Re:900 Children Test Positive for H.I.V. in Pakistani city o...
by DoreenMichele on Monday October 28, 2019 @01:20PM
(#21379144)
No, homelessness is not (just) a mental health problem. Your own source indicates less than half of homeless people have a mental health issue and lists depression, anxiety and substance abuse as some of the mental health issues suffered by homeless individuals. All three of those can be caused or worsened by being homeless.
There are many factors that contribute to homelessness. Physical ailments can help lead to homelessness, but so can the high cost of housing:
Research by Zillow Group Inc. last year found that a 5 percent increase in rents in L.A. translates into about 2,000 more homeless people, among the highest correlations in the U.S. The median rent for a one-bedroom in the city was $2,371 in September, up 43 percent from 2010. Similarly, consultant McKinsey & Co. recently concluded that the runup in housing costs was 96 percent correlated with Seattle’s soaring homeless population. Even skeptics have come around to accepting the relationship. “I argued for a long time that the homelessness issue wasn’t due to rents,” says Joel Singer, chief executive officer of the California Association of Realtors. “I can’t argue that anymore.”
There are many factors that contribute to homelessness. Physical ailments can help lead to homelessness, but so can the high cost of housing:
Research by Zillow Group Inc. last year found that a 5 percent increase in rents in L.A. translates into about 2,000 more homeless people, among the highest correlations in the U.S. The median rent for a one-bedroom in the city was $2,371 in September, up 43 percent from 2010. Similarly, consultant McKinsey & Co. recently concluded that the runup in housing costs was 96 percent correlated with Seattle’s soaring homeless population. Even skeptics have come around to accepting the relationship. “I argued for a long time that the homelessness issue wasn’t due to rents,” says Joel Singer, chief executive officer of the California Association of Realtors. “I can’t argue that anymore.”
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-11-20/the-homel...