Homeless man in a downtown San Jose, California, USA doorway. Note that while he has a stereotypical shopping cart for his possessions, counter to stereotypes of homeless people being illiterate and/or always begging or staggering around drunk or drugged out, he's quietly reading. The first major wave of homelessness in the United States took place during the Great Depression.
The second major wave took place in the 1980s. According to the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the demand for emergency shelter in 27 U.S. cities increased 13% in 1988 and 25% in 1989. Twenty-two percent of those requesting emergency shelter were turned away. With budgets squeezed dry, cities across the U.S. adopted a closed-door attitude toward the displaced. For example:
- The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey banned panhandling in Metro subway stations and bus terminals;
- In Atlanta, Georgia, Mayor Maynard Jackson proposed a policy of licensing panhandlers, it was not adopted.
- The University of California, Berkeley ordered repeated police sweeps of People's Park and evicted the People's Cafe soup kitchen.
- In Santa Cruz, California, dozens of homeless were repeatedly arrested for sleeping outside the local United States Post Office.
Traditionally single men have constituted the overwhelming majority of the homeless. In the 1980s there was a sharp rise in the number of homeless families in certain parts of the United States; notably New York City. Most homeless families consist of an unmarried mother and children. A significant number of homeless people are teenagers and young adults, mostly runaways or street children. A 1960 survey by Temple University of Philadelphia's poor neighborhoods found that 75% of the homeless were over 45 years old, and 87% were white. In 1986, 86% were under 45, and 87% were minorities.
Advocates for the homeless support public funding for housing and subsidization of rent for low-income individuals and families. Critics of this approach point out that the reasons for homelessness are varied and that aid of this type will not materially improve the quality of life for persons who are homeless due to mental illness or substance abuse.
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