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The Castellio’s fight every step of the way to keep their family together. As a father and husband, Christopher credits his resourcefulness as a former Marine and love for his family to resolving his family’s dilemma. Every impasse was an occasion to circumvent institutional bureaucracy.

According to the National Alliance to end Homelessness, “there is a common misconception that homelessness is an issue that only pertains to single men and women, but in reality thousands of families a year will experience homelessness.  In fact, 41% of the homeless population is comprised of families. Homelessness is a devastating experience for families.  It disrupts virtually every aspect of family life, damaging the physical and emotional health of family members, interfering with children’s education and development, and frequently resulting in the separation of family members.”

This story has a happy ending, but not all do.

***

The major reasons and lack of causes for homelessness as documented by many reports and studies include:

• The deinstitutionalization movement from the 1950s onwards in state mental health systems, to shift towards ‘community-based’ treatment of the mentally ill, as opposed to long-term commitment in institutions. Many patients ultimately lost their rooms, didn’t get proper community health support, and ended up in the streets.
• Redevelopment and gentrification activities instituted by cities across the country through which low-income neighborhoods are declared blighted and demolished to make way for projects that generate higher property taxes and other revenue, creating a shortage of housing affordable to low-income working families, the elderly poor, and the disabled.
• The failure of urban housing projects to provide safe, secure, and affordable housing to the poor.
• The economic crises and “stagflation” of the 1970s, which caused high unemployment. Unlike European countries, US unemployment insurance does not allow unemployed insurance recipients to obtain job training/education while receiving benefits except under very limited situations.
• The failure of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to provide effective mental health care and meaningful job training for many homeless veterans particularly those of the Vietnam War.
• Foster home children are not given job training in school or at home. Without a means to make money, nearly half of foster children in the United States become homeless when they are released from foster care at age 18.
• Natural disasters that destroy homes: hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, etc. Places of employment are often destroyed too, causing unemployment and transience.
• People who have served time in prison, have abused drugs and alcohol, or have a history of mental illness find it difficult to impossible to find employment for years at a time because of the use of computer background checks by potential employers.

SOURCES:

Donohoe, Martin, M.D., “Homelessness in the United States: History, Epidemiology, Health Issues, Women, and Public Policy“, Ob/Gyn & Women’s Health journal, 2004;9(2) July 7, 2004.

Joint Hearing op. cit., May 1984, p. 32 IUD Office for Policy Development and Research, A Report to the Secretary on the Homeless and Emergency Shelters, May 1, 1984.

United States Conference of Mayors, “A Status Report on Hunger and Homelessness in America’s Cities: a 27-city survey”, December 2001.

United States Conference of Mayors, “US Conference of Mayors/Sodexho Hunger and Homelessness Survey: 2005” PDF (1.19 MB), December 2005, “Main Causes of Homelessness”, p.63-64. [1]PDF (62.3 KB) [2]

Vanneman, Reeve, “Main Causes of Homelessness“, University of Maryland

Cf. Levinson, Encyclopedia of Homelessness, article entry on Causes of Homelessness: Overview by Paul Koegel, pp.50-58.

Piasecki, Joe.”Throwaway kids: Thousands of area foster children leave county care for a dangerous and desperate life on the streets“, Pasadena Weekly, June 22, 2006.

Fagan, Kevin, “Saving foster kids from the streets“, San Francisco Chronicle, Sunday, April 11, 2004.

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