Homelessness and Society

Statistics documenting the extent and causes of homelessness vary widely. There is no easy answer to how many people are homeless. Some experts in the field assert there are two broad categories of homelessness which sometime overlap. The first category, episodic homelessness, refers to people who are temporarily homeless because of extreme poverty. Oftentimes, they are homeless for brief periods of time. The chronically homeless, who compromise the second category, are those for whom homelessness has become a way of life. However, there are infinite causes that lead to homelessness. (Hurley 9)
Low wages and limited employment opportunities are definitely contributing factors. One out of five homeless Americans do work either part time or full time. Minimum wage puts housing out of reach for employees because income is not sufficient to afford basic family needs. For example, under the current minimum wage, income earned by a full time worker is 85% of the estimated pover...