Good Shepherd Alliance Leesburg, Virginia Who Are The Homeless? Stop The Bombs International Peace Walk - 2005,Hosts Day 29

Gentlemen,    Who Are the Homeless?    Homelessness in Loudoun County has been on the rise for ten years. A growing shortage of affordable housing and a simultaneous increase in poverty are mainly to blame.    Homelessness and poverty are inextricably linked. Low-income people struggle to pay for housing, groceries, childcare, health care, and education. Imagine the difficulty of choosing between these necessities when limited resources will not cover them all. Often it is the rent payment that must be eliminated. Being poor equates to being an illness, an accident, or a paycheck away from living on the streets.    Loudoun County’s lack of affordable housing and high cost of living mean that many homeless people are actually working full time or have only recently lost their job. Some people move into the county for a better paying job only to find out that they cannot afford housing. Others experience job layoffs, divorce, drug or alcohol abuse or other trauma that leave them with insufficient resources to pay rent. Many come to the shelter struggling with mental health issues or are veterans with a medical disability. Mark Gunderman 703-367-7410 Good Shepherd Story (.rtf format - 3.9MB)

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