Homelessness
* affects a wide variety of people
  - an increasing number of U.S. families each year
  - every are of a child's development
* alone can make children aggressive, withdrawn or depressed.
* also makes it more difficult for teen parents to stay in school
  - singles out other groups of people such as the sick
* appears to be largely concentrated within urban areas.
* big city problem.
* can damage children's development.
* can happen to anyone for many reasons
  - mean being judged and shunned by society
  - take many forms
* comes with many faces.
* common fate.
* community wide responsibility.
* complex issue, and one that is difficult to deal with.
* complex problem for which there is no quick fix
  - in Abilene
  - situation often caused by more than one factor
* contributes to the spread of infection.
* creates chaos in a child's life
  - or exacerbates health problems, mental health issues and addiction
* crime in New York.
* cruel fact of present-day American life.
* damages the physical and mental health of individuals who are homeless.
* deadly serious issue with grave public safety implications.
* devastating experience for parents and children alike.
* frequently breaks up families
  - separates families
* greatly increases the likelihood of a suicide attempt.
* health hazard.
* huge problem for many countries.
* human tragedy.
* interferes with children s education and development
  - the fulfilment of rights and with normal family life
* is about the absence of choices
  - all grays
* is an accepted condition in society and transients are no longer the stereotype
  - epidemic
  - ever-present condition in virtually all communities regardless of affluence
  - unfortunate outcome for some newly-discharged foster youth
  - associated with rooflessness
  - connected with changing social conditions in the member States
  - defined by a loss of control over one's environment
  - fundamentally a problem of poverty and a lack of affordable housing
  - increasingly common among the elderly
  - linked to problems of domestic violence for example
  - more likely to affect people who have never been in long-term hospital care
  - often more than meets the eye
  - on the increase as a result of rising unemployment
  - one of the ingredients for social exclusion
  - particularly frightening for women
  - physically, psychologically, and financially devastating
  - probably the loneliest feeling a human can have
  - simply the bottom end of poverty
  - something that can be eradicated
* is the guilt of our truth
  - subject of many myths
  - widespread
* is, in effect, tantamount to having no identity.
* leads to criminalization.
* major concern in our society today
  - health risk
* means nowhere to get stuck and to stand.
* national disgrace
  - scourge
* pervasive problem.
* poses serious threats to the health and well being of the men and woman.
* precludes good nutrition, good personal hygiene, and basic first aid.
* problem in developed as well as in developing countries.
* problem that affects many people in America
  - needs to be addressed
  - which strikes people of all races and ages
* reality in urban, suburban, and rural communities.
* reflection of the criminalization of poverty in America.
* sands away the pretense from a person.
* serious social problem that needs attention.
* situation that is very evident in today s society.
* social problem most often associated with urban areas.
* societal plight, but it especially hurts to see children hurting and alone.
* terrible problem in the world today.
* truly matter of life and death.