Homelessness is often linked to mental health problems and drug or alcohol addiction, but many homeless people don’t face these issues. This group, sometimes called the “overlooked majority,” doesn’t struggle with mental illness or addiction and is working hard to improve their lives.
Understanding the Overlooked Majority
Data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) shows that about 21% of homeless people have a serious mental illness, and 16% have a drug or alcohol addiction. This means that 63% of homeless individuals don’t deal with these problems.
Looking for Help and Answers
Many of these people are trying hard to get help and want to improve their situation. They often deal with challenges like not being able to find affordable homes, not having jobs, and having trouble accessing support services. Still, they are determined to find stability and are asking for help from different places.
Groups like the National Alliance to End Homelessness and local Continuum of Care (CoC) programs offer important help by connecting people with housing, healthcare, and job services. The National Alliance to End Homelessness works to stop homelessness by doing research, improving policies, and helping communities grow stronger. Even with their efforts, these groups often find it hard to meet the increasing need for their services.
Local programs called Continuum of Care are made to help communities work together to stop homelessness. These programs try to give money to groups like nonprofits, states, Native American tribes, and local governments. The goal is to quickly find homes for homeless people and reduce the stress and problems caused by being homeless. But, the number of homeless people keeps growing faster than the help and resources available.
Conclusion
Most homeless people don’t have mental health or addiction problems, but they are often ignored. By recognizing and helping these individuals, we can create better solutions to homelessness and support them in finding stability and independence.