What Complex Problems Do Homeless People Face Homelessness is typically defined as a person who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. Homelessness reaches all ages. According to the 2004 National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty report, children under 18 accounted for 39 percent of the homeless population in 2003, and an astonishing 42 percent of these children were under the age of five. The same study concluded that 25% of homeless people were between the ages of 25 and 34, while 6% were between the ages of 55 and 64. Many problems affect the homeless in addition to the obvious lack of housing. There are many different theories about why people become homeless and whether some of their problems cause homelessness or are a result of it. Some generally accepted causes of homelessness are; family breakdown, lack of sufficient income and lack of affordable housing. Other issues that homeless people struggle with may or may not have precipitated their homelessness, such as substance or alcohol abuse or mental illness. Additionally, many homeless people suffer from physical illnesses. Regardless of the reason, children not only suffer many of the same problems as their parents, but also struggle with the added burden of missing school or changing schools multiple times during a given year. The reasons behind homelessness are many. Some people become homeless because they simply mismanage their money. They can't pay for housing at that time because they can't keep up with their real estate bills. The length of time they remain homeless varies from several days to perhaps a month. They are able to correct their situation on their own, without assistance. Most people who become homeless fall into this category. Statistics from the National Low Income Housing Coalition...... middle of paper...... It's easy to think for a moment that we can rush to help someone who is homeless . However, there are so many layers upon layers of problems that homeless people struggle with that there are no easy answers, and helping them is not a simple one-size-fits-all process. Works Cited http://www.sciencealert.com.au/news/20110806- 22255.htmlhttp://www.pbs.org/now/shows/526/homeless-facts.htmlhttp://www.hhs.gov/ homelesshttp://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/addiction.pdfhttp:// www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.0050225http://www.nami.org/Template. cfm?Section=By_Illnesshttp://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/Mental_Illness. htmlhttp://www.housethehomeless.org/the-mentally-ill-homeless-cause-and-effect/http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/08/28/2310961/mentally-homeless-district/http: //www.nhchc.org/faq/official-definition-homelessness/