I have talked to many homeless people, and there are various reasons, A lot, where one paycheck away from poverty, most had bad childhoods, some had mental issues or lack of support from family.

From what I've seen, a GREAT deal of the homeless population have mental health issues or substance abuse issues (especially when you look inside the world of adult psych). I know it's not all of them, but I think it's a pretty good percentage. Then there are those who just got the short end of the stick, I really don't think many of them choose to remain homeless of their own volition because they are lazy.

along with all those reasons I think some of them want to be and many are probably drug addicts who have lost everything. Most are probably a few of those options. a combination of had very difficult lives and feel sorry for themselves is probably common as well as lazy and want other to pay their way through life being a little less common. Crazy people with no family mostly end up on the streets too becasue they cant support themselves and have nooone else to do it.

I think the biggest reason is the large amount of people who are simply mentally ill and lack the ability to care for themselves properly. I see evidence of this on the street every day (I live downtown in a large city). I don't mean that this is the only cause of course...there are many reasons...but the mentally ill seem the least well equipped to help themselves out of their situation.

I believe many of the homeless in the states are Vietnam vet who suffered great traumas over there and when they returned they were left with no resources of help from the government.

Only addictives and weak believer lazy people could be homeless in the USA and in the EU leader countries! Bless, Prof. Mes

Mental illness problems and low intelligence seem to fit into their situation. Many have no or very little support from others (including family-if they have any left). Little or no training to become self supporting and a history of very inadequate family life, education, and support. For each person there seems to be a unique set of circumstances they can cite, but usually the above plus poor physical health seem to fit a majority of situations.

I think that its stupid to think that all homeless people are lazy bums with a drug addictions!! Some homeless people are teenagers whose families couldn't support themselves or disowned by his/her own family. They are neither crazy or lazy. They are trying to make a living for themselves. They don't always feel sorry for themselves, and frankly I feel sorry for the Answerbag user who asked this question and stereotype people. Homeless people are just people who needs a little help, that does not mean that they always asks for help from people. I have a friend who lived through a homeless lifestyle, and couldn't eat. Starvation in the streets, thirst, and sleeping on concrete floors is what they go through every single day. I've personally seen some homeless people who made mistakes in their own life and couldn't get back into it. I've experienced this before. So before you stereotype homeless people as freaks in society, you should try to walk a mile in their shoes. It's hard.

S**t happens to good people and some of these things they have no control over which may cause a mental breakdown hence their present state of mind.

I believe "mentally ill" accounts for a majority of them..some of them are vets..some of them are not. I think using perjorative words like "lazy", "feel sorry for themselves" or "want others to pay their way through life" are comforting words to those who don't want to be bothered..those people who are comfortable and have all their needs met and don't care to share their good fortune with others less fortunate..so they simply write them off using very insulting language, knowing absolutely nothing about these people except that "they are not one of us"! :(

"An estimated 20 to 25 percent of [homeless] people have a serious mental illness, and one-half of this subgroup also have an alcohol and/or drug problem." (http://www.samhsa.gov/Matrix/matrix_homelessness.aspx) If you were a schizophrenic whose parents died, and you had no other family, what would happen to you? You wouldn't be able to work, obviously, so it's likely that you'd be on the street, right? This really happens to people. Many other homeless people have been dealt a bad hand throughout their lives, and didn't have a chance in the world from the get-go (e.g. born into crack addict families, abandoned as children, etc). I've also known of a few self-employed people who didn't have health insurance (with the cost of healthcare in America, is that surprising?!), and then one bad accident came along, and they accrued $100,000 in medical bills, lost their house, and found themselves living out of a car. You never know. Maybe SOME homeless people are "lazy," but that is not the case for the majority.

It has been suggested that in the city of London about 1/3 of all homeless people are schizophrenic... Lots of them are also ex-military... For this reason i will go with "crazy" (although i prefer Mentally Ill) and having had difficult lives, as several are run-aways and/or addicts... But I also think that often the addiction follows the homelessness not the other way around... I have little or no evidence for this, other than general study and observation, but nothing in particular... I just have faith...

Difficult lives for sure. I know a person who had a family who were really wealthy but his family disowned him for smoking weed. bad times :(

This is such a horrible condition that so many people have to face. My heart goes out to the children who are living in this situation. I live in a small town so we are not very exposed to this problem (out in the open anyways, but it is there). There have been a few times when I have encountered people on corners asking for money. I can't imagine how that would make a person feel, it breaks my heart to see this. We as a nation do need to find a solution to helping everyone in society. What was that slogan..no child left behind? What about the children that have no warm home to go to or know when their next meal will be. I could go on forever, this is such a heartbreaking situation. PRAY FOR THEM ALL, ESPECIALLY THE CHILDREN.

My brother was a coke addict. He spent all his money on crack/cocaine, so he had no money for his necessities, so he was homeless. He wasn't lazy, he worked, he just was so addicted to crack that all his money went to it. He's now in an institution, and has been there for 7 months... when and if his doctors decide to let him go, he's going to a group home, and then he's going to start a new life. I'm not sure about other people, but it's sad to see homeless. I'm sure those standing on the side of the road for hours on end asking for money, help or food could be spending that time applying for jobs. It's sad, and I pray for them, and I hope they can get their life together.

With todays economy, more and more people are looking at homelessness. People seem to think due ot media that all homeless people are alcholics/addicts..this is simply not true. I was homeless last year due to domestic violence. I left dv and due to disability and inability to work, I had no where to go and NO MONEY..with jobs being outsourced to other countries, and fuel prices and people having to pay entire paychecks (if they have a job) for healthcare, what's left..it's either pay for medicine or pay for food.. pay for food or pay for electricity.. People don't want to be homeless. Most homeless would love to have a nice house and good feed to eat. but from experience I can tell you that I was thankful to stand 3 hours in a soup kitchen line just to get a bowl of soup and a sandwich..

well no believe it or not their are alot of homeless people who do have alot of money its called being to greedy to spend their money to buy a home. i know this one guy in dayton ohio who is worth millions but he lives his life like hes a poor folk.

My oldest brother is virtually homeless. He lives with my elderly mother in a rural area and he hates it there but he has no where else to go. My other siblings and I have discussed what will happen after my mom passes. I certainly don't want to inherit him and neither does any of the sibs. He has never really worked, has no children and is a bit unwell. Thats' one homeless story.

I once listened to a conversation between a homeless person and someone he was trying to panhandle from. The homeless man's exact words were: "I ain't gonna go work at McDonalds. I work construction, and if I can't get a job in construction, I'll just live on the streets." I also knew of a woman who used to stand on a corner with a sign reading "Pregnant and homeless. Please help." This woman was "pregnant" for about 2 years. Another young man (looked to be in his late 20's or early 30's) would stand next to the railroad tracks with a cup in his hand, and would stare at the ground and mumble "Spare change, spare change" when someone passed by. These are the kinds of people who give a false impression that all homeless people are lazy and just feeling sorry for themselves. There are many homeless in our town who were thrown out of the mental health program for lack of funds to keep the place running. The City built a homeless shelter near downtown, but the City Council says there is no money to staff it. So the homeless have built a tent city on the grounds instead. These people have tried to get jobs but are held back partly by the fact that they can't keep themselves or their clothing clean in a dirty dusty lot, when there are no shower facilities available to them. There are jobs to be had, but many of them don't have the appropriate skills for these jobs. Then there are the war veterans. They are either disbled, mentally unstable, or burned out on drugs and/or alcohol. They once put their lives on the line to keep this country free or just to fulfill their duty. None of them should have to live on the streets, but they do because nobody cares about them once they have served their purpose and outlived their usefulness. I don't have ideas about how to eliminate homelessness, but spending money on buildings the city can't staff, and a new proposed baseball stadium, and lack of interest by the VA and the Mental Health system, are all contributing to the homeless problem. If people were willing to volunteer to work at the shelter, and the casinos could get a larger tax deduction for contibuting more money for programs to help these people, it would be a start.

Honestly, my ex is homeless as we speak. Before we were evicted out of our apartment last year, my ex was a supervisor for a medical supply company, making REALLY GOOD MONEY. Then one day, for some reason, he decided not to follow one of the rules at this job that he'd been at for over ten years, might I add. He broke the rule, and guess what? He was fired. It hurt him SO bad. Well, tax time came. I had my daughter to consider, and my ex and I were not married. I was able to move back to my parents' home, but my ex had no where to go. He had a choice at least(he has a daughter in TN that's a property manager over some apartments, but he said he didn't wanna go to her because he didn't wanna interfere: come to find out, he was just a dead-beat dad to her..so I believe it more "shame" than anything). Of course by my parents being religious, they were NOT about to allow a man OVER half of my age to live with me & my parents! So, he ended up at the Salvation Army. When I received my refund check,I gave him some money to at least get a hotel room for a couple of days, but he grumbled about that also. He couldn't understand why I couldn't get us somewhere else to stay. Well, ya I was employed, but I had my daughter, if no-one else to think about, PLUS, my income was NOWHERE close to what he used to make. Long story short,he's still out on the streets(in a homeless shelter) I still try & look out for him when I can, because he was there for us. So its not always about being "lazy"..sometimes, I believe it may be God trying to "wake" us up to realization... I'm not gonna lie, if we would have gotten along alot better before we had been evicted, I would have TRIED my DAMNEST to keep us afloat. But for some strange reason, this guy was still lying to me, having me thinking that he had found another job, EVERYTHING!! Next thing I know, the sherriff is at our door, serving us court papers...most people think that what I did was "selfish". But if my ex didn't care enough to help save what we had, knowing DAMN WELL that my income couldn't match what he was able to do...then I had to watch out for my daughter and me...by MYSELF.. But, I still care for him...and we still keep in contact. If he ever needs me for anything, and if I can help him, I am there for him. ALWAYS.

most of them are just unfortunate to be in a homeless situation. it can happen to anyone,.,beleive me. I work in the field and have even found myself homeless because of a rotten landlord.

The main reason for homelessness in the UK is mental illness. There are many other reasons for people to become homeless, and although your question makes clear what you feel, perhaps you should do a bit of research into the subject. I have done some work which peripherally involved homeless people, and have spoken to quite a few.

You see more homeless in NY state because the state of NY has decided to dump the mentally ill on the streets in an effort to save more money for the politicians that can never seem to have enough personal funds or power! The pie stays the same but they always want the biggest piece!

They had difficult lives or have gone crazy. In most cases at least. I wouldn't say there aren't any lazy homeless people who just want to bum around, but if you have ever seen homelessness...trust me it'll knock you right out of laziness. Most homeless people are either veterans, or divorced men whose wives won big claims. Its ridiculous. You dont learn anything until you read the statistics and meet/speak with these folks personally. Some of them have gone crazy beyond point of belief. Its ridiculous cuz, they almost go UNNOTICED right in front of our eyes.

there is more reasons...

Everything you mentioned is true of someone that is homeless. But there are others who are to sick to work or lost their job many are single mothers "and" their children or seniors. Once homeless the outlook is grim for those who are out there more than three months. Just the basics, where to go to the bathroom, how or where to take a shower, clean your cloths, eat and sleep. It's easy to look at them and say, just go get a job any job. If you slept all night on cold cement and had to sleep lightly so no one would off you during the night. Then wake up in the morning, dirty, hungry,tired, wrinkled cloths having to go to the bathroom and thirsty with no money. Finding a job in that condition is not easy. The homeless places are all full, that is why so many sleep on the street on in the park. After a while many just give up, they don't have any resources to help them out of their situation.

I too have asked several homeless people why? The answers blew me away, many are college grads, military veterans, and runaways from broken homes. Drug use is prevalent but they have chosen that lifestyle and are happy living meal to meal daily. They don't mean any harm and all the medical therapy or counseling will not change the majority of their thinking. It won't break anyone's bankroll to give them some loose change every now and then either. When they die, the sometimes are buried as John/Jane Does with no proper burials. H. Katrina created a whole slew of new homeless people as well so it's larger than life. Each one has their own tragic history so don't be so quick to call them lazy or crazy. Yep.

I used to be homeless so I can tell you firsthand that there are many false beliefs as to why a person may be homeless. It seems that as I've gotten older (I'm a young 50! LOL!) the face of the homeless has changed considerably. It used to be that most homeless people were alcoholics, had certain mental conditions, drug addicts and so on. When I found myself homeless I talked with many people who had college degrees and PhD's. Many homeless are very intelligent people, who, simply because of the state of the job market have been unable to find jobs in their chosen fields and may have no other choice but to take a low paying job that just doesn't pay the rent. Most people are one or two paychecks away from being homeless. In today's economy that's a sad reality. Other people live way beyond their means and when they lose a job find themselves up a creek without a paddle and end up losing everything. It could be a combination of all these things too. Except for a year in college of Marijuana, I don't do drugs. Except for a year of drinking in college I don't drink at all. I've never lived above my means. If anything I've always lived a little below them. My problem was that I simply could not find work and it got to the point where I had to live in a shelter. At the same time that it was a blessing because I had somewhere to live and I wasn't on the streets, it also was a horrible time in my life because I'm a person who needs a lot of privacy and it was so hard getting used to living around so many people and living in a shelter is very constricting, especially if you are a middle aged adult. :) That's one reason why many people end up choosing to live on the streets because they don't want to deal with the daily consricting grind of a shelter and after living in one myself I can fully empathize with them. Others live on the streets because all the shelters in their area are filled up. Anyway, I hope this answers your question and the next time you see a homeless person please give them a little credit :) Have a great day and an even better day tomorrow! Purrs, Catwoman=^..^= & Mija

I'm sorry for misunderstanding what you were trying to say. The main reason I thought that is because of this: "They're lazy, crazy, had very difficult lives, feel sorry for themselves or want others to pay their way through life?" Even though it ended in a question mark it still appeared and sounded like a statement. If you had begun the sentence like this: "DO YOU THINK they're lazy, crazy, had very difficult lives, feel sorry for themselves or want others to pay their way through life?" it would have appeared more like a question. Anyway, I'm sorry again for the misunderstanding and am so glad to know that you have a postivie attitude toward the homeless and have done your part in helping those both in your family and others around you. Have a great day and an even better one tomorrow! Purrs, Catwoman=^..^= & Mija

Many of them cannot afford housing. Housing today is very expensive and our wages are not keeping up. During the high-tech boom, wages were enough to pay the high housing costs of the Bay Area. When the high-paying jobs left the area for cheaper regions, the housing prices did not reflect this.

ppl r homeless becuz they r either drug addicts who lost their home n job. some ppl come from a bad home n ran away..umm. theres a variety of reasons. some ppl R LAZY N DONT WANT TO WORK AT A LOW PAYING JOB CUZ THERE EMBARRASED OR DONT WANT TO. WHO KNOWS?

I would say that they have had a difficult life, which generally all of your other options. I have talked to many homeless people, and very few say they are homeless because they like it, or because they chose it, so this kind of supports the fact that in some way or another they have had a difficult life.

If you look into the statistics for average age of homeless people in our country (other than single male) it is single mothers and there children. There are many reasons and whatever reason a person has my heart breaks even if was there own self destruction...No one aspires to be homeless........people are hungry and cold in the winter and heat exhausted in the summer. In America homelessness should be a word of past tense only.

Most have had very difficult lives..no one wants to be homeless. When they find themselves in that situation, for whatever reason, they don't know what to do, are looked down upon, are attacked in the streets, etc etc etc..It does not matter how they got there..they are humans..someones son or daughter..This country sends trillions of dollars to foreign countries each year to feed and house people..yet people are homeless and starving to death right here in the u.s..americans should have a problem with that! :)

My ex husband was homeless for a while after we divorced. He was homeless because he refused to work menial jobs and couldn't get anything better with his 8th grade education. He didn't trust the government and would not get assistance to help himself and his family was sick of him and would not take him in. He honestly believed that everyone owed him something and that the earth revolved around him. I felt bad for him for a long time but eventually gave up on him myself. He just doesn't get it and is off in his mean little dream world.

I have actual freinds that are or were homeless some of them state that they would rather be homeless then have a home. It's a choice that some people take and i respect it. They do not conform to the "normal" ways of people to be happy. I think it is awsome.

* Automobile related - Broken down car, no insurance, tickets, etc. * Decline in Public Assistance - Current TANF benefits and food stamps combined are below the poverty level in every state; in fact, the median TANF benefit for a family of three is approximately one-third of the poverty level. Thus, contrary to popular opinion, welfare does not provide relief from poverty. * Divorce - Divorce often leaves one of the spouses homeless. Most often it’s the father, but sometimes it’s the mother and children or everyone involved. * Domestic Violence - Battered women who live in poverty are often forced to choose between abusive relationships and homelessness. * Drug and Alcohol related problems - Rates of alcohol and drug abuse are disproportionately high among the homeless population. * Illness - For families and individuals struggling to pay the rent, a serious illness or disability can start a downward spiral into homelessness, beginning with a lost job, depletion of savings to pay for care, and eventual eviction. * Job loss - No income to pay rent. Lack of affordable housing- The lack of affordable housing has lead to high rent burdens (rents which absorb a high proportion of income), overcrowding, and substandard housing. * Lack of child support - In families where child support is ordered but not paid, the decrease in income can lead to an inability to pay rent, utilities, or both. * Low wages - Declining wages have put housing out of reach for many workers: in every state, more than the minimum wage is required to afford a one- or two-bedroom apartment at Fair Market Rent. * Mental Illness - Approximately 20-25% of the single adult homeless population suffer from some form of severe and persistent mental illness. * Natural Disaster / Fire - Situations where due to chance a fire, tornado, flood or hurricane renders housing inhabitable. * Physical Disabilities - Disabled individuals may be unable to work or find appropriate employment. For those receiving SSI, they often struggle to obtain and maintain stable housing. * Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - This disorder is common with veterans and those that have been in violent situations. It can make it difficult to have a stable life. * Poverty - Being poor means being an illness, an accident, or a paycheck away from living on the streets. * Roommates - When one or more roommates falls through with their end of the bargain, they can be a reason for others becoming homeless. * Severe Depression - Can make it impossible for an individual to maintain a stable life. * Tragedy - It is surprising how many people just quit functioning because their families died or were killed, sometimes recently, sometimes as long as 30 years ago.

The most common reasons are addictions and mental illness. I personally saw the difference in the amount of homeless in Washington DC when laws changed regarding holding the mentally ill and the addicted.

I have communicated with many vagrants/homeless people in both Idaho/Washington state & Alaska. My time in Alaska was the most revealing into the mind of the "so called" homeless. Most, but not all of the homeless up in Anchorage appeared to be Aleut natives. During my five & a half years that I worked up in Anchorage I saw many working their stations, all most exclusively in fair weather only. A particular Aleut Gentleman I noticed often worked the intersection of Diamond & Old Seward. On one occasion I saw him further back in the parking lot talking to a couple of reasonably dressed women that appeared Aleut also. Curiosity got the best of me. Coming home from work a few of nights later I spied him again at the same intersection at about 5:30 pm. I went down Old Seward then took the first right into the shopping Malls parking lot, parked & just watched him. About forty five minutes later he started walking through the parking lot & went clear down to the west end opposite the intersection he was working. To my surprise he entered a medium sized motor home. A few minutes later the motor home took off & I followed it. He stopped at a grocery store & when he stepped out he was dressed casual but nice! He went shopping with a woman & one child in tow with him. When done shopping they pulled out onto the street with me following at a distance. They drove to the south end of Anchorage & pulled into a driveway that appeared to be on at least a triple size rural lot. As I drove past the residence I could see a house with an attached garage & one free standing roofed structure which he had just drove the motor home into. About five minutes later I drove past the residence the opposite way sloooowly. The property, buildings, cars & motor home(older power boat too!) were certainly not new in shape but NOT bad either! There were several other people there also. I seen him working another intersection several days later while I was coming home from work. I had to do it! I parked my vehicle, walked up to him & told him that I had followed him about a week earlier & what I knew about his scheme. To my surprise he came clean about it, with a pleasant attitude no less! In a nutshell here's what he told me... He is on the Alaskan native benefit program...he is married...has two dependent children another grown & gone...he previously worked on crab boats out of Kodiak Island...he is a high school graduate...he does own his property...his brother & his wife & children live with him...he'd been panhandling for three years along with his wife, brother his wife & their oldest daughter...the most the five of them made combined in a "hard"(7 days) week was just under 1500.00$!!! Thats 1500.00$ divided by 5 people = 300.00$ per person a seven day work week, like 40.00$ plus a day per person!!! The guy was so friendly I actually bought him a pitcher of beer & played a few games of stick at a local pub for his story. He asked me to keep it quiet which I did & this is the first time I ever posted anything about it. This all happened clear back in 2002. The vagrants/homeless/bums down here in the lower 48 are not like what I described above, but that's another story!

Bottom line: drugs and alcohol. There are other reasons, but homeless people just can't kick the habit so the little bit of money the beg for goes to one cause...

There are stereotypes of every single group ever known. Among Democrats all Republicans are mean, uncaring greedy bastards. Among Republicans all Democrats are seen as money grubbing taxing big spenders who only want their money. The list can go on and on and on endlessly. people who wear bright colors clothing are often seen as loony or flaky and people wearing all black are often seen as goths or the bad guy or the "tough guy". Short people are seen as to short to compete and tall people are seen as basketball players. Homeless comes in many forms, but it's basically means they have no place to live like a house or apartment. There are more reasons for it than there are reasons for people forgetting to wipe their asses. Take your pick though..Most small minded people do anyway.

It is very easy to be homeless. I know firsthand. All it takes is very little money in the bank and the loss of your job. There are a lot of homeless people who are just down on their luck and need someone to just get them back on track (hopefully a family member). There are some that have addictions that are controlling their life, and their homelessness is just another symptom of the disease. I've seen firsthand that there are many who "depend" on the government and others to take care of them, but there are also hardworking people who have lost their jobs and can't pay the mortgage or rent. There is a lot of that now with the recession.

that they can't be categorized...they each have a different circumstance...for misfortune to self inflicted....either way...they still deserve compassion and help...i think that i can say of at least half ,its a mental thing...whether psychological,defect, addictiveness.... did u know Jewel and her mother were homeless before she finally made it.....circumstances beyond our control can certainly put us there...

The major reason for the homelessness is mental disorders. A drifter personality, in my view, contributes a little to the phenomenon.

I'd say the homeless are homeless for myriad reasons but I think, from what I have seen, it could all be narrowed down to 4 primary groups; Mental Illness/handicap Chemical Dependency Choose to do so, because they want to be free of the wage slave consumer mentality A victim of some kind of disaster that destroyed their home or ability to afford a place to live.