Rural Homelessness

Homelessness is usually associated with the city. People think that only people who live in urban areas can find themselves homeless and that it doesn't happen to people living in rural areas. However, the truth is that there are just more people living in less space this makes homeless people more visible in the city. There are actually many people dealing with homelessness and housing distress in rural towns.

There are far fewer shelters in rural areas this causes far fewer people to live in the streets or in shelters, instead they live in cars, campers and with family members in overcrowded houses. To keep the definition of homelessness the idea of those who

are literally homeless is to keep the rural areas out of the picture. This is doing the victims of rural homelessness a great injustice in many ways including the benefits of government programs.

Recent studies show that most people who are homeless in rural areas are women, who are white, married, currently working, homeless for the first time and homeless for a shorter period of time. Other homeless people in rural areas are families, single mothers and children. Also causes of homelessness in rural areas are more likely to be domestic abuse than alcohol and substance abuse.

Causes for rural homelessness are similar to the causes of urban homelessness; result of poverty and a lack of affordable housing. It is most obvious in rural regions that depend on agriculture for income. A lack of affordable, decent housing is a large underlying reason for the homeless epidemic in both rural and urban areas. It is true that housing costs are lower in rural areas, but so are rural incomes. In rural areas 23% of poor homeowners and 27% of poor renters live in inadequate houses. Studies of past rural homelessness show that one great cause of homelessness is the issue of physical health and safety. Many houses are detrimental to a person's health causing people to move to safer houses. These living conditions are too expensive and this is when people actually become homeless. Some other reasons for rural homelessness are the distance between low-cost housing and employment opportunities; lack of transportation; decline in homeownership; restrictive land use regulations and housing codes; rising rent burdens; and insecure tenancy due to changes in the local area real estate market.

Lack of awareness and resources, as well as, isolation are all factors that complicate the efforts of ending homelessness. Helpful initiatives would include extending the definition of homelessness to those who live in temporary and / or dilapidated housing, increasing outreach to isolated area, and increasing awareness on a national level. Jobs that pay a wage high enough for living are also greatly needed.