"Being homeless is often defined as sleeping on the streets. Although this is the most visible and severe form of homelessness, there are many other types of acute housing need. These include living in temporary accommodation, poor or overcrowded conditions, or being in mortgage arrears and under threat of re-possession." (Hope, 27) It is a symptom of many complex problems: mental illness, emotional instability, illiteracy, chronic substance abuse, unemployment, and, most basic of all, the breakdown of city planning.

Anyone can become homeless and the reasons that force people into homelessness are many and varied. The leading cause, however, of homelessness in the United States is the inability of poor people to afford housing. "Housing costs have risen significantly over the last decade, while the incomes of poor and middle-class Americans have stagnated." (Erickson, 169) The millions of Americans who are unemployed or work in low-paying jobs are among the most vulnerable to becoming homeless. Therefore, homelessness, housing, and income are inextricably linked. Low-income people are frequently unable to pay for housing, food, child-care, health care, and education. Difficult c

Downtown development also diminishes the supply of low-income housing for poor people. As the City raises more new office towers, the vacancy for housing is getting less. In Seattle, for instance, office space in downtown grew from 13 million square feet in 1981 to about 24 million square feet in 1990. On the other hand, the downtown low-income housing stock declined from about 11,000 units in 1980 to less than 6,000 units in 1987. With the passage of new housing levies, cities will try to regain some low income units, but today's low-income units vanish faster than they can be built and there is still a shortage in housing supply in downtown areas.

The amount of housing available in the private sector rental stock is diminishing rapidly. As more and more landlords abandon apartment buildings and houses rather than repair them, the housing supply for the poor has declined at an accelerating pace in some cities in the nation. The growth of service-sector employment in central business districts has attracted white-collar professionals, many of whom prefer to live in accessible central city neighborhoods, where they compete with poor, indigenous residents for private market housing (Noyelle, 210). The result is frequently gentrification of inner city housing which traditionally has been the major source of low- income housing. At the same time, downtown service sector expansion has created jobs for many low-waged workers, which increases the demand for low cost shelter readily accessible to the downtown. It makes the homeless in downtown even harder to rent a place to live.

Slashed public assistance has also left many people homeless or at risk of homelessness. Replacement of the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) entitlement program, a program that was already inadequate in meeting the needs of families, with the non-entitlement block grant program would significantly increase the risk of homelessness for many Americans. Furthermore, earned income and asset limitations discourage individuals and families from breaking the cycle of homelessness and extreme poverty. Several states have terminated or reduced public assistance and food st

Some common words found in the essay are:
Income SSI, Urban Development, , Americans Furthermore, Children AFDC, University Press, minimum wage, Policy Research, Economic Transformation, Rowman Allanheld, poor people, public assistance, risk homelessness, poverty line, income housing, low-income housing, low income, Lexington Book, shelters homeless people, low-income people, service sector, university press 1996,
Approximate Word count = 1466
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)