Homeless Essay

One of Mayor Guiliani s promises early in his candidacy was to reduce the homeless population in New York City. He has not achieved his goal. There are 90,000 people in New York City living on the streets. The number is growing more rapidly. In order to reduce this number, the causes of homelessness must be examined. Three main causes that contribute to homelessness are drugs and alcohol, having been battered, and having a mental illness.

First, people who become avid drug and alcohol users usually spend all their money to feed their addiction. They come to the point where they can not live without their narcotic. They sell their possessions in order to buy more. Their rent and bills go unpaid, eventually causing the landlord to evict them. This causes he or she to live on the streets. They become desperate and do not know how to seek help.

Second, Women who are abused and do not have any place to go, usually end up on the street. After they run away from their abuser, there is no one to support them financially. They are forced to care for their children and themselves without any money. These women and children must be put into shelters so that they can start their lives over again.

Third, people who are mentally ill can not live unattended. After they are released from a mental institution, they can find intermediate care. Usually the institution pays for the apartment and gives them money for a certain amount of time. The mentally ill person does not have enough money to live on, so they end up on the streets without an apartment. They do not know how to support themselves. The mentally ill people need someone to live with them and supervise their care. The mentally ill need people that they can depend upon so that they do not end back on the streets.

Last, homelessness is a major problem in New York City. There are many causes of this. Homeless people are living on the streets because drugs and alcohol, having been battered, and being mentally ill. These are all social problems that need to be addressed with social institutions. In order to reduce the population of homelessness, we must help people from losing their jobs and apartments. The way to do this is to research the causes and stop them before they happen.