Why Is Being Homeless A Problem?

"The Homeless Problem." "The Homeless Problem." | In this documentary, with contributions from Dr Victoria Cooper and colleagues, this video explores why being homeless is a problem through the lens of homeless people themselves, and by asking experts in the field of homelessness. Load video

Being homeless means to be in a state of lacking regular, fixed, and adequate housing. A problem is an obstacle that must be overcome.

So to wonder why being homeless is a problem is to wonder "why is lacking regular, fixed, and adequate housing an obstacle to overcome?"

Of course, the obvious answer to that is being homeless is not much of a problem. Sleeping outside is natural. Animals and humans have done so since the beginning of time. In the days of the bible, many people did sleep outside. Animals still do. Only recently has it become the norm for humans to sleep in luxurious buildings with showers, beds, and electrical outlets.

But why homelessness is not a problem is a topic for another article. (I'll leave a link to why it's not in the further reading section at the bottom of this page.)

Nonetheless, like everything else, problems regarding being homeless can be pointed out. Homelessness can be bad for health. Having no way to keep cuts clean, infections among the homeless occur commonly. But perhaps nothing is more problematic to being homeless than the fact that it is illegal. One cannot be homeless practically anywhere these days without breaking the law.

The other obvious answer to why being homeless is a problem is because non-homeless people don't like it. Non-homeless citizens think it is a problem for various reasons. Governments, too, think being homeless is a problem. Hence, we have a world in which a person can't even sleep outside without hiding from the cops.

This article focuses on why. Why does society view people being homeless as an obstacle to overcome? Why do people believe that being homeless for the individual is an issue?

Here are the 10 most significant reasons why being homeless is a problem:

10) NON-HOMELESS PEOPLE THINK THAT BEING HOMELESS IS UNBEARABLE

The first reason why being homeless is a problem is because some people, the people who are not homeless, think that being homeless is a tragedy. They think that it is terrible for the individual to be homeless. Therefore, society must not allow people to be it.

Imagining being homeless themselves, being without modern necessities luxuries like a shower, bed, temperature control, and shelter from the rain and snow, some non-homeless see being homeless as unbearable.

But being homeless is not all that bad...

While being without a shower, bed, temperature control and adequate shelter from the rain and snow is not preferable, to many of the homeless, including me when I was unhoused, the situation of homelessness is not unbearable.

Many of the homeless, while would rather live in a home, a home that is equipped with modern luxuries like a shower, bed, electrical outlets, and the like, prefer society just leave them alone.

The obstacle preventing them from attaining housing, namely getting a job and working on something that brings them no joy, is what is unbearable to them.

Nonetheless, the first reason why being homeless is a problem is that the non-homeless believe that being it is unbearable.

9) NON-HOMELESS PEOPLE DON'T LIKE POSSESSIONS LEFT OUTSIDE UNATTENDED

Another reason why the non-homeless think that homelessness is a problem is they don't like possessions left outside unattended.

The homeless are often forced to leave possessions outside to go about their day. They need to leave their tent and/or blankets somewhere to go grocery shopping for dinner or to fetch some water from a fountain, for example.

To the non-homeless, these unattended possessions look like trash.

The non-homeless see these possessions as existing where don't they belong. Tents don't belong in abandoned fields or under bridges think many of the non-homeless. Blankets and clothes don't belong behind a bush to return to later. The non-homeless see possessions that are unattended as out of place.

Thus, another reason why being homeless is a problem is because by being it, one is forced to leave possessions unattended. Being that many non-homeless people think that possessions being left behind somewhere they don't belong is ugly, they think that possessions left unattended are a problem.

8) BEING HOMELESS IS UGLY

In addition to leaving possessions unattended, many non-homeless people also think that people living outside of a home, with all their tents and chairs, and other homelessness paraphernalia, is a problem because it is disgusting. Many think that people being homeless is ugly. People being it looks ugly, and the community looks with it.

The homeless know this fact unfortunately way too well. When authorities crack down on a homeless encampment and tell the homeless that they have to pick up their things and leave, authorities cite the reason for this as a city clean-up. The homeless are told they can't remain in their tents because the area where they sleep is scheduled for a community clean-up. This suggests that communities regard homeless encampments as ugly.

Of course, some truth to this exists...

Homelessness is not beautiful by any stretch of the imagination. Beauty often exists with cleanliness and orderliness, and homeless people are anything but clean and orderly. Many wear mismatching clothing with holes and tears. And homelessness encampments are not exactly color-coordinated and organized.

But to the person being homeless, beauty is not what's most important. What's important to people who are homeless is the freedom that homelessness provides. Homelessness provides freedom from rent, and bills. It also provides freedom to pursue goals, relax, and think.

Many of the non-homeless don't realize...

how unfortunate it is to be constantly busy slaving away for someone else's goals and business.

It takes truly being homeless, and not having to pay rent, to fully appreciate how unimportant modern luxuries are to a human being. What's most important to a person, a homeless person often finds, is the freedom to be oneself and do what one wants.

Nonetheless, another reason why being homeless is a problem is that many non-homeless people dislike the ugliness that homelessness creates.

7) BEING HOMELESS BRINGS DOWN THE COST OF HOUSING

Because many people view the appearance of homelessness as ugly, most people don't want to live in a community with homeless people. They believe that beauty is an important quality of a community to live in, and so they seek to live in areas in which homelessness is rare or non-existent.

This desire to live in neighborhoods in which homelessness is absent brings down the cost of housing in neighborhoods where homelessness is present. The reason is people with a lot of money aren't willing to live in neighborhoods with a major homelessness problem. They can afford to live elsewhere and so they do.

This presents a problem to homeowners in a community with a lot of homelessness because...

the value of their house goes down. What was once a half-a-million dollar home in a neighborhood with no homeless problem is with homelessness worth a hundred thousand dollars less.

Plus, for the same reasons, the cost of rent goes down as well.

Because homeowners don't want to lose the value of their homes, and landlords don't want to charge less for rent, being homeless in a community, at least to homeowners and renters, is unwelcome.

In short, being homeless is a problem because it brings down the cost of housing.

6) BEING HOMELESS MAKES PRODUCTS MORE EXPENSIVE

Not only does it bring down property and rental value, but being homeless is bad for the economy.

Economics thrives in a world in which people are forced to work in order to pay rent. Paying rent creates the need to work. Working creates more products. The more abundance of products that exist in an economy, the less expensive those products are.

Being homeless, therefore, is a problem because nothing compels are person to work. Not needing to pay rent, most individuals opt not to spend their days slaving away for product abundance. Most homeless people don't work.

To the homeless, freedom from work and responsibility is usually more important than an abundance of cheap products.

Most homeless people don't care about material possessions as much as they do about simplicity and freedom from work. But to the non-homeless, fewer people working towards making products cheaper and more abundant is unacceptable.

Thus, to the non-homeless, being homeless is a problem because it makes products more expensive.

5) BEING HOMELESS IS EXPENSIVE FOR TAXPAYERS

In addition to making products more expensive because the homeless don't work, being homeless is also a problem because it costs taxpayers money. They often depend on the government to cover their food and medical costs.

So much so in fact that it has been estimated by experts to be...

cheaper to house the homeless than let them sleep on the streets. A chronically homeless person, which is a person who is homeless for long durations, costs taxpayers over $35,000 a year in medical, food, and other related expenses (✓1).

Therefore, to the working-class taxpayers, another reason why being homeless is a problem is because it is expensive.

4) BEING HOMELESS IS ILLEGAL

Because many people believe being homeless is unbearable and that it is expensive to taxpayers, makes products more expensive, and that it looks ugly and so brings property value down, being homeless is illegal.

Non-homeless citizens don't want people to be homeless and so the government criminalizes it.

Laws exist against practically anything a homeless person does.

It is illegal, for example, to camp anywhere in the city. A homeless person can't go to the forest because low and behold, it is illegal to camp there without being on and paying for a camp site. It is also a crime to leave possessions unattended anywhere. Being homeless, therefore, is a problem for homeless people.

It is a problem because a person can no longer sleep outside without the...

police harassing him or her. A person can no longer, for example, choose to live in a van in the city or pitch a tent in a field.

So being homeless is a problem for the homeless as well because it is illegal.

3) BEING HOMELESS MAKES THE GOVERNMENT LOOK BAD

Because being homeless is illegal, and because it is for the many other reasons mentioned already, being homeless makes the government look bad.

The government, being who people feel is responsible for keeping the community housed, is charged with not doing their jobs. Looking bad is a problem for the people of the government because they want to keep their jobs.

The city mayor, for example....

wants to remain mayor, and so he or she knows that come reelection time, the city must have a lesser homeless problem than in the beginning or their term.

In short, because citizens don't want homeless people, and government officials want to keep their jobs, being homeless is a problem for the officials because it makes the government look bad.

2) SOME PEOPLE VIEW THE HOMELESS AS DANGEROUS

Another reason why being homeless is a problem is because some non-homeless view the homeless as dangerous. They think that people being homeless in their communities is unsafe.

This is completely false, of course. Homeless people are not more dangerous than non-homeless on average. And many studies do support this.

But, citizens often think that the homeless are. They think that being homeless is a problem because of this.

Thus, being homeless is a problem because some non-homeless view it as unsafe. These people think that homeless people are dangerous and it is a problem to have them in their communities.

1) OTHERS VIEW THE HOMELESS AS DRUG ADDICTS

Perhaps the single most important reason why the non-homeless misperceive homeless people as being dangerous is that they think that most are drug addicts. Drug users, it is true, are more likely to commit violence than non-drug users.

People assume that homeless people are drug users because they are homeless. It is a common misconception to assume that people sleep on the streets due to a drug problem. But most homeless people are not drug addicts.

In fact, many homeless people are mentally ill.

It is their mental illness that leads people to assume that they are on drugs. Most of them, if they are behaving socially unconventional, are doing so because they are mentally ill. Mental health issues are a major cause of a person's homelessness.

Nonetheless, people falsely assume that homeless people are a problem because they use drugs and because they use drugs they are dangerous.

Thus, the final reason why being homeless is a problem is because the non-homeless view the homeless as drug addicts. Because of this, the non-homeless want the homeless to disappear.

FINAL THOUGHTS

It might be said that being homeless is not a problem. For if it were just legal, and people accepted it, being it would be helpful. Homelessness in many cases can be a solution rather than a problem.

It is a solution to having no free time. With the time that is freed up from not having to work to pay the rent, homeless people are free to write books, learn to play the guitar, or support good causes. Being homeless, if it only were legal, is a solution rather than a problem.
And with that, I'd agree. I believe homelessness is a solution in many ways. But it is a problem as well.

Until we as a society accept the fact that...

homeless people are here to remain. Until we accept the fact that to solve as many problems of it as possible we need to offer the homeless a plot of free land to camp on in every city, being homeless is a problem.

It is a problem for society. And it is a problem for the individual as well.

In short, while being homeless can be a solution, it is also a problem for many people in many ways.

summary

Being homeless is a problem for many reasons.

First, non-homeless people think that being homeless is intolerable. They would like to see homeless people be put in homes so that they no longer suffer.

Next, many people dislike possessions left unattended in public. These people think that being homeless is a problem because it creates the need for leaving belongs where they don't belong.

Homelessness is also ugly. Most people would like to live in a community that is clean and orderly. Homelessness is anything but that.
In addition, homelessness brings the cost of housing down. It is a problem, therefore, for homeowners and renters because it loses them money.

Plus, people being homeless makes products expensive. Not needing to pay rent, the homeless often don't work. Not working, fewer products are produced. Fewer products mean higher costs. So being homeless makes everything more expensive.

That includes taxes as well. Homeless people cost taxpayers a lot of money. So being homeless is a problem for taxpayers as well.
Being homeless is also illegal. Not having a legal place to sleep, homelessness is a problem for a homeless person. This is exactly what society wants.

Because it is illegal and citizens want it gone, the existence of homeless people makes government officials look bad. They want to look good so they can get reelected. So to them people being homeless is an issue.

Finally, being homeless is a problem because people feel unsafe with it. Many are under the false impression that homeless people are dangerous or drug addicts. These people want the homeless to pack up their bags and leave.

conclusion

So the next time you think about the homeless issue, think "being it is a problem because to the homeless because it is illegal, and it is a problem to the non-homeless because it is expensive and ugly, and because they hold false beliefs about who the homeless are."