Visit virtually any city in the United States and you’ll find at least one homeless person - usually many more. Despite all our country’s advances, the number of homeless people continues to rise. The National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) explains two major trends responsible for its increase are the growing shortage of affordable rental housing and an increase in poverty. It’s difficult to accurately estimate how many people are actually homeless but the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty states approximately 3.5 million people are likely to experience homelessness in a given year.
According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, the homeless population in the United States jumped approximately 20,000 people from 2008 to 2009. As a result of the declining value and availability of public assistance, families with children are among the fastest growing segments of the homeless population. In a 2007 survey of 23 American cities, the U.S. Conference of Mayors reported that families with children comprised 23% of the homeless population.
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