People without homes have always been present in America.In the past，they were called hobos，bums，or drifters.It was not until the early 1980s that these people received a new name，when activists named them the homeless. The types of people who were homeless also changed in the 1980s.No longer were they primarily older men.They were younger，with an average age of 35.Their numbers consisted of women，children，adolescents and entire families.They were of many races and cultures.No longer were they only in the inner city.They lived in rural areas and in large and small cities.No longer were they invisible to the people with homes and jobs.The homeless of the 1980s lived in packing crates (装货箱) and doorways.They slept on sidewalks and in public parks.They begged money from passersby. Counting the numbers of homeless people is difficult.However，in 1984 the Department of Housing and Urban Development estimated the homeless population at between 250,000 and 350,000.In 1990 the Census Bureau counted about 459,000 people in shelters，in cheap hotels，and on the streets.In 1995 the National Alliance to End Homelessness estimated that there were 750,000 homeless Americans. The homeless of the 1980s also began to speak out for themselves.Some spoke to Congress and to government committees controlling funding for social programs.Street newspapers，such as Chicago’s Streetwise and Boston’s Spare Change，had stories，poems，and essays that expressed the homeless viewpoint.The visible and vocal presence of the homeless prompted help from volunteers and government agencies.But what is still needed is a solution to the plight of America’s homeless population. 小题1:This passage is mainly about________.
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