Homeless worries on minds of many Americans
Survey finds a majority wants to see more done to curb problem
updated 7:01 p.m. ET, Wed., Nov. 14, 2007
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21794173/WASHINGTON - Nearly a third of Americans have at one point worried about becoming homeless and many more are taking in friends and relatives needing a home, a survey found.
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"People are worried even though it might not ever happen to them," said Michael Stoops, acting executive director of the Washington-based National Coalition for the Homeless. "When people read the news and read about bankruptcies, home foreclosures and auto plants being closed, they worry that they may be next."
Overwhelmingly, those polled — 92 percent — said more effort is needed across the nation to address the issue of homelessness. Thirty-five percent said the federal government should take a lead role fighting homelessness, while 25 percent identified state governments as most responsible for addressing the issue.
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Eighty-five percent of those questioned cited abuse of alcohol and drugs as a major cause of homelessness, followed by mental illness, a mental disability or post-traumatic stress disorder, named by two-thirds. Insufficient income and job loss were also named by about two-thirds.
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"The two most misunderstood groups in this country in 2007 are the American Muslims and homeless people," said Stoops. "For the majority of homeless folks, the reason they're homeless is because they're poor and they need money and they are chronically normal."
Stoops said a lack of affordable housing nationwide is a main cause of homelessness.