Homeless Issues and Human Rights
Homeless people are often stigmatized by society and face many obstacles to getting off the streets, including lack of access to services and resources. Grassroots groups and interest groups around the world have worked to counteract these stereotypes and prevent homelessness by creating initiatives that help homeless people transition back to self-sufficiency. These initiatives are often based on the principle that homelessness is a result of a combination of causes, such as a shortage of affordable housing, profiteering from urban displacement and destruction, and privatization of civic services. These issues can be compounded by a lack of affordable health care and the high cost of living in metropolitan areas.
Homelessness is a complex issue with no simple solution. The characteristics of those experiencing homelessness are different in every community. Generally, women are more likely to be homeless than men. This is particularly true for single adult women. However, there are also many families with children who are homeless. Homeless children have unique needs, especially in school settings. For example, they may have trouble concentrating in class, can be easily distracted, and often do not have access to basic supplies like books or uniforms. They are also at increased risk of sexual assault and other forms of abuse.
States must use their maximum available resources to ensure that all people have adequate and decent housing, and take appropriate steps to prevent and eliminate homelessness (General Comment No. 3, para. 14). The failure to do so can amount to cruel and inhumane treatment. Homelessness is a human rights issue because it has a direct impact on the right to adequate housing and other human rights such as the right to work, the right to family life and the right to education.
Some localities conduct an annual count of homeless people in their communities. These counts are often based on public places, such as parks, train and bus stations, and abandoned buildings. They are subject to errors because people may move between these sites at night or check in and out of motels and hotels, which could be missed. Other localities use a service-based approach, basing their counts on the number of people using food pantries, shelters, and other social services. This method of counting is more accurate but still cannot capture people who do not use these services.
The most common cause of homelessness is a lack of affordable housing. Federal funding for subsidized rental assistance has been consistently low since 1982, resulting in a shortage of low-income housing units. When combined with factors such as rising unemployment, increased rents, and the removal of public housing units from the market, this can create a cycle of increasing homelessness for people who cannot afford the cost of renting an apartment in a suburban neighborhood. Other causes include a lack of health insurance, domestic violence, and mental illness. In fact, more than half of homeless women report a history of victimization or abuse in their lives before becoming homeless.
