What’s Causing Homelessness?

On a recent visit to Halifax, Nova Scotia we arranged a tour out to Peggy’s Cove. As we left town we drove by several downtown parks containing homeless tent encampments. When we asked our guide what was going on she had an interesting response. She said that this had sprung up only a few years ago and that reports indicate that the government isn’t sure what’s causing it and everyone seems to be at a loss as to what to do about it.

We’ve been traveling the world for decades and in recent years we’ve started noticing many more homeless encampments in many countries. The problem seems to be more serious in the western countries than anyplace else. We’ve seen camps along the banks of Seine in Paris and in Lyon under bridges. Recent trips to Vancouver and Halifax, Canada showed parks filled with tent cities. Anytime spent visiting American cities will expose similar scenes. It is becoming so common in western countries that one begins to wonder why this is happening now. In a world where increasing taxes is a common practice, one has to wonder where those taxes are going and why was homelessness less a problem some decades ago?

Any time one starts asking questions of government and public social service organizations you almost always get a similar response – “homelessness in the modern world is a complex issue with multiple causes”.

Factors usually blamed for contributing to homelessness in the West include:

Lack of affordable housing – The high cost of housing, especially in western urban areas, makes it difficult for low-income individuals and less affluent families to find affordable accommodations. A recent study in the United States found the an ever growing segment of the population now is renting rather than buying. The percent of renters has increased every year for over two decades. Further aggravating this problem is the skyrocketing increases in rents disproportionate to the cost of the property investment. Additionally there is very little incentive to slow the increase in rental rates when occupancy rates remain proportionately high. Some areas blamed for the growing crises are:

Poverty and unemployment: Economic factors are a major contributing factor that includes, job loss, and low wages. In the west especially, official unemployment rates have become a mechanism more to hide the problem than to expose it. Anyone forced out of a good paying job into minimum wages is still employed. For decades the biggest trend has been toward this underemployment. Major groups have been replaced by automation from good paying jobs and are increasingly being forced to accept lower paying jobs. This results in larger numbers of people failing to secure stable employment or earn enough income to afford housing.

Mental health issues and lack of supportive services: Mental health problems, including serious depression and substance abuse are major factors that contribute to homelessness. Limited access to mental health services and a lack of support systems exacerbate this issue. Insufficient access to healthcare, addiction treatment, and social services can make it challenging for individuals experiencing homelessness to address the underlying issues and find stable housing. In America a lack of being qualified for assistance causes males to be a large percentage of the homeless.

In many areas independent charities have been hampered by changes in government policies while at the same time government has increased budgets to address the homeless with little results. It is important to understand that the causes of homelessness change over time and can vary from region to region. Government also has little motivation to solve the problem if there is little pressure applied by the general public. Addressing homelessness first requires all of us to stop ignoring the issue and also requires a comprehensive approach that includes affordable housing initiatives, mental health support, employment opportunities, and social services to help individuals regain stability.