Homelessness in America

Jesus said, "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). What could be more burdensome and heavy-laden than to be homeless in as rich a society as the United States? As we look into the issue of homelessness, we believe that there are three social factors that contribute to this predicament: economics, racism, and reasons stemming from abuse. Homelessness is not in all cases a voluntary choice made by social retreatist who, according to Merton's strain theory, "drop out" from the pursuit of culturally accepted goals. The 3 reasons listed above are examples of involuntary homelessness, the end result of other problems. Recent figures show that over 700,000 people a night are homeless, 40% are women with their children (International Justice Party). These figures are staggering when we compare the relative wealth of our "Industrialized Society" and how still so many go without basic needs every night. As we take a Christian perspective approach in examining this topic we see the words of Jesus in Matthew 21:31-40, "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me." To fix something you first have to understand what causes the problem, let us take a look at the three factors causing homelessness in depth.…