The Causes of Homelessness in San Diego
             I lived in San Diego, California for five years. Three of those five years, I lived in a shelter. In San Diego, homelessness runs rampant. Single adults, families with children and the elderly are some of the people who have no place to call home. There are shelters, but not enough beds since the population of homeless people are increasing every year. The majority of homeless people sleep on the sidewalks or in the parks. They push their belongings around in shopping carts in search of food, drugs, and alcohol. Three major factors contribute to homelessness in San Diego.
             The first cause of homelessness is the high cost of housing. A three-bedroom apartment in the slums is $1000 a month. The elderly are on a fixed income and have a very hard time paying their rent. There is no rent control; therefore, property owners take advantage of people and continue to raise the rent every year. The property owners are very meticulous about who they will rent to. If a tenant has an eviction or bad credit, the property owner will not rent to them. This is the majority of the homeless.
             The second cause of homelessness is a shortage of housing. A year ago, there was a 1% rental vacancy. There are many people in need of housing, but only a few vacancies. There are rules and regulations that specify how many people can live in a house or an apartment. Only two people per bedroom are allowed; as a result, most people cannot share a home together because they have children.
             The last cause of homelessness is substance abuse. Some people abused drugs and alcohol before they became homeless. Some people became addicts while living on the streets because of the stress and depression that is associated with homelessness. It is common to see homeless people sitting on the sidewalks drinking beer all day. They also stand on every corner buying and selling drugs. Beer bottles and dirty ...