As billionaire wealth surges, US faces record homelessness
As billionaire wealth surges, US faces record homelessness
The latest “point-in-time” survey from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development revealed a staggering 12 percent jump in homelessness in 2023, one of many indicators of severe social distress in capitalist America.
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On any given day, approximately 631,000 people are homeless in America, more than the total population of Vermont or Wyoming.
I know it's easy to phrase this as an economic issue, but my firsthand and secondhand experience is that it's an economic issue and a mental health issue. Although they go hand in hand, often the mental health problems precede the economic problems.
That's not to say that the problem couldn't be mitigated with huge investments in health care and housing regulation. This has been proven in countries like Finland. Of course that would mean our oligarchy would only get 10% quarterly ROI and therfore it's impossible to do anything about it...
Mental health issues are universal. Americans aren't anymore genetically prone to having mental health issues than other countries. The reason for America's rampant homelessness is because of the lack of social safety nets, inaccessible healthcare, nimby-ism, and unlivable minimum wages.
The idea that homelessness is primarily a symptom of mental health issues is perpetuated to push the blame onto the homeless and absolve the exploitative upper class of responsibility. People aren't homeless because they have mental health issues, they have mental health issues because of living with the unending threat of being one medical emergency away from homelessness.
I want to stress that "medical emergency" isn't necessarily something that puts you in the hospital. When you're living paycheck to paycheck, being out of work for 3 days with the flu forces you to choose between keeping the gas or the electric bill up to date this month.
When you're living paycheck to paycheck, being off work on Christmas and New Years isn't a welcome break. It means short paychecks two weeks in a row.
Just a couple nights of lost sleep can have a serious, deleterious effect on cognitive function even in a healthy, thriving individual. While there are exceptions, the extreme stress of economic despair is more often a cause of mental health issues than an effect.
Treatment of any mental health condition, regardless of cause, requires an effective degree of financial, economic, personal, and property security. You can't be expected to take your meds on time when they are stolen every time you fall asleep.