Homelessness: What Causes It and How to Combat It

Revised July 10, 2023

We all know that homelessness is an ongoing problem in many cities across the United States. Homelessness threatens the safety and well-being of our communities and causes economic harm to all involved.

While it is both naive and unrealistic to say that homelessness can be eliminated, there are some cities that have taken steps to manage homelessness in such a way that all involved have benefited. The 23 minute PragerU documentary entitled "Homelessness:The Reality and the Solution" gives real-life examples of cities that have reduced their homeless population while at the same time given a genuine helping hand-up to those caught in homelessness. Those who want to rejoin society as productive citizens have been enabled to do so.

Alcohol and drug addiction are often significant contributing factors for those who are caught up in homelessness. In an article entitled "This is how California could better approach the homelessness crisis, homeless advocate says" Jeffrey Levine, executive director of faith based Long Beach Rescue Mission, points out that childhood trauma is very often at the root of substance abuse.

Along side of alcohol and drug addition, mental illness is another major contributing factor to homelessness. Levine and others, point out that a complete system of care that considers all the underlying reasons why an individual is homeless must be provided.

And what "Housing First" where homes, albeit tiny, are built as a solution to homelessness? In a complete system of care, housing must be addressed. But as those who have worked closely with homelessness warn, it is only a part of the solution. By itself it has proven to be an expensive failure.

Towards the end of the PragerU documentary, Allen Graham and Amber Fogarty from Community First Village in Austin,Texas warn against thinking that the government, on any level, can solve this problem. They believe that it takes all of us working together.

Allen Graham from Community First Village states that, in his opinion, the single greatest cause of homelessness is the profound catastrophic lose of family.

As our society moves away from God and the principles given to us in the bible, we will fall into some tough situations, homelessness being just one of them.