Hunger and Homelessness

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What you should know about hunger and homelessness

The first thing you should know about hunger and homelessness is that there is virtually no correlation between the two. While it is true that there may be a slight correlation in many developing nations, in nations with more mature economies, a correlation between hunger and homelessness is insignificant.

Furthermore, a person doesn’t have to be homeless to experience hunger. Forty million Americans lack adequate food security. This is often because they cannot afford food, or that the food they can afford costs too much for them to enjoy. And this is no small issue, even in the US; Over 550,000 Americans experience homelessness on a single night in the US alone (✓1). Thus, because homeless people are often also hungry, it follows that there are many hungry people in the world today as well.

While there is no positive correlation between hunger and homelessness in developed nations, a different relationship exists instead. Hunger usually strikes people before homelessness. When people must choose between spending money on food or housing, they usually choose the former. This decision makes sense to them at the time because it is more difficult to survive without protection from the elements than it is to go hungry for a day or two. The sad reality is that way too many people face this dilemma worldwide, the US being no exception. Over half of Americans say that they have had to choose between housing and food (✓2).

The major causes of hunger and homelessness

Inequality and poverty are the major causes of both homelessness and hunger. Let us first talk about poverty. About one in seven of American families that rely on food banks live at or below the poverty line (✓3). The surprising fact is that poverty may or may not stem from a lack of employment opportunities.

In addition, low-income families also find it challenging to keep a roof over their heads. For one, the homeless often lack affordable housing in their area. For two, if a disease or accident strikes, they have no option but to leave their homes. For almost every family, money is scarce. When the tides of life wash one away in its turbulent waves of unfortunate events, sometimes living life means: being alive, without a home.

The other major cause of hunger and homelessness is inequality. Inequality, especially income inequality, makes it difficult to afford food or housing. Income inequality, surprisingly, has seen an exponential increase over the past few decades. Those at the top of the corporate ladder continue earning higher and higher wages while the average worker earns less and less.

There isn't a single state in the US where a full-time, low-income worker can afford a two-bedroom apartment. Impoverished first-world country citizens also find it challenging to eat well. Many poor individuals lack access to a reliable means of transportation due to cost or logistics, or just simply live too far from grocery stores to get to one regularly. This causes issues with diet. The individual lacks sufficient means to maintain a healthy diet. This is also part of the reason homeless individuals are often overweight; They lack transportation, refrigeration, and/or financial resources necessary to maintain a healthy diet.

Furthermore, homelessness is often the result of a mental illness or substance abuse disorder. Many homeless people have schizophrenia. Many also use drugs. (Read, "Do Homeless People Do Drugs?" for more information on drug use and homelessness.)

25 to 50% of homeless people suffer from a mental illness (✓4). The reason why the mentally ill are often homeless is that they lack the cognitive ability to hold down a job and pay rent. Government subsidized, such as low-income housing plans and social security checks are often simply just not enough to save the mentally ill from living on the streets.

About another 30% of homeless individuals suffer from drug abuse (✓4).

Finally, a less common, but still prevalent cause in many parts of the world is domestic violence. Roughly 1 and 4 women and 1 and 7 men will be victims of domestic violence (✓5) .

Where are the homeless the hungriest?

According to the UN, 854 million people are malnourished (✓6). Homelessness in the United Kingdom is especially high in this region. Despite the technological advancements especially in the field of agriculture, some areas of the world like the UK face the dreadful feeling of hunger on the daily basis. But even more alarming is the prevalence of hunger in developing nations. Developing nations comprise 98 percent of the world's malnourished population. Some of the worst-hit regions for homelessness are Sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean, and Southern Asia. While homelessness is a major issue even in some of the most developed parts of the world, it is even more alarmingly so in less developed nations.

The highest food insecurity exists in Sub-Saharan Africa (✓7). (This region accounts for 22.7 percent of the world's hungry population (✓7). This figure stands at 17.7 percent for the Caribbean and 14.4 percent for Southern Asia (✓7). With 525.6 million hungry people, Asia is the most undernourished continent in the world (✓7). The homeless people in these regions are in a far worse condition. Hunger and homelessness in Africa are major issues in need of a solution.

Where are the homeless the least hungry?

It isn't surprising that the lowest levels of hunger exist among developed nations like the United States, and Sweden. While homelessness in the US is still an issue for many of its citizens, some of the least hungry homeless individuals exist elsewhere. Specifically, the US accounts for about 0.05 percent of the world's population that faces hunger every day. This is no reason to take the issue of hunger in the US lightly, however. Reportedly about one in ten Americans will face food insecurities each day (✓8). The reason why developed countries like the U.S. have fewer hungry people is that developed countries like the U.S. have adequate public programs and urbanization to deal with hunger. Effective transportation channels allow for the distribution of food to almost all regions. Grocery stores and supermarkets exist almost everywhere. The higher average income also makes food more affordable for the homeless in America. Thus, while hunger is still a real problem for many even in developed nations, the United States appears to be the least hungry.

Giving food to the homeless

I know you know this, but you need to act upon it this time; You can make a difference for the homeless in your area. You can end hunger for someone today by dropping them off a sandwich on your way to work. I know you've seen them outside of grocery stores and on the side of freeways begging for your change. Start making a point of bringing extra food with you everywhere you go and offering it to the homeless people you encounter on your day-to-day travels. Non-perishables are often best. A nice, warm, home-cooked meal could make a starving, homeless man's day. Please, do what you can to help them out! They are hungry and they need food. If you can afford anything, please, donate to these people.

If you'd also like to donate food to a local charity, perhaps by cleaning out your food pantry and giving away all those unused cans of corn, green beans, fruit, etc., that would also really help the hungry out. The places where you can often donate food to are called food pantries. The food that these places will accept varies, but just bring all of it and refuse to take anything back by insisting that the hungry do not care what they eat. Anyone will eat anything if they are hungry enough.

Aside from worrying about what kind of food is good to donate, you may also wonder whether donating food is better than just donating cash to charities in that charities will know what to do with the cash. And the answer to that is, that while charities involved in ending hunger are often great resources for people in need of food, many of the homeless just won't ever make contact with these organizations. In addition, the money that is donated to charities also goes to funding the activities of the charities, so only a portion of your donation goes to hunger. Therefore, the best what to donate food to the homeless is to donate it directly to them. Of course, if time does not permit you to do so, (but you are committed to reducing the suffering caused by hunger in your community) donating to a charity that can distribute your donations is still an excellent option. When doing so, if possible, combine many food items, instead of offering a single type. This makes for a diverse package, which is always welcome by these shelters.

You can even start a fundraiser.

Finally, another superb idea for giving food to the homeless is starting a food drive and donating that food to a homeless shelter. If the shelter has a commercial kitchen, it is better to arrange some large boxes of various items for them. Even simple cans and pouches of food will be welcome with open arms. Many shelters especially need donations during the summer. Thus, this would be the ideal time to donate food with enthusiasm.

What every you do, just be mindful that there are people outside your home that are starving every day. And if you want to help them, they could use your help.

What do homeless people eat?

ANYTHING, sort of. To be sure, homeless individuals do vary in dietary preferences like the rest of us. The old saying, 'beggars can't be choosers' does not seem to apply to them. Don't be surprised if you offer a homeless person a bologna sandwich and he declines because he doesn't like mustard. Often the best way to feed a homeless person is to ask them what they want while you are on your way to visit a grocery store.

But if that is not possible, in general, aim to donate food that lasts long and is fulfilling. For example, the next time you are at the grocery store, while you are in the bread aisle, grab an extra loaf of cheap sliced bread. Then, when passing the condiment isle, toss in a jar of peanut butter, and if you're feeling generous, slide into the cart a jar of jelly as well. The cost of these three items will be relatively inexpensive to you and relatively day-changing for a homeless person. A loaf of bread, peanut butter, and jelly will cure them from hunger for at least long enough to find their next meal. The best time to do this act of kindness is around the end of the month. Most homeless people do not receive enough food assistance from the government to last them all month, and therefore, most homeless people are the hungriest the first and last week of every month. This is because governmental food assistance programs like the EBT card in America, (a card given to the needy to buy food), often are distributed between the 1st and the 7th of every month, and because there is not enough money on them to support the human diet, these cards run out of funds around the last week of each month. This gives homeless people on governmental assistance a two-week window to eat. The other two weeks are left to us to help out when we can.

Frozen foods are also popular among the homeless if a heating service is available. Canned foods are easy to access as well. They also prefer small fruits like apples that they can keep for a few days. Since soup kitchens are open to the homeless, they develop a preference for soup as well.

Where to get food if you are homeless

If you are homeless, you can get food from various places. There are traditional shelters for the homeless that will be eager to serve you. You can ask around for a decent soup kitchen that is open 24/7. If you are looking for variety, you can even check in with some restaurants willing to donate food to you.

The key here is to keep learning about opportunities for obtaining food around you. If you are on food stamps, you can get staples like bread and milk. If you have enough money, you can make weekly visits to your nearest grocery store. It is also smart to be on the lookout for dollar menus in fast-food restaurants. This will be especially helpful when you want something new to eat. If you don’t have money and are looking for a variety, attending a charity meal will help.