California has the Highest Questionable Homeless Population

            California has one of the largest economies in the world and has the largest population in the United States.  Of this, California also has the highest homeless population in the country and formal studies project that there are more than 130,000 people who are considered to be living a transient and desperate lifestyle.  This is a nine percent increase from seven years ago and makes-up twenty-five percent of the entire homeless population in the country.  Government officials have mentioned these problems at podiums and other communicative platforms and, in turn, stated that something needs to be done to resolve this issue.  The solution was incorporating an additional six hundred-million dollars into the state budget to address the increasing problem. 

There is also another problem that is rarely spoken about or presented to the public.  The problem is that the studies that present statistical data about homelessness in California – as mentioned above – may not be presenting all of the facts about the homeless population in the area.  Specifically, many of the leading organizations that deal with homeless people are claiming that the overall homeless population is much higher than what these government-based inquiries present.  Which means that the recent monetary allocation may not be a sufficient expenditure to properly address the problem in the Golden State. 

The Economic Roundtable, a Los Angeles-based research organization, has stated that the numbers that were depicted in the government studies are only a fraction of what the homeless population in California really is.  Zillow, a real-estate group that conducts research for potential homebuyers or renters, made similar claims that state officials and government reports were underreporting the number of homeless people in the state.  Officials for public entities have routinely denied these claims by Zillow, The Economic Roundtable, and many other specialists who refute the numbers in the official reports by the public establishments.

The debate brings another problem for the public.  Which is:  Who should they believe?  The government’s studies or private or not-for-profit organizations who specialize in these matters?  Nonetheless, the homeless population in California is still the highest in the United States and the tax payers are dealing with the squabbling between the public and private sectors, as well as not knowing if their tax dollars are being spent wisely.  Human beings are suffering, money is being spent, and the assurance of solving a significant social issue in California still remains.  Time, and a lot of money being spent, will only tell Californians who they should have faith in.

– Benjamin J. Bolton  

Sources:  L.A. Times, PolitiFact California, The Economic Roundtable, Zillow

                    

Photo Credit:  Unknown