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Since the early 1980ís, homelessness has emerged as the most visible social problem in the United States. Homeless persons are found in virtually every metropolitan area. They huddle in doorways, sleep on park benches, and visit many public libraries during colder weather seasons. Storm grates offering warm air ventilation are preferred sleeping locations, often necessary for survival. After being closed to the public, certain subway stations become cardboard cities for the homeless, so long as local police choose to tolerate its existence. Homeless persons sleep in cars parked in city, county, and state parks, along abandoned roadways, or in the driveways of family and friends. During the cold months, single men, women, and entire families fill available city shelters to capacity. When seeing homeless people on the streets, it is difficult for people to acknowledge their misfortunes (Snow and Anderson 199). There is a new subcategory of the homeless population. They are families who, for one reason or another, can not find affordable housing. Many believe it to be a myth that all homeless people are substance abusers. However, a large percentage of the homeless people are alcoholics and/or drug addicts. There is no single cause for homelessness (Wagner 33). However, in the United States, a free market economy, there is little reason for an able citizen to be homeless, because of government aid, drug programs, and the availability of homeless shelters.

The federal government has supported public housing construction programs since 1937. Over the past twenty years, the government has tried many different housing programs. It has set up programs such as The Homeless Families Program. This program helps families who are uneducated, have poor job skills, or substance abuse problems, find affordable housing (Rog 49). The government is looking for the best

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program to benefit the people. Some of the programs they have tried are Section 8 New Construction, and the original Public Housing Program. These programs have looked to

increase the numbers of standard, low-rent housing. Other programs such as rent vouchers and Section 8 Certificate Programs have looked to supplement the incomes of poor tenants so they can afford "market-rate rents" (Aaron).

The Section 8 Certificate Programs allow people to rent any apartment under the jurisdiction of the Public Housing Authority (PHA) below the "Fair Market Rent" (FMR). The PHA allows contracts to be written up by any landlord, as long as the rent is below the FMR. The federal money (subsidy) rises annually according to inflation, but the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has the authority to bring the prices back into market price when the property is rerented or vacated. However, this does not normally happen. Landlords like the Section 8 contracts because once they are established, they typically remain (Aaron).

The rent vouchers are another government program to help low income people afford housing. Vouchers are not constrained by Section 8 conditions. The renters can choose to pay more than 30% of the family income for rent, in order to live in a good neighborhood with better schools. The value of the voucher is based on the difference between the actual cost of the FMR and 30% of the family income. The voucher allows mobility throughout the United States. Public Housing and Section 8 do not allow the flexibility to move out of a typically small region (Aaron).

Another program established by the government is the Public Welfare Program. The Public Welfare Program has many subcategories. Some of these categories include food stamps and Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). These programs

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were designed by the government to help poor families provide housing, food, and other amenities that they would otherwise not be able to provide for themselves.

Food stamps are an important part of the welfare system. They are very widely used. They are only given to those who are desperately in need. Food stamps were not intended to provide anything more than a minimal nutritional diet, but do help to feed the poor. Food stamps have a huge impact on hunger in the United States. Many people face the dilemma to buy food or pay for housing. By taking advantage of food stamps, they are able to concentrate on just paying for housing costs.

Another welfare program is the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). The name, Aid to Families with Dependent Children, emphasizes that the benefits are for the children in poor or homeless families. The programís goal is to keep families together and ensure as normal a life as possible for the children. AFDC provides assistance to children who lack financial support due to the absence of one or both parents, or the unemployment of the main wage earner in the family. The maximum amount of the grant for each family is based on the amount that the specific family needs.

Many people feel that public housing and welfare are hurting the economy and society. Homeless people need more than what is available in public and government aid (Wornsnop 75). The public has always been willing to help the poor, but worried that welfare and public housing were being wasted on those were perfectly able to support themselves.

Many people believe that welfare should be treated as a response to a temporary emergency and not a permanent way of life. People feel that those who are dependent on

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welfare are encouraged to remain on government aid by giving them options that normal working people would not have.

Some people are against public housing because it allows people any easy way out. People feel that if housing is provided for them, there is no need to move to better

housing establishments. They feel many people are taking advantage of the housing programs, not allowing the truly deserving individuals the opportunity to that aspect of the welfare system.

However, if the government terminates all the programs aimed to prevent homelessness, it would create an epidemic of homelessness in the United States. Welfare and public housing allow those at risk of becoming homeless a chance to work through their problems. It does not offer them a permanent solution, but rather an opportunity to get back on their feet.

There is a clear relationship between homelessness and substance abuse in the United States. Addiction inhibits oneís ability to work, and destroys families and other social relationships. Once an abuser loses his or her source of income and housing, friends and family may be unwilling to offer assistance. Because there is a very competitive market for affordable housing, drug and alcohol abusers are the last to qualify for housing benefits. Unfortunately, they end up on the streets more easily than the rest of the low-income population.

There are many drug and alcohol dependency programs available. Many former homeless people took advantage of such programs to help get them off of the streets. They used programs such as National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism/

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National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIAAA/NIDA) Demonstration Program, AA (Alcoholics Anonymous), and religious organizations (Wagner 135).

The NIAAA/NIDA Demonstration Program is set up to provide help and evaluate the homeless individuals with alcohol and other drug related problems. The program was funded under the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act (Rog 34). The program is also designed to help homeless persons get benefits, find some work, and improve the

overall economy. Many of the people that the program helps are 18 years of age or older, have substance abuse problems, and are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. "The NIAAA/NIDA demonstration project is experimenting not with one but with multiple program philosophies, treatment techniques, and target populations" (Rog 37).

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a program designed for alcoholics. When they join AA they have to be able to admit that they are alcoholics. The members also have to take the "not-God" approach. The "not God" approach is the realization that they are not God like, or perfect. They have meetings held everyday in the beginning of their recovery program. As their drinking problem becomes more under control, they can slowly decrease the amount of meetings per week. AA is set up as a twelve-step program. Once the have completed this program, they become recovering alcoholics (Gorski).

There are drug dependency programs in which the individual is in control of stopping the addiction. These programs are aimed for people who are ready to live on their "own." The programs are self help groups and religious organizations. These programs are easily accessible to the homeless society.

People who join self-help groups are typically joining programs in which they check in once a week. You meet with a certain group and discuss and record your

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progress or failures. People join these types of groups for support. They can come and go as the problem increases or decreases. These programs are for people who are ready to acknowledge that they have a problem and that they need help.

Religious organizations are for people to discover or rediscover their faith, either in themselves or a higher being. They use religious faith to help them get through the bad times. They will usually turn to one individual for help in healing their soul. Many people who have hit the bottom begin their climb back up by putting their religion as the first priority. For many, this method has proven to help give them something to believe in and start a better life.

Some people feel sympathy for substance abusers. They blame the abuserís misfortunes on the drugs and alcohol. These sympathizers also feel that the economy led them to become dependent on substances. In other words, homelessness led them to be substance abusers.

However, the contrary is true. In most cases, the dependence on the substance destroyed the personís life. Often times, the abuser finds himself unable to work or perform daily routines because of the addiction. This eventually leads to unemployment, inability to pay rent, and loss of a home. When left with no other support, the person often finds himself homeless.

A primary need of any human is the need for shelter. The reason why a person is living on the streets is irrelevant to the need for shelter. Many homeless shelters provide emergency assistance in the form of food, shelter, and clothing. The government has given underutilized federally owned buildings to cities and charitable organizations for temporary use as homeless shelters. Some homeless people do not take advantage of

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shelters, no matter what the weather conditions may be; the homeless like the way they live or donít want to be told by anyone where to go or what to do (Wornsnop 77).

One important step toward the prevention of homelessness is the Eviction Prevention Program. This program includes subprograms such as Housing Alert, which seeks to identify individuals who are at risk of homelessness and then provides them with services to maintain their current housing. This might include temporary money, employment, or government benefits.

Another aspect of the Eviction Prevention Program is the attempt to reorganize the procedures for taking people in to the shelters. This is being done by trying to resolve landlord or family conflicts before the person is evicted or thrown out. If they are evicted, the program attempts to direct the person toward options other than the temporary shelters.

There are four main types of shelters, which are welfare hotels, congregate shelters without private rooms for each family, shelters offering private sleeping quarters but with shared bathrooms and dining areas, and family centers with their private apartments. The two most common types of shelters are welfare hotels and congregate shelters.

Congregate shelters are the stereotypical idea of homeless shelters. They are commonly large rooms with rows of cots for people to sleep. The people who stay in

these are given little privacy, but it does offer a warm, dry place to sleep, as well as a shower. Often times, these shelters also offer a warm meal. Congregate shelters are mainly for emergency situations. People go to these shelters when they have nowhere else to go.

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Welfare hotels are for the extremely poor individual who chooses to remain off the streets. They are allowed to live in the hotels for a discounted rent. The housing conditions are not the best, but are far superior than living on the street. Often temporary, they serve as a base to help many people get back on their feet. While working and paying minimal rent, many occupants are able to save money. Many people have begun their path back up by taking advantage of the welfare hotels.

Many people feel that homeless shelters are a waste of government money and time. They feel this way because they see the shelters as dirty and overcrowded, instead of last resorts. The majority of the people believe homeless shelters are overrun by vagrants and are full of crime. Many of the shelters can be dangerous for the homeless and the volunteers (Lunde 1). Therefore, they feel that the government should come up with a safer emergency shelter program. This new program should be less dangerous and provide more occupancy.

The homeless shelters are typically overcrowded. Those who are intoxicated or seem uncontrollable are sent away, even though they came for help (Snow and Anderson 81). Women who are rejected are forced to return to what they were running from (Lunde 1). People feel that emergency homeless shelters are pointless if they discriminate among those truly deserving.

They are usually miserable, rat infested, high crime buildings, that people call home. The rent that people pay is lower then a non low-income house, but is high enough too keep the occupants from getting out of the welfare hotels. People feel that the welfare hotels are violating many health codes and should be condemned.

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The homeless shelters may at times be overcrowded, but they are still helpful to many people. Homeless shelters are mainly for emergencies. The welfare hotels are not the best, but to someone off of the street they are they need. Many people do take advantage of the shelters. If the programs were stopped the streets would become overcrowded.

Due to government aid, drug dependency programs, and homeless shelters, homelessness should be decreasing in the United States. The government has programs designed to help low-income families afford a home. The government also provides welfare funds for people who cannot afford food, or the daily cost of living.

People who are substance abusers and homeless also have programs aimed for them. The choice to get back on their feet is theirs. They can get support from groups such as NIAAA/NIDA, AA, self-help groups, and also religious organizations. People who may find themselves in an emergency situation with no money and nowhere to stay can rely

on homeless shelters. Homeless shelters are designed for temporary shelter. For these reasons, there is no need for a person to be homeless in the United States.