LWVMM - Homelessness Awareness
Facts vs. Fiction
Misconceptions about homelessness
Homelessness is a complex problem. Misconceptions tend to oversimplify the root causes of homelessness causing unfair public perceptions and dehumanizing homeless people, which can lead to ineffective or punitive policies when attempting to solve homelessness.
Myth: Homeless people just need a job.
Fact: Approximately 40% to 60% of people experiencing homelessness have a job.
But housing is unaffordable because wages have not kept up with rising rents. There is no county or state where a full-time minimum wage worker can afford an even modest apartment. It is estimated that at minimum wage, people would have to work 86 hours a week to afford a one bedroom apartment. Today, only 37 affordable homes are available for every 100 extremely low income workers. There is little, if at all, resources available to purchase other necessities, such as food, clothing, child care, medical care, car repairs. Further the complications of applying for a job with no address, no clean clothes, no place to shower and the stigma of being homeless or having a criminal record make such individuals far less competitive in the low wage job market.
Myth: People experiencing homelessness choose to live in tents or cars.
Fact: Many people have nowhere to go but outside.
Homelessness usually happens because of economic reasons such as a job loss, divorce, domestic battery, or chronic health issues. Shelters can be full or limited to people who are sober, straight, free of disability or criminal history, and/or willing to separate from their children, partners, or pets. These discriminatory policies leave parents, couples, pet owners, and people with addictions, disabilities, or a criminal record, on the streets, where they live in fear of hunger, violence, weather, and disease.
Myth: Homeless people are dangerous and violent.
Fact: According to data, people who are homeless are far more likely to be victims of violent crime than to commit violent crime.
Violence committed by homeless people is either self-defense, or due to the rare violent perpetrator preys on other homeless people. More commonly, homeless persons are criminalized by being given a summons or arrested for minor offenses, such as trespassing, littering, or loitering.
Myth: Homeless people suffer from substance abuse and/or mental health disorder.
Fact: The majority of people with no home have no mental health or substance abuse disorders.
It is believed that less than 40% of homeless individuals suffer from mental health and substance abuse disorders. Most Americans with mental health or substance abuse disorders have homes and do not experience homelessness. A study of homeless people in New York City showed that substance abuse is rarely the sole cause of homelessness and more often is a response to it, because living on the street puts the person in frequent contact with users and dealers.
Myth: Homelessness is caused by “bad” choices.
Fact: Everyone makes mistakes, but ending up being homeless is seldom a direct result of choices.
Far more often, homelessness is the result of an illness or an accident, losing one’s job, or falling into debt that leads to eviction or living with family or friends which can become untenable.
Myth: The homeless are not part of our community.
Fact: Surveys have shown that 70 to 80% of homeless persons are from the local area or have lived there for a year or longer before becoming unhoused.
Myth: Homeless individuals live in unsanitary conditions, because they don’t care.
Fact: Living outdoors means having no regular place for bodily functions, to dispose of trash, to store food safely, or to bathe. A homeless person who cares has few alternatives.
Myth: Homelessness will never happen to me;
Fact: No one intends to become homeless, but as many as 1 in 200 Americans will experience some form of homelessness in their lifetime.
59%
of Americans are one missed paycheck away from homelessness.Â