Not All "H" Words Are the Same

While many people group hunger and homelessness together, the two issues are not as closely related as one might think. A look at the facts show that both hunger and homelessness have distinct causes, and impact different segments of the population.

North America is often regarded as the land of plenty, and yet Hunger is still an issue that affects millions of Americans every year.

1 in 6 Americans live on incomes that put them at risk for hunger.

Over 14 million American children rely on food banks for assistance.
Food insecurity exists in every single county in the United States.

A report from the U.S. Conference of Mayors found that only 11% of those requesting emergency food assistance were homeless.

In 2011, more than 31 million children lived on incomes that qualified them for free or subsidized lunches.

While awareness of hunger peaks during the holiday season, the summer months are the most difficult for food banks as children who receive free lunch at school are home. Here are some of the most common causes

Income Inequality – Unlike other parts of the world, hunger in the United States is often caused by income inequality and poverty. For many food banks, a large majority of their clients have at least one employed person in the household, but after the rent, mortgage and other bills are paid, there is not enough leftover to purchase sufficient meals.

Food Deserts – Food Deserts are areas or neighborhoods where residents do not have access to a grocery store that provides the healthy and affordable foods that are necessary for a healthy diet. These districts are often found in the lower-income areas of cities, where fast food and unhealthy options are the only food items available. While fast food items are commonly perceived as inexpensive, they are actually significantly more expensive than healthy food items that are prepared in the home.

According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, over 610,042 people experience homelessness on any given night in the US.

Chronic homelessness is the term given to individuals that experience long-term or repeated times of homelessness. The chronic homeless are often the public face of the homelessness issue, however they make up only 18% of the entire homeless population according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

About 57,000 or 9% of all homeless persons are veterans.

A survey of 29 cities in the United States found the homeless population to increase by 6% from the previous year.
The same report found that 26% of homeless adults suffered from some form of mental illness.

According to estimates from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, a family with a full-time worker making minimum wage could not afford fair-market rent for a two bedroom apartment anywhere in the US. The lack of affordable housing is one of the biggest factors behind homelessness.

Veterans are a specific demographic when it comes to homelessness, veterans often experience homelessness because of disabilities caused by their experience on the battlefield. Physical injuries, post-traumatic stress and mental suffering are just a few of the wartime after effects that drive the population of homeless veterans.

So, while it is easy to make hunger and homelessness synonymous terms, they are indeed different with individual systemic roots.