America is ahead—everybody knows that. Many American products and ideas cross over the Atlantic and are adopted in Europe. Roller-skates for example, brought the “American dream” straight into my tiny childhood room.
So after the huge transatlantic plane spat me into Dulles airport, I kept my eyes open. Among the first things I realized were the numerous mounds of bags, boxes and clothes on the pavement all over the city.
The Community Partnership for Prevention of Homelessness cited that “on any given day there are literally 7,500 to 8,000 people in the District of Columbia who are homeless” and a 2001 study cited that at least 800,000 people nationwide are homeless on any one night.
Estimates also show that between 2.3 million and 3.5 million people, or about 1 percent of the population, is homeless over the course of a year. Most of these figures are based on the definition for the homeless Assistance Act of 1987, which identifies anyone who sleeps on the street or in a shelter as homeless.
In Germany—where I come from—homelessness is less visible than in D.C., but this is deceptive, as it is too easy to overlook things that to not catch your eye.
You find homeless people in their regular places during the day—in parks, near train stations or sleeping in abandoned houses and store entrances at night. But I only remember a few homeless people carrying more than a suitcase or a backpack and I have never seen mounds of belongings on the sidewalk.
Yet poverty and hopelessness are seriously problems in Germany too. According to the German Help Homeless Association (BAG-Wohnungslosenhilfe), the number of those that do not rent or own a residence—the official definition of homelessness in the European Union—was estimated at 410,000 throughout 2002, which is about 0.5% of the population. But of this huge number, “only” an estimated 20,000 homeless people live on the streets. From these observations and statistics it is clear that the definition of homelessness is very deferent in the United States and in the European countries—is still very much a welfare society.
For example, the state must at least provide shelter for every homeless person, and homeless families have the right to apartment-style housing. Besides that, the system of public relief included contributions to the rent, partial or full aid to the cost of living, health insurance and relief of least to relate debts.
That sounds good to some outsides but, like her, it is far from paradise. Often appropriate housing is in short supply so single people have to put up with shelters or dormitories. Also, the available accommodations tend to be primitive and tight, for instance a family of four is limited to an apartment no more than 914 square feet.
Of course what the government covers in Germany, private organizations make up for in the United States. Unlike Germany, the United States has a tradition of volunteering and donation and the American people are well-known for their generosity. According to a 1999 study, nonprofit agencies operate 85% of all homeless assistance programs; government agencies operate on 14%.
I do not know which way is better in economic terms. But I consider a durable safety net for people in need, no matter where it comes from, more worthy than letting them depend on their own means.
