Causes of the California Homelessness Crisis
Abstract
This paper looks to examine the current homelessness crisis in the state of California. Specifically this paper will identify the various policies and government decisions that have led to the state housing nearly half of all homeless people in the United states. The evidence of the situation seems to link the current growing homelessness crisis in California with actions taken by the government. This paper will examine not only the government's actions but also look at how much money is being spent on the crisis and the effect it has had. The argument being made is that while California may spend far more on its homelessness issue it is seeing a much worse return compared to other states which have spent a fraction of the amount and have a much smaller percentage of the homeless population. My argument is based on California state regulations and policies increasing not only the cost of housing but also the general cost of living making low income housing more and more difficult to find and leaving many without the ability to afford a place to live. The state has implemented a variety of programs surrounding mental health and substance abuse with the intent of better treating the respective issues but much of the data surrounding these programs suggests that it has lead to an increase in homelessness and extreme poverty.
Causes of the California Homelessness Crisis
This paper looks to examine the current homelessness crisis in the state of California. Specifically this paper will identify the various policies and government decisions that have led to the state housing nearly half of all homeless people in the United states. The evidence of the situation seems to link the current growing homelessness crisis in California with actions taken by the government. This paper will examine not only the government's actions but also look at how much money is being spent on the crisis and the effect it has had. The argument being made is that while California may spend far more on its homelessness issue it is seeing a much worse return compared to other states which have spent a fraction of the amount and have a much smaller percentage of the homeless population. My argument is based on California state regulations and policies increasing not only the cost of housing but also the general cost of living making low income housing more and more difficult to find and leaving many without the ability to afford a place to live. The state has implemented a variety of programs surrounding mental health and substance abuse with the intent of better treating the respective issues but much of the data surrounding these programs suggests that it has lead to an increase in homelessness and extreme poverty.
