Homelessness, a devastating experience for people, disrupts virtually every aspect of family life, damaging the physical and emotional health of family members, interfering with the children’s education and development and most frequently resulting in the separation of the family.
To find a solution to a problem we must first know some things about it. Homelessness is not a recent issue. It dates back to the eighteenth century and is tied to changes in economic conditions, increasing with the economic downturns and declining with the returning of prosperity or the outbreak of war. For fear of social disorder the homeless were classified as a social problem which was left to the middle-class to care of (Richard D. Bingham et al. 17).
And after all this time we still look upon these people as a problem, an inconvenience. Because nobody has taken the time to look past the stereotypes that concern these people.
The majority of the population believes that they’re to blame for being homeless but the truth is that most of them are victims. Some suffer from childhood abuse or violence. Nearly one quarter are children. Many have lost their jobs and all of them have lost their homes. They also believe that the homeless are either mentally ill or heavy drug users, which is partly true. About 25% are estimated to be emotionally disturbed, 1%may need long-term hospitalization, the others are self-sufficient. As for drug abuse, research suggests that one in four are substance abusers but many of these are included in the 25%.
The Essay on Homeless People Homelessness Problem
... c. Housing is the first from of treatment for homeless people with medical problems. (Transition: It should be clear by now that the ... is mid to upper thirties. B. Homelessness affects families 1. The number of homeless families has significantly increased over the past decade. 2. ...
Most homeless people are not drunks or drug abusers or mental patients. They are not the perpetual social problem that many believe them to be. So who are they?
They are mothers and children. They are grandfathers and fathers. Brothers or your once next door neighbors. They are human beings, which weren’t as lucky as we are.
Children are very prone to homelessness. More than 20% of the children of our generation are likely to live on the streets for a period of time. Family fights are the most common reason but there are others, that really have no choice, but to leave home and start a new life on the street which is not likely to have a happy ending. Children are very easily lured in to doing inappropriate things. The street-wise people are waiting with their claws sharpened to get holed of innocent children to domineer over. And since the children have no one to reach to out there cling to them and almost always get hurt. There are thrown in the deep end with no life raft. They become prostitutes, dealers, and drug or alcohol abusers. Ofcourse there are children that live on the streets with their family, so the elders do what ever is possible in order for their kids to grow up as normal as they can be. They live in shelters and go to school every morning while the parents go of in search of a job-if they don’t have one- and as the evening falls they meet up again and spend the remaining hours as a family.
Another type of homeless people-who have suffered a recent surveys of homeless adults report that veterans appear to lot and don’t deserve to be in this position- are the veterans. Several compose a substantial part of homeless population. Their presence among homeless populations contradicts popular notions about military service, since the military is perceived as a setting where physically and mentally fit adolescent males mature into men (Richard D. Bingham et al. 65).
Also the military is surpose to provide long-term economic advantages, enchanced by earned entitlements such as medical care, housing loans and pensions. Several studies have indicated that 2% of the total population of veterans has actually been privileged with these services. Many of them suffer of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), meaning that they have nightmares, horrific flashbacks and are constantly reminded of the horrible things that happened during the war (Bauhmohl et al. 28).
The Essay on Homelessness In America People Experiencing Homeless
... overcrowded or poor housing. Restricting definitions of homelessness to include only those who are literally homeless, that is, on the streets or in shelters ... families, single mothers, and children make up the largest group of people who are homeless in rural areas. (2) Homelessness among Native Americans and ...
Many have tried to get help but most of them are so badly battered that can’t do anything because they’ve crossed the borderline. (They call it the thin red line. It is the boundary between insanity and logic).
They are people who have given the best of themselves for the sake of their country, and in return they lose their homes, their families and most importantly their mind.
Homelessness and poverty are inextricably linked. Poor people are frequently unable to pay for food, housing, health care, childcare and education. Difficult choices must be made when limited resources cover only some of the necessities. Often it is housing which takes a high proportion of income that must be dropped. Being poor means being an illness, or a paycheck away from living on the streets.
A lack of affordable housing and the inadequacy of housing assistance programs have contributed to the current housing crisis and to homelessness. The gap between the number of affordable housing units and the number of people needing them has created a housing crisis for poor people. Between 1973 and 1993,2.2 million low-rent units disappear from the market. These units were either abandoned, converted into expensive apartments or became unaffordable due to cost increases. These actions have left many people already homeless or on the verge of it (NCH Fact sheet #1, February 1999).
Domestic violence is a very frequent problem that leads to homelessness. Battered women who live in poverty are often forced to choose between abusive relationships and homelessness. A 46% of cities surveyed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors identified domestic violence as a primary cause of homelessness.
Approximately 20-25% of the single adult homeless population suffers from severe and persistent mental illness (Koegel et al, 1996).
The Business plan on Homelessness: Poverty and Homeless People
Three years ago, my husband, Sithu, and I went to New York City, and we met several homeless people living on the street. They needed help and money. Seeing the faces on the homeless people after we had given them a few dollars gave us the satisfaction of knowing we had done something good, which made me feel better about users.ipfw.edu/andersi/W131Argument.Sample.htm 1/7 1/9/13 Why Homeless ...
The mentally ill cannot cope with the stresses of the every day world. Therefore, they are vulnerable for eviction from their home, sometimes because of an inability to deal with difficult or even ordinary landlords. Many have a tendency to drift away from their families; they may be trying to escape the pull of dependency and may not be ready to come to terms with living in a sheltered low-pressure environment. Once they are out on their own they will probably stop taking their medication, which will cause further serious complications. They may become so disorganized that they won’t be able to extricate themselves from living on the streets (What are the causes of homelessness 57-58).
Many believe that another cause of homelessness is addiction to a variety of substances. But the relationship between addiction and homelessness is complex and controversial. While rates of alcohol and drug abuse are disproportional high among the homeless population, the increase in homelessness over the past two decades cannot be explained by addiction only. Many people who are addicted to drugs never become homeless, but people who are poor and addicted are clearly at risk.
Homelessness severely impacts the health and well being of the people. Compared with people who have a place to live, homeless people experience worse health, more anxiety, depression and behavioral problems. (Shinn and Weintzman).
School age homeless children face barriers to enrolling and attending school, inability to obtain previous school records and lack of clothing and school supplies.
We must do whatever we can to help the homeless. It is really easy to do so. We can volunteer at a shelter, we can protest to the government; we can donate money or clothes. It is such a shame to just sit back an watch them struggling to survive in a cruel world.
