More than 70 percent of homeless remain so for less than two years!

Unfortunately there are a lot of misconceptions about the homeless and our society continues to dehumanize them. About one percent of U.S. citizens are living on the street, which are about three million people. Nearly 75 percent of the homeless remain in the city they became homeless in, which is quite often the city they grew up in. Also, about 70 percent of the homeless remain so for less than two years. The homeless aren’t criminals. 

In fact, the biggest crime they are likely to break is camping ordinances and the very fact that they are homeless, which is against the law in many places. They are less likely than a person with a home is to rape, murder, burglarize, and mug. It’s a myth that most homeless are addicts or mentally ill. 

It is true that up to 40 percent of homeless are addicts. It is important to realize that addiction isn’t what always causes homelessness, but that homelessness can cause an addiction and once off the street, it is easy for people to kick their addiction. Homeless people are generally not lazy like we tend to think, either. Often times they work harder for much less than most people ever would. 

(Source)