The two passages from Cities, Change & Conflict discuss the ways in which cities criminalize the homeless and also the various reasons why people become homeless. I felt upset while reading the first passage and learning about the laws created to force the homeless to relocate elsewhere and the punishments they receive for trying to survive. These laws and regulations are not solving the problem of homelessness, but are only trying to conceal it. Focusing more on finding the reasons why homelessness is increasing and trying to decrease the number of people living in the streets should be every city’s first priority.

The passage “The Homeless“ mentions that mental health, high rent, low income, and low employment opportunities are all contributing factors that lead to homelessness. Some ways to help those with no homes is to open more shelters, provide jobs, and have counseling available. Lowering the cost of housing is also important. Big cities have high rates of homelessness because of this reason. I think it is unfair that there is a lot of vacant housing that is not being used to help those with no homes. If these issues are not resolved, the homelessness rate will only continue to increase.

Do you think that the homelessness rate in cities will decrease soon or will it continue being a problem in the next decade?