US cities see growing hunger, homelessness - Video
A survey of 25 US cities has offered a picture of the state of hunger in the country as homelessness and requests for help are on the rise. A survey of mayors, conducted by the US Conference of Mayors, has shown that requests for emergency food aid in 25 big cities, located in 18 states and the District of Columbia, have increased by an average of 7 percent compared with the previous period one year earlier. Between September 2012 and August 2013, all the cities studied, except four cities, reported a rise in requests for help. Some 43 percent of those who asked for emergency food aid were employed, 9 percent were homeless, and 21 percent were elderly. The main reason for the increased hunger in US cities was unemployment, followed by low salaries, poverty, and a high cost of housing.