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Social Sciences

Beneath Victimization by violent crimes

Homelessness: Victims of Capitalism

Germany: 2012 -  284,000 homeless (Official)

USA: 2013 - 610,042 (Official), 1.6-3.5 million (Unofficial)

China: 2011 - 2.41 homeless (Unofficial)

India: 2013 - 78 million

Japan: 2006 - 25,000 (Official), 3 million Cafe refugees

Main Points to include:

It is estimated 1.6-3.5 million people in the U.S., including children, will experience homelessness at some point in their lives.  Comparison of this number with other countries with different governments or economic systems around the world. (https://www.homelessworldcup.org/homelessness-statistics/)

2011, there were approximately 2.41 million homeless adults and 179,000 homeless children

http://www.businessinsider.com/china-1-million-homeless-children-2012-11

Of the 15 cities with the highest rates of homelessness, six are major U.S. cities (http://www.therichest.com/rich-list/poorest-list/the-15-most-homeless-cities-in-the-world/)

Rent Control and Homelessness

Rent controlled apartments contribute to shelter and street populations (around .04%). Apartments that are rent controlled encourage people to not move out or pass apartments along between families, this leads to the price of apartments being higher for new renters and, consequently, it is harder for people to afford their rents. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0094119096910852)

About 10% of housing in the United States is under the control of price control laws. Most laws were enacted to deal with the high inflation rates experienced during the 1970s and 80s. These laws can motivate apartment owners to convert the property to a more profitable enterprise, which can reduce the amount of housing available to potential tenants. A black market can also develop, with tenants leasing rent controlled premises at prices above the legal maximum. This can price out low income individuals and families.

Stigma attached to the term homelessness

How homelessness developed and public view of the homeless in a democratic country (http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1532708605274558)

Prior to 1983, the term homeless implied that economic conditions caused homelessness. However, after 1983 more associations were made with the term. Alcoholism and mental illness became associated with the term in the media. Claims were often backed up with testimony made by high ranking officials. For example Ronald Reagan was quoted as saying  “one problem that we’ve had, even in the best of times, is the people who are sleeping on the grates, the homeless who are homeless, you might say, by choice.” This claim made the homelessness problem one of personal choice and mental condition, not of the neoliberal reforms sweeping through the economic system. This made homelessness something that would exist even under the best economic conditions, and therefore economic reforms would be unnecessary.

1980s Britain

Laws set out by neoliberalism and their effect on the homeless population. This one can be expanded on a lot and it would be good to bring in information from The Rise and Fall of Neoliberal Capitalism. (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-8330.2008.00583.x/full)

The neoliberal changes ushered in by the conservative government resulted in increasing rates of homelessness in 1980s Great Britain.  Changes to the economic system resulted in increasing unemployment and income inequality. These problems were multiplied when the following governments proceeded to scale back Britain's welfare program. State run housing projects were cut and rent price controls were removed. Those that depended on affordable, state provided shelter found themselves unable to afford housing in the new economic environment. The state also stopped assisting 16 and 17 year old teens. The changes ultimately resulted in an increase in the homeless population and changed its demographics. Previously, older single men composed the vast majority of the homeless population. After the neoliberal reforms, younger men, women, and families made up a much larger percentage of the homeless population.