"Approximately one-fifth of the worlds population, over one billion people, earns less than one dollar a day" (Readings on Poverty). Living in today's society, as unpalatable as it may be, it is succinct that homelessness, hunger, lack of work, and illiteracy are direct effects of destitute among people today. As a result, this causes people to struggle throughout their lives. The government and society should take more time to help those in need become responsible for actions and regain respectable positions in society.
             2 Homelessness, an ever-present problem in the world, is a murky road to ultimate despair. There are many different reasons for homelessness, but there are a few well-traveled paths to destitution; mental illness, lack of affordable housing, family breakdown, and alcoholism are all factors. A chilling fact, from any point of view, is that small children have become the fastest-growing group of homeless people. "The average homeless family includes a parent with two or three children. The average child is six years old, the average parent twenty-seven" (Orr 29). This may seem unreal, but in Massachusetts alone, three fourths of all homeless people are now children and their parents.
             3 Today, the chronically and severely mentally ill are not proficient at coping with the stresses of this world. They are vulnerable to eviction from their living arrangements, mostly because of the stress of dealing with various problems such as landlord situations. Many tend to drift away from their families and will loose all goals in their life.
             "Once the mentally ill are out on their own, they will more than likely stop taking their medications and after a while will lose touch with the Social Security Administration and will no longer be able to receive their Supplemental Security Income checks" (58).
             4 Because of their poor judgment and disarray, they will fail to notify anyone and could end up on the streets, where th...