“Developed” and “developing” countries home to thousands
of homeless
Editing by Carolyn Bennett
The
world economic crisis should be viewed as a ‘housing finance crisis’ in which
the poorest of poor were left to fend for themselves. ─ Dr. Anna Tibaijuka,
Executive Director of UN-HABITAT
World Homeless Day 10/10 draws attention to a human problem solvable except for human neglect, failure to care
Worldwide
some 100 million children live on the streets
Worldwide the number of homeless people grows steadily
Most
street children are victims of poverty
"Each year there are 1.3 million homeless children living on America’s streets or vying for a bed in a homeless shelter."
 |
| child homelessness |
The existence of homelessness amidst prosperity ─ of those
who consume and throw away stuff, things and people ─ is unconscionable.
What
happens to children on the streets is unspeakable.
 |
| homeless USA |
The United Nations Center for Human Settlements (UN-Habitat)
has written in its Global Reports on Human Settlements that “Poor urban housing
conditions are a global problem and conditions are worst in developing
countries.
Six
hundred (600) million people live in life-threatening and health-threatening
homes in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
In
London, England, life expectancy among homeless people is more than 25 years
lower than the national average.
 |
| homeless EU |
Global homelessness figures
(some estimates)
European Union
3,000,000 (UN-HABITAT 2004)
United Kingdom
10,459 rough sleepers, 98,750 households in temporary
accommodation (Department for Communities and Local Government 2005)
 |
| homeless UK |
Canada
150,000 (National Homelessness Initiative – Government of
Canada)
Australia
105,000 people homeless across Australia (census night in
2006), an increase from the 99,900 Australians counted as homeless in the 2001
census
United States of America
649,917 people experiencing homelessness ─ a single night in
January 2010 (increase over January 2009’s 643,067) [HUD’s July 2010 5th
Homeless Assessment Report to Congress]
Unsheltered count increased by 2.8
percent; sheltered count remained constant.
Chronically homeless persons with
severe disabilities, people with long homeless histories: 2009: 110,917 ● 2010:
109,812. [HUD]
More than 1.59 million people spent
at least one night in an emergency shelter or transitional housing program
during 2010 reporting period: 2.2 percent rise over 2009 figures
People using homeless shelters in
suburban and rural areas increased 57 percent (367,000 to 576,000)
Japan
20,000–100,000 and rising (some figures put it at
200,000–400,000)
 |
| bombs making homelessness |
Developing and
undeveloped countries
Homelessness rampant in Third World nations of Nigeria
and South Africa
Millions of children live and work on the streets.
 |
| war-made homelessness |
China, India, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines
Despite growing prosperity, homelessness grows, “mainly due
to migrant workers who have trouble finding permanent homes.”
Russian Federation
Homelessness rises especially among youth
The more some people have and use,
the less other people can even hope for.
There is an observable correlation, for those who
will see, between waste and want, disproportionate wealth and human need.
Sources and notes
Homelessness defined
People without a regular dwelling are homeless; the condition:
homelessness.
People who are homeless are most often unable to acquire and
maintain regular, safe, secure, and adequate housing, or they lack “fixed,
regular, and adequate night-time residence.”
Various countries and various entities or institutions
within countries define “homeless” differently.
The term homeless may include people whose primary night-time residence is in a
Homeless shelter
Warming center
Domestic violence shelter
Cardboard boxes
Other ad hoc housing situation or
Public or private place not
designed for use as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings
In western countries the large majority of homeless people are
men (75-80 percent) disproportionately represented by single males
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness
http://www.homelessforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=115
http://www.worldhomelessday.org/
http://www.un.org/works/goingon/mongolia/homeless.html
http://www.squidoo.com/why-children-become-homeless?utm_source=google&utm_medium=imgres&utm_campaign=framebusteroot causes of problem.
Each
year there are 1.3 million homeless children living on America’s streets or
vying for a bed in a homeless shelter.
Many
of these youths are invisible to society because their homelessness is
sometimes carefully hidden due to shame and ignored by even the most
progressive amongst us.
Some
Americans are under the mistaken belief that child homelessness does not exist
in this country. But the truth is that homeless children are a product of our
society's failure to deal with some of the root causes of problem.
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