Washington DC is struggling for answers after figures reveal that a record 4,000 people now live in the capital’s homeless shelters.<br /><br /> It is an expensive and complex problem for the city as authorities are legally required to provide shelter for those in need when temperatures fall below freezing.<br /><br /> As many as 12 new homeless families contact the city for help every night.<br /><br /> Anthony White is one such man who has fallen into the homeless trap: “I feel hurt on the inside, I do not feel like a man on the inside, because I can’t provide for my family, I can’t provide for my kids. And I’m asking everybody for a handout.”<br /><br /> An acute shortage of affordable housing, rising rents and low-pay are key factors.<br /><br /> Jasmine Hayes is from the Council of Homelessness:<br />“DC is an example of what is happening in cities across the country – there is a severe lack of affordable housing. I think anywhere in this city you see a lot of construction and building but this is not affordable housing for the really
