Ten Common Causes Of Homelessness

Homeless service workers must understand the common causes of homelessness in order to coordinate care and find resources to help the homeless overcome the challenges they face.

Here are ten of the most common causes of homelessness:

1. Mental Illness

Mental illness can be a catalyst for homelessness because it interferes with the ability to hold down a job, and can result in the deterioration of relationships between the individual and their friends and family.

2. Domestic Violence

People who are being abused by their spouse or live in partner, and lack other resources, may have to make the choice between being abused and becoming homeless.

3. Foreclosure

Even people who were financially stable in the past can face homelessness. One reason for this is escalating interest rates and dropping property values. Many of the people seeking aid from homeless service workers must do so because they've lost their homes to foreclosure.

4. "Throw Away"

Teenagers often get into conflicts with their family, or are kicked out of their homes due to problems with substance abuse. In other cases, they may have suffered trauma or neglect as a child and opt to run away as soon as they are able. Those who are too old for foster care can become homeless as well.

5. Lack of support

Many of the homeless have other circumstances in their lives which have driven away their family and friends, leaving them little to no support. This can be devastating both financially and emotionally.

6. Grief

Grief over the loss of a loved one can lead to addiction or depression, precipitating homelessness.

7. Despair

An absolute hopelessness can take over a person's life when they stop believing that they can improve their situation.

8. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Caused by past trauma (abuse, exposure to violence or war, and so on) this severe mental illness can result in homelessness. Those who are suffering from PTSD may be unable to maintain relationships, work, or even care for themselves in a functional manner without treatment.

9. Job loss/under employment

Losing one's job can result in homelessness for obvious reasons. This can be especially true in regions where there are unannounced layoffs and few other opportunities for employment. If the person who has lost their job has limited skills, they may not be able to find work before being evicted.

10. Addiction

Addiction can be both a cause of homelessness and a result of it. Treatment programs often need to be long-term and require follow ups to remain effective and prevent relapse.

Homeless services training can help workers to develop strategies that help the homeless overcome these challenges and many others. By understanding the exact factors that contributed to a client's homelessness, workers can compose a more effective plan to improve their quality of life. They'll understand what the person needs, what resources to organize, and how to encourage the person. Training is a critical component in learning to identify and address these issues.