One of the most shameful problems the U.S. confronts today is its massive — and growing — number of homeless people, particularly children. A report released Monday by the National Center on Family Homelessness puts the issue of homelessness in America in stark terms.
According to the report, nearly 2.5 million children were homeless at some point last year. That number represents an eight-percent increase over the previous year.
The NCFH report, titled "America’s Youngest Outcasts," ranked Florida No. 33 out of the 50 states based on a number of factors related to child homelessness. Although Florida certainly could have done worse on this issue, a closer look at the numbers reveals troubling omens for the future of poverty and homelessness in our state.
Florida followed the national trend of increasing child homelessness. Almost 140,000 children were homeless in Florida from 2012-13, up from about 127,000 the previous year.
The Sunshine State ranked a dismal No. 42 in the "Risk for Child Homelessness" category. Florida’s home-foreclosure rates are the worst in the country, which means Floridians are at a greater risk of losing homes than residents of any other state.
In addition, 32 percent of households put more than 50 percent of their incomes toward rent, an unsustainable number that prevents families from making even the most basic investments in health care and education for their children. Perhaps most striking of all, 25 percent of Florida’s children live in poverty — an absolutely horrifying statistic that demonstrates the severe risk of homelessness for hundreds of thousands of our state’s youth.
There are no clear, cure-all solutions to the issue of homelessness in the U.S. Many homeless individuals are in dire need of health care — particularly mental health care — which would help bring stability to their lives. More broadly, America must improve its education system and expand economic opportunity so fewer people risk becoming homeless in the first place.
Unfortunately, rather than seeking constructive solutions to this critical issue, elected officials in Florida have harassed and intimidated those seeking to address the problem, especially on a small scale. In Fort Lauderdale, police issued an order to 90-year-old World War II veteran Greg Abbott to appear in court for "the criminal violation of an ordinance," according to the New York Times. His offense? Feeding the homeless, in violation of a rule recently passed in the city.
Throughout Florida, cities from Fort Lauderdale to Daytona Beach to Pensacola have passed laws making life more difficult for either the homeless or those who seek to aid them.
Criminalizing homelessness and discouraging giving aid to those in need are not viable solutions to this issue in Florida or anywhere else in the country. If elected officials are concerned about the effects of a large homeless population on their local economies, they should seek to end homelessness rather than attempting to hide or prosecute it.
[A version of this story ran on page 1 on 11/18/2014"]
