More than eight in 10 people believe abuse of alcohol and drugs is the major cause of homelessness, according to a Gallup poll released Wednesday.
The next highest perceived cause: mental illness, a mental disability or post-traumatic stress disorder, at 67 percent. Also high on the list were insufficient income and job loss, at 67 percent and 65 percent, respectively.
Those polled overwhelmingly -- 92 percent -- said more effort is needed across the nation to address the issue of homelessness. Nearly a third, 28 percent, said they at one point worried about being homeless themselves.
"It is clear from this poll that Americans are very concerned about homelessness and do not feel enough is being done to address this critical issue," said Stacey Stewart, senior vice president of the Office of Community and Charitable Giving at Fannie Mae.
The poll was conducted on behalf of mortgage giant Fannie Mae, which has grant programs that provide funding for low-income housing.
The survey found a majority of people, 58 percent, thinks the number of homeless is increasing compared with 10 years ago.
According to federal government estimates, the number of chronically homeless people dropped by nearly 12 percent from 2005 to 2006 -- from 175,900 to 155,600. The estimate, by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, defines chronically homeless as someone who has been continuously living on the streets for a year or more or homeless at least four times in the past three years.
The Gallup poll of 1,002 adults was conducted by telephone from Sept 4. through Oct. 17. It has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
