[Dixie]

The most important thing all of us can do about homelessness is stop blaming the victims.

75% of the homeless are transitionally homeless. This group consist of those who can't afford housing, have left an abusive relationship, suffering extreme financial duress due to health issues, or simply don't have the cognative ability to function independently. These people are not in their situation because they don't care.

The 25%, considered chronically homeless, do have some degree of substance and mental issues. But a lot of people who have homes also share these issues, bringing the correlation/causation debate into play.

The net is that homelessness is due to problems outside that person's control. I'd like to think our society would work on ways to mitigate these problems. After all, one day that homeless person may be me, or even you.