When was the last time you saw a homeless man or woman in the street? Did you ever wonder what events had to have happened to make that person want to or have to live in the streets with no place to go to? There are many things that could have happened to them which might have contributed to their problem. The reasons are different for each and every person. Some of the more major issues that contribute to this are lack of affordable housing, declining welfare assistance, and mental illness.
             Homeless and the working poor are not able to get enough money to afford a house. The National Coalition for the Homeless clearly states, "A lack of affordable housing and the limited scale of housing assistance programs have contributed to the current housing crisis and to homelessness" ("Why Are People Homeless"). There is not much done these days to help with affordable housing for everyone. The homeless problem will continue to increase if nothing is done. Supply of low-income housing has declined precipitously making it harder for those with low wages to acquire a house (Wright). The high expense of an average house is more than someone working on minimum can afford and still have enough for other needs. Any accident or emergency could prevent them from making a payment or getting what they need. James Wright reports, in his article "homelessness", "[Adult education programs, emergency fund and transitional housing programs] have made the lives of many homeless people more tolerable, but they do not address low-income housing crisis." Welfare and soup kitchens cannot help the nation's homeless population in the long run. We need a good solution that will help prevent and give a long-term solution for homelessness. Affordable homes would make a large difference in the current status of homelessness in this country.
             Affordable housing is a major problem that affects numero
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