Homelessness in Chicago

Homelessness+in+Chicago

Cesar Segura, Author

(Homeless by a Wall, Garry Knight. https://www.flickr.com/photos/garryknight/12459375745)

 

Homelessness is a problem that plagues the nation despite being a first-world country with 1% holding more than half of the nation’s wealth.

 

According to National Alliance to End Homelessness, “the January 2017 Point-in-Time count, the most recent national estimate of homelessness in the United States, identified 553,742 people as experiencing homelessness,” and the Chicago Tribune reports that “in 2017, 5,657 people in Chicago were reported as homeless in the June 2017 Point-in-Time count.” In July 2017, the United States Census Bureau estimates that “the population in Illinois was 12,802,023 and the population in Chicago was 2,716,450.”

 

These statistics alone mean that Chicago makes up 1% of the homeless population in America, and 52.4% of the homeless population in Illinois, despite making up only 17% of the population.

 

Kenneth Zhang (’20) says, “Of course I care, it just seems impossible to help from my position.” Although it is easy to sit comfortably in our houses and ignore the outside world, we have the power to help those in need; those who don’t have the privilege of a household. Please consider donating to nearby shelters the items you would otherwise discard. Items most commonly needed are clothes, but more importantly is everyday items such as socks, toothbrushes, razors, and tampons. The homeless need your help!