There are many possible causes of homelessness, but this research will focus on the two main reasons: insufficient economic resources and affordable housing. The problem of homelessness is primarily a question of poverty. People who become homeless do not have sufficient financial resources to provide or maintain living and housing. This includes being unemployed, underemployed and dependent on government benefits that do not cover the cost of basic living expenses. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2010 American Community Survey (ACS) shows that 75 percent of households below the poverty line are severely housing cost burdened. Unexpected financial crises threaten housing stability and can lead to an increased risk of homelessness. Poverty continues to be a significant feature of life in the United States and around the world. In the United States, Census Bureau statistics revealed that the percentage of Americans below the poverty line in 1959 was 22.4% and 11.7% in 1973 (11.7% decline). In 2006, the official poverty rate was 12.3% (1.2% increase). However, the question remains: what is poverty and how is it measured? Why are there many people living in poverty in the richest country in the world? The book Poverty in America: a Handbook by John Island is a very informative book regarding these issues. The book addresses the issue of defining what poverty is and how it is measured. It also provides information about the history of poverty in the United States and how it was viewed then and how it is viewed now, what the characteristics of the poor population are, the causes of poverty, and why the poverty rate is still high. Finally examine po...... middle of document ......2011) Current statistics on the prevalence and characteristics of people experiencing homelessness in the United States. SAMHSA. Retrieved April 2, 2012, from http://homeless.samhsa.gov/ResourceFiles/hrc_factsheet.pdfNew York City Mayor's Office, April 2014. "The CEO Poverty Measure, 2005 - 2012: An Annual Report from the Mayor's Office ." New York Mayor's Office. Network. 20 June 2014. The Human Rights Project. (2007). Racial realities in New York City. Urban Justice Center. Retrieved May 20, 2012, from www.urbanjustice.org/pdf/US Department of Housing and Urban Development. (2010). 2010 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress (6th Report). Retrieved from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development website: https://www.onecpd.info/resources/documents/2010homelessassessmentreport.pdf