Emily Dunbar

California, Las Vegas’ neighbor, has been dealing with a major homeless problem for many years. It’s only gotten worse as years go by. Over 181,000 people in California are homeless, and 13.2% of Californians are in poverty. This is important because the more time a person spends without a proper home can lead to higher levels of mental illness and distress, which can also cause many more problems in the long run, such as substance abuse, violence towards themselves or others, and other unhealthy coping mechanisms. 

The roots behind California’s homelessness is a shortage of housing as well as high living costs. In other words, California is extremely overpopulated, with about 39 million people living there overall. The average cost of living in California is about $58,000 annually. There are many reasons why California is so overpopulated. 

One of the main factors is because it is an attractive place to live: it has mountains, deserts, beaches, and snow is a huge rarity there. Because of that, it can appeal to people and make them want to move there. Another contributing factor is immigration. Many people who live there were not originally born there. Immigration makes up 58% of California’s population.

Similarly, as of January 25, 2023, 28% of Southern Nevada’s population is chronically homeless. Nevada and California have similar reasons for homelessness being a problem as well, like job loss and issues with employment, affordable housing issues, and substance abuse as well. Many of the people in California are moving to Las Vegas so they can get more affordable housing. Not just Nevada, but many other states as well, like Texas, Arizona, and Florida. On top of that, many Nevada residents are moving out of here for the same reason Californians moved out of California; taxes and affordability. 

“Nevada has the greatest shortage among states in the Nation with only 19 available affordable units for every 100 ELI (Extremely low income) households.” Nevada is on its way to California-level poverty, and is in danger of it becoming extremely low. This can affect the people living in the state, the economy, and even things like students in college are in danger of their academics being set back due to the stress of maintaining a house. 

Homelessness is everywhere, and it’s only going to continue getting worse as time goes on and if states in the US don’t help each other out and really work this situation out more. What do you think can help with homelessness and what things should we fix to make the situation better? Share your answer in the comments.