- 70% of all homeless individuals are clean and sober. [ref.]

It is a common misconception that most homeless people are addicted to a substance. While there are a percentage of homeless individuals who are left helpless in the grips of addiction, a large majority of homeless people are not addicts.

- Families with children make up 40% of the U.S. homeless population. [ref.]

Many of these families are forced onto the street because of a lost job, or inability to pay rising housing costs.

- Lack of affordable housing is identified as a main cause of homelessness. [ref.]

It is very easy for those of us living in comfortable housing to judge those who have no homes at all. But the fact is that these people likely had to move onto the street because their housing expenses were much too high for their income to cover.

- 23% of cities homeless suffer helplessly from mental illness. [ref.]

These mental illnesses left untreated make it impossible for individuals to properly care for themselves. With no attention given to these cases they are forced onto the street to live meager existences.

- 32% of families who request shelter are turned down due to lack of shelter resources. [ref.]

With all the shelters available it is easy to think that if a person is sleeping on the street it is because they are not taking advantage of the resources available to them. This just is not the truth; the fact is that the need is much greater than the resources that are currently available.

- 56% of cities polled state that they were not able to provide an adequate amount of food to the hungry people of their community. [ref.]

Many people just assume that the system will care for the homeless. The fact is that the system is not equipped to care for the large number of homeless people; that is where we come in.

WHAT CAN I DO I’M JUST ONE PERSON?

A percentage of the proceeds from every "Remember the Homeless" shirt sold (coming soon) goes to the effort to end homelessness in the world. Beyond buying a shirt:

- Continue to educate yourself on the issues. Don't let your knowledge of homelessness stop here. Stay up to date on happenings in the world concerning homelessness by frequently checking our World News section and the links on homelessness in our Links section.

-There are many different reasons why individuals are homeless. Recognize homeless people as individuals and recognize what their specific needs are.

- Often people do not have money or are wary of giving money to a homeless person. But we do have the ability to give food. Make sandwiches and hand them out to homeless people or order something extra and give it to a hungry homeless person.

- Donate to a food drive or if there is not one in your community, coordinate a drive. Contact your local shelters and ask what types of foods they need/accept. Locate the shelters in your community here.

- Donate toys - a great deal of the homeless population consists of children. When survival is their family’s main focus, the children often do not obtain toys as children their age generally would.

- Volunteer at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen - the establishments often rely greatly on volunteers to be able to adequately serve the homeless population.

Ask to speak to your school/class, group, or church. Make them aware of homelessness in the world and in your community. If you need help getting started you can purchase Remember The Homeless flyer cards in our webstore (coming soon) to get the conversation started.

Hold an event for the relief of homelessness via The Love Alliance. We all know that not everyone has the ability to give financially to an issue, but maybe you have the ability to give of your time towards homelessness. Get creative in putting together an event for homelessness relief. For help in getting an event started email info@thelovealliance.net.

- Demand change by writing and calling your local and national political representatives and telling them your concerns about homelessness in the world. (click here to find your representatives)