There are around 7.7 billion people in the world. According to recent data, around 1.6 billion of those people do not have adequate housing. In other words, the number of homeless people is so big, it would take over a hundred years to count it. While homelessness is a major problem around the globe, different cities have varying numbers of homeless people. But no matter where you look, homelessness indicates a deeper problem in the community. By investigating the causes of homelessness, we can start to understand why so many people sleep on the street each night and what we need to do to help them.
In New York, there are around 62,000 homeless people. Here in Dublin, a much smaller city than New York, there are around 10,400 homeless people, including adults and children. The homeless population in Dublin has increased by 354% in the last five years, creating a major problem for the city. In my neighborhood, a district called Dublin 8, the problem is particularly severe. When I walk down the street, I always see people huddled under sleeping bags on the pavement or crouching in front of stores with cups in hand, asking for spare change. It's easy to get used to seeing these people on the streets.
