higher increase than the
national percentage increase. PBS states that the two greatest causes of

McCarthy 2
homelessness in individuals are substance abuse and mental illness (PBS).
Homelessness by substance abuse and mental illness can harm the community just
as much as the individual.
Homelessness can harm the individuals way of living, the health of the
individual, and the economic stance of the community. People who are homeless
often report major health problems, preventing them from receiving a job that
would be able to help them to afford housing. A national study by the Samhsha
National Mental Health Information Center found that 38% of homeless individuals
reported alcohol abuse, 26% reported other drug use problems, and 39% reported
being mentally ill (PBS). This created for a total of 66% of homeless individuals to
have some sort of alcohol, drug or mental issue. Usually, since these individuals
cannot maintain a stable job, they cant receive proper health care. With such a
large population of individuals out of work, the community can see negative
economic consequences. About forty seven percent of individuals who come into an
shelter come from an unsheltered location, a fifty percent increase from 2007
(Doran). These individuals are not contributing to the overall circulation of currency
in their community because of their lack of housing and requirements that come
with it. Homelessness is aiding the increase in mental illnesses and drug abuse
addictions, preventing the induvial from holding a steady job and contributing to the
community effectively. However, efforts to solve this problem can be taken.
Though homelessness is a nationwide problem, efforts can be taken in the
community to fight the problem and create a bigger impact in the United States. In
Sioux City, several organizations have taken on the goal of ending and preventing
homelessness. Organizations like the Gospel Mission, the Iowa Council of
Homelessness, and the Mission of the Messiah (Montag). Organizations like these

McCarthy 3
donate necessities such as food, clothing, and furniture to poorer families to prevent
homelessness. They also reach out to homeless individuals by giving the homeless
food and spending time with them. Two of these organizations (the Mission of the
Messiah and the Gospel Mission) own thrift shops to help raise money for the nonprofits (Montag). By donating to these thrift shops, individuals can help to fund
these organizations and lower the impacts of homelessness in their community.
Though homelessness is a nationwide problem that comes with many
consequences in the homeless individual and community, the community can take
efforts to understand the facts about homelessness and how to prevent and stop
the issue in their own community. By understanding the problem, individuals can
assess how large the problem and set a goal related to the problem specifically in
their community. After this is done, the community needs to understand that the
mental illnesses and drug abuse problems that many homeless individuals face
create negative economic consequences on the community. Once this is done,
individuals in the community can donate to organizations to fund the organizations
goals to end homelessness. By combatting homelessness, a better community will
be made which benefits the homeless and community.

McCarthy 4

Works Cited

Doran, Liza. Here are 10 New Facts about Sheltered Homelessness in America.
National Alliance to End
Homelessness. National Alliance to End Homelessness. 10 November 2016.
Web. 13 April 2016.
Facts and Figures: The Homeless. Now on PBS. Jumpstart Productions. 29 June
2009. Web. 13 April
2016.
Montag, Molly. Who are Sioux Citys homeless? Sioux City Journal. Sioux City
Journal. 21 February
2010. Web. 13 April 2016.