The Stats and the Facts of Homelessness
Homelessness is a growing problem in the downtown Richmond area, and the government doesn't seem to be doing doing much to take care of the homeless population that is growing every day. Many reasons affect why a person or a household is homeless, like poverty or lack of education. The homeless population increased by 7% over the last year and grew much the years before that. Not only is this a problem in the inner city, but it is spreading throughout the outer city and the suburbs. The homeless also contribute to a huge spike in crime. The more the homeless rate goes up, so does the crime rate. Statistics show that 73% have spent some time in jail, prison, or both. 10% of the homeless population also have children to take care of, and without money or food, the children are put in a distraught situation. These are just a few of the cons of homelessness.
There are many groups of homeless shelters and food banks around the Richmond area, and they make a difference, but these organizations only make a dent in the homeless population. Departments in the government like the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development state they are using state and federal resources to prevent households from becoming homeless and also decrease the number of households returning to homelessness. They claim that they are helping households, and they are, but they are also using a lot of the state and federal money to pay for it. The department is not the only force that is helping the cause, as many non-profit organizations like various homeless shelters that get their money off of donations also strengthen the cause. The city is waiting to see if these organizations will help, and if they don't, then maybe it will have to take more drastic measures.
Homelessness is also associated with many other problems like poverty, healthcare, hunger, education,
criminal justice and child welfare. All of
these are factors to homelessness. Not all
families have the same amount of difficulty
or face the same barriers that other
families do to returning to household
stability. Without much money, household
stability is a hard thing to achieve, but with
organizations like the Community
Foundation, it is possible. The Richmond
area is striving to end the growing problem that is homelessness once and for all.
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