During these increasingly difficult economic times, the national landscape of homelessness is changing.  Homelessness is not just the result of too few houses—its causes are many and varied.  Domestic violence, a shortage of affordable housing, unemployment, mental illness, a tremendous lack of psychiatric care and medications, family breakdown, and drug and alcohol abuse all contribute to the increase in homelessness in America.
 
Understanding homelessness, which affects everyone in a community, requires a grasp of these social issues by all sectors of a community, including our young people. Our current generation of teens and young adults are motivated to “change the world,” and they can do much to alter the attitudes towards homelessness and help develop viable solutions.
 
Each night in America, roughly 37% of the homeless are families, 42% are children under 5 years of age, and 7% are unaccompanied minors.  How will this affect our future as a nation?  For too many people, the word “homeless” conjures up an image of a single man, perhaps drunk, lying on a bench or in a doorway.  The reality is that the face of homelessness is changing.  In every state, no one earning minimum wage can afford a one or two bedroom apartment at Fair Market Rent (2010 National Low Income Housing Coalition).
 
Businesses, faith communities, public and private organizations, and government agencies in communities across the nation are stepping up their efforts to work together to create innovative programming to help prevent homelessness.

Educating citizens—teens and adults— about the “face” of homelessness is a vital part of the process.  Our materials on homelessness can help.