Based in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, John Egan is a math teacher at Bishop Stang High School, where he teaches algebra and geometry. North Attleboro’s John Egan is also very involved in the school’s extracurricular activities, including Cardboard Tent City, an event where teachers and students sleep outdoors in the winter to draw attention to the homeless crisis.
Homelessness is a major problem in the United States, where 17 out of every 10,000 people were experiencing homelessness on a single night in January 2019, according to a survey by HUD.
According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, there are three types of homelessness:
Chronic homelessness represents a category of people who tend to be older and consistently unemployed, and who rely on the shelter system as long-term housing rather than emergency accommodations. This is a small percentage of the homeless population.
Transitional homelessness represents a category of people who enter the shelter system only once and for a short period of time. These people tend to be younger and are often experiencing homelessness because of catastrophic events. They generally transition into stable housing.
Episodic homelessness represents a category of people who go in and out of the shelter system. People in this category tend to be young as well, but, unlike those experiencing transitional homelessness, they also tend to experience medical, mental health, or substance abuse problems.
