What Causes Homelessness - Part 3

HomeAid America lists these factors as contributing causes of homelessness:

• Tragic life occurrences like the loss of loved ones, job loss, domestic violence, divorce and family disputes.
• Life impacting impairments such as depression, untreated mental illness, post-traumatic stress disorder, and physical disabilities.
• Financial challenges resulting from unexpected expenses due to divorce, unexpected illness, sudden job loss, foreclosure, and even natural disaster.

One major contributor to homelessness is substance abuse. Although the recent epidemic of heroin use and overdose has captured the headlines, those who work with homeless individuals have long understood that homelessness is quite often secondary to substance abuse. A person's family may have no other recourse than to disassociate themselves from their loved one's self-destructive behavior.

Since 1893, the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley has provided a safety net for people who experience homelessness. The causes vary but the end result is often the same; life altering circumstances bring people to our door. With your help, we will continue to provide hope, help, and a home to those who, at least for a season, have no other place to call home.