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Group 15 Page 3 Homelessness is the condition and social category of people who lack housing, because they can't afford, or are unable to maintain regular, safe and adequate shelter. People from around the globe have been homeless for particular reasons (Domestic Violence, mental Illness,torrential weather). America has below ten percent of the population homeless, India has been hit homeless (15% population),UK (5% population).  Homelessness is an issue that's affecting the community. The homeless population includes men, women, and children of all ages and ethnic backgrounds. It is not always obvious what causes people to become homeless. But without coordinated support and intervention, it is an issue that is likely to develop as our city grows. Auckland City Council is committed to caring for all its citizens. In order to do this we need to make sure the needs of our homeless people are met, and that we limit the impact of homelessness on our city. Homelessness can create social issues within a city and can affect peoples' perceptions of safety. Resolving issues of homelessness is not something that the council can achieve on its own. In conjunction with other major stakeholders who deal with homeless issues on a daily basis, Auckland City Council has developed a Homeless Action Plan to address these problems. The plan aims to expand and coordinate the services available to homeless people in the city. It also aims to promote greater awareness in central government of the needs of homeless people. Auckland City Council has committed $135,000 over the next 3 years (2005-2008) to support initiatives that respond to homelessness. This will build on the extensive efforts of community agencies, who have committed substantial resources to homelessness over many years. The Homeless Action Plan is intended to also act as a catalyst to encourage central government to resource areas of work that would benefit outcomes for homeless people. With increased awareness of the causes of homelessness, better coordination of services, policies and funding from central government we can work towards addressing the issue of homelessness in Auckland city. Homelessness includes: Rough sleepers, who have no shelter and live in public places People who are living in sheltered accommodation, or crisis accommodation and may not be able to return home due to issues of domestic violence People who have no permanent shelter. Those who sleep on the floor or couch of a relative or friend People who live in overcrowded housing or shared accommodation that is not secure or safe.  There are up to 100 rough sleepers in Auckland city and there are 300-400 people living without permanent or secure housing. As the city grows so will the homeless population, people become homeless for many different reasons. They can be homeless for a long time or for intermittent periods through their lives. Women, men and young people are amongst the homeless population in Auckland. Due to a lack of services targeting women and young people, these groups are at risk.  <span style="display: block; font-size: 9.5pt; color: #c91dc9; font-family: 'Arial Black', Gadget, sans-serif; text-align: left;">People do not generally decide to become homeless. It is usually a result of complex issues. Many homeless people have histories of physical, emotional and/or sexual abuse. They also experience, issues around self-harm, addiction, domestic violence and mental health problems. The perception of homeless people can often become confused with other social issues and create additional concerns around the perception of public safety. It is sometimes assumed that people gathering in groups in public spaces are homeless, or that people who are intoxicated in public places are homeless - when this is not always the case. Homeless people are amongst the most vulnerable in the city and need support and practical help to find a more secure way of life.

<span style="display: block; color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Arial Black', Gadget, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="display: block; color: #c91dc9; font-family: 'Arial Black', Gadget, sans-serif; text-align: left;">DELHI's population has been growing over the years, and with it the number of people braving the icy North Indian winter. Cold waves are an annual feature and so are the frozen bodies of homeless people. According to reports in the media, in 2002 the police found 3,040 corpses during the winter. Of these, no fewer than 400 were those of people who died in a single cold wave. However, the government has done precious little to build a comprehensive policy on urban homelessness or even conducted a proper census of the homeless. <span style="display: block; color: #c91dc9; font-family: 'Arial Black', Gadget, sans-serif; text-align: left;">Paramjeet Kaur, director of Aashray Adhikaar Abhiyaan (AAA), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) focussing on housing rights, said: "According to our survey, in 2000 there were 52,765 people out on the streets. But we missed at least half. Currently, 12 shelters are run by the MCD [Municipal Corporation of Delhi]. Ten of these are only night shelters, and about 2,500 people can be accommodated. All of them are pay-and-use ones, with Rs.6 for 12 hours' occupancy." Last year, about 70 deaths were attributed to severe winter cold, a marked improvement over previous years. This was possible because a network of NGOs was working in collaboration with the municipal corporations of Delhi and New Delhi. Religious institutions such as the Sacred Hearts Cathedral and Gurdwara Bangla Sahib and educational institutions such as the Zakir Hussain College and the Zeenat Mahal School, besides a few municipal schools, opened their doors for the homeless despite the extra load on water and sewerage facilities. According to a report based on the consultation `Space for the Homeless and Marginalised in Delhi', organised by Action Aid India and the Slum and Resettlement Wing of the MCD in July 2003, the total homeless population in India is 78 million (based on the 2001 Census). "This problem was more acute in Kolkata, Mumbai and Delhi, which put together were reported to have 78 per cent of the houseless population," the report states. Even the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) admits that at least 1 per cent of the population in Delhi is homeless. This means that no fewer than 140,000 people live on the streets of Delhi. This figure does not include those who sleep in carts or rickshaws or under flimsy plastic-sheet roofs. Lalit Batra of the Hazard Centre, an NGO working for housing rights, said: "At least one lakh //jhuggis// (slums) have been demolished since 2000. In Yamuna-Pushta alone, we estimate that around 50,000 people have been rendered homeless. Only 30,000 were rehabilitated." The agenda report of a Conference of Ministers of Housing, from the States and Union Territories, organised by the Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation, states: "It is the ultimate goal of the National Policy on Housing and Habitat, 1998, to provide the basic need of shelter for all, but until such objective is achieved, it is necessary to provide some kind of shelter to the absolutely shelterless urban poor, particularly street children, destitute women and migrant labourers, etc." The scheme for providing night shelters for the urban homeless was introduced in 1988-89. According to the government, the scheme was supposed to progress as per demand. This means that the States would put forward proposals, which would then be sanctioned by Housing and Urban Development Corporation Ltd. (HUDCO). By July 2004, HUDCO had sanctioned 99 night shelters across India. Of these, 40 were in Maharashtra.

<span style="display: block; color: #c91dc9; font-family: 'Arial Black', Gadget, sans-serif; text-align: left;">Homelessness not only affects the United States but countries around the world as well. Africa might be the major continent that is suffering most with poverty and other issues. Throughout the world millions of people are dying because of starvation and no place for shelter. The most homeless people in the United States are located in the big cities due to the rising population forcing many people to lose their jobs and become homeless. People all over the world struggle everyday to provide the right care to their families in order for them to live. Many parents are forced to give their kids up for adoption or even have an abortion according to online sources. Change needs to happen in the world today. To decrease homelessness around the world, the young generations should step in and help change the world. There are already many organizations around the world helping and many schools willing to provide food to the poor. The struggle to provide each homeless person in the world is tough, and more families are needed in order to change this global issue. There are many ways that the young generations can help provide with food and money for the poor. Some ways include doing food drives and doing fundraisers to raise money to donate to organizations that help with the poor. Decreasing the homelessness each year lies mainly in the hands of our young generations today.

<span style="display: block; color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Arial Black', Gadget, sans-serif; text-align: left;">Finding long-term solutions for people like Big Sid is an enormous — and growing — challenge for Western Europe, where homelessness has quietly been climbing to levels not seen since the end of World War II. Hard numbers are scarce, but according to the European Federation of National Organizations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA), a Brussels-based umbrella body of homeless organizations, at least 3 million Western Europeans are homeless this winter — and between one-fifth and one-third of them are members of homeless families. Only a small proportion, less than 10%, sleep rough like Big Sid; most huddle into shelters or temporary housing, live in shanties, or bed down in the houses of friends and family. Think homelessness is an American problem? Think again. As a percentage of population, it's as bad in Europe as it is in the U. S., where there are an estimated 2 million homeless, according to Dennis Culhane, a social-policy expert at the University of Pennsylvania, who extrapolates his figure from attendance at homeless facilities in nine U.S. jurisdictions. That Europe's homelessness problem is roughly the same as America's — and that one of the fastest-growing segments of Europe's homeless population is families — is a shock. After all, Europe sees itself as kinder, gentler and more socially responsible than the U.S., with an extensive, expensive social safety net that's designed to nurture and protect the most vulnerable sections of the populace — the kind of people who are thrown to the wolves in winner-take-all America. But that might just be the point: it's easier to be homeless in Europe, where even the down-and-out get social-welfare checks.
 * "<span style="display: block; color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Arial Black', Gadget, sans-serif; text-align: left;">That Europe's homelessness problem is roughly the same as America's is a shock. After all, Europe sees itself as more socially responsible than the U.S. " || [[image:http://img.timeinc.net/time/europe/images/buildouts/transparent.gif width="5" height="2"]] ||
 * <span style="display: block; color: #ffff00; font-family: 'Arial Black', Gadget, sans-serif; text-align: left;">February 10, 2003 ||

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