I just saw this article at the Guardian. UN special rapporteur, Raquel Rolnik, says wealthy US ignoring deepening homeless crisis while pumping billions into bank rescues.
Rolnik visited many of the cities where homelessness is on the rise including Chicago, New York, Washington, Los Angeles and Wilkes-Barre, a Pennsylvania town where, according to the article, 598 foreclosed properties occured. She also visited a Native American reservation
The US government does not tally the numbers but interested organisations say that more than 3 million people were homeless at some point over the past year. The fastest growing segment of the homeless population is families with children, often single parents. On any given night in Los Angeles, about 17,000 parents and children are homeless. Most will be found a place in a shelter but many single men and women are forced to sleep on the streets.
Los Angeles, which is described as the homeless capital of America, has endured an 18-fold increase in housing foreclosures. Evictions from owned and rented homes have risen about tenfold, with 62,400 people forced out last year in Los Angeles county.
Welfare payments are not enough to meet the rent, let alone food and other necessities. A single person on welfare living in Los Angeles receives $221 (£133) a month – an amount that hasn't changed in a decade. The rent for one room is typically nearly double that.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/...