Homelessness in the United States

Among one of the most devastating social problems existing today is the vast amount of homelessness in our nation. While the United States is the wealthiest nation in the world, it does not fall short in the number of homeless people it harbors. One source states that "Each day in the United States, at least 800,000 persons are homeless. According to Wikipedia, this includes 200,000 children in homeless families. As the wealthiest nation on Earth, the United States still has the widest gap between the rich and the poor of any industrialized nation today. Though the masses are often reminded of such tragic poverty taking place in regions of Africa, many often overlook the very same poverty which is taking place in our own nation. Homelessness is a demoralizing problem in the United States today as it reflects the materialism of American society, its failure to meet the basic needs of its citizens as the wealthiest nation, and is a reflection of the underlying social issues which exist in American culture and the excessive faith in independence at the cost of humanity.