...Face of Los Angeles: Homelessness Marqueta Oliver BSBO1ELEG6 10/29/2014 Paul Korzeniowski The True Face of Los Angeles: Homelessness Even though some people believe that tourism is a more important focus in Los Angeles than poverty, Homelessness is a crisis in Los Angeles because it affects everyone and reducing homelessness will improve the economy. Homelessness in our nation affects our, communities, economics and families at large. Being a native Angelino, I grew up not realizing that homelessness is an epidemic. I did not understand why there were so many homeless people, nor did I think of seeing panhandlers asking for money and food as a crisis, but I viewed it as “normal”. I always knew local transients by name and would try to help with spare change or a meal when I could. I had no idea of the staggering statistics of homelessness in my community; I didn’t understand the effects of homelessness on our economy and that the alarming rate of poverty level in my metropolitan city, affects us all. By focusing more attention, resources and time to housing our poverty-stricken communities in the long run it would cost less and would also create a more humane society. In the beautiful city of Los Angeles, tourists from all over world fill the cities top attraction sites daily. What most tourist may not know is that every morning before dawn, Los Angeles has a long history of using police to control public spaces by limiting the appearance of homelessness in the city...
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...Study of Homelessness and Poverty at the Weingarten Center. Just the Facts: Homelessness in Los Angeles, August. Providing basic information about homelessness, including the term definition and general statistics about the issue, the Institute for the Study of Homelessness and Poverty at the Weingarten Center has prepared this spreadsheet that discusses homelessness in Los Angeles and aims to increase awareness about the problem. The document answers such questions as “what does homelessness mean?” and “how many people are homeless?”, describes homelessness in Los Angeles by groups (families, youth, gender, ethnicity, residency and citizenship, veterans, physical health, children, substance abuse, etc.), and lists its common causes. Brief and clear, the spreadsheet is not controversial or subjective and so does not have much analytical value, though providing a perfect overview of the issue. It is a good source to start a deeper analysis from. Archibald, R. “Problem of Homelessness in Los Angeles and Its Environs Draws Renewed Calls for Attention”, the New York Times, January 15. In this article, Archibald discusses homelessness from political viewpoint and aims to answer why Los Angeles is the capital of homelessness in America. Taking results of different reports and quoting homeless advocates, the journalist provides interesting statistics about homelessness in the city and the measures taken as well as discredits the popular myth that homeless people come to Los Angeles...
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...YOUTH HOMELESSNESS IN CALIFORNIA Name: Class: Date: Executive summary The United States will endure being an advanced country if the numbers of people holding cardboard on the street do not lessen. 1 out of 7 people in U.S suffer from hunger and are forced to sleep in parks, under bridges, in shelters or cars. Every year, the homeless population grows in the United States. Persons become homeless for many reasons. Because they are destitute, they have been struggling in every way that human likely can have. To get back on their feet, they need help in every way. The homeless population is increasing drastically in society. People who are more fortunate than others should put social status aside and take an action to help homeless people to get back on their feet. Homelessness is a state where an individual or a family does not have a home to live. Along with that, the person is deprived of the legal, and the social dimensions are making him emotionally weak and in the state of isolation. Since the year 1980s, there had been a great shock to the Americans due to the rising homelessness. It led to a burst in the studies and the increasing stories related to the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of July 1987. In this act, there was an interference allowed off the federal government into this policy of homelessness, which had created many issues. For many years after that, this issue of homelessness remained on the top of the line in the political issues face...
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...determined that many of these preceding factors are evident in vulnerable populations around the world, particularly the homeless population. The science Daily (2013) reports that “one in five homeless people with tuberculosis die within a year of their diagnosis” (Death Rate from Tuberculosis in Homeless Alarmingly High). In addition to the high death rate for TB among homeless people, public health officials also recognize a growing threat of drug resistant strains within these vulnerable populations. Theses drug resistant strains of tuberculosis require longer, more consistent treatments, and are often more fatal. In this paper, an example homeless population group on Skid Row in Los Angeles, California will be discussed. Earlier this year, an outbreak of a strain of TB that was unique to Los Angeles was discovered on Skid Row. Public health officials sought out the help from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for assistance in investigating, managing, and...
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...a measurement is taken on a single night or is inferred to a given year. In 2009, .Los Angeles, California was the state in the United States with the highest recorded percentage of homeless people making it a place with relatively large vulnerable populations http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/526/homeless-facts.html. These homeless people ranged from all ages from very young children to the elderly. In the period of one year, it was recorded that Los Angeles records had approximately 254,000 homeless people. When the statistics are looked at per night, they show that 82,000 people are homeless every night. Today I will give a description of the potential financial impact on this vulnerable population, the impact of changes among this population as it relates to demographics and socioeconomic status, and the impact the homeless has on the health care delivery system in the United States. I will also analyze the issues and challenges of this homeless population, offer some potential solutions to address the needs of this population and evaluate the overall risk to the U.S health care system if their rates continue to rise over 2-3% over the next 5 years as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 is enacted. The recession will force 1.5 million more people into homelessness over the next two years, according to estimates by The National Alliance to End Homelessness. In a 2008 report, the U.S. Conference of Mayors cited a major increase in the number...
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...The Empathy Project: The Homeless Introduction We see it every day yet it is so easy for us to ignore it: homelessness. It is more common and a larger problem than we realize but we have accepted it into our society and that it is not easily preventable. Certain people under difficult financial circumstances can easily fall below the poverty level with our highly competitive capitalistic system. A social stigma, as defined by Dalton Conley, author of You May Ask Yourself: An Introduction to Thinking Like a Sociologist, is “a negative social label that not only changes others’ behavior toward a person but also alters that person’s own self-concept and social identity” (Dalton 211). Homeless stigmas are so overtly present in our society that we overlook the actual problem and possible solution. It has been ingrained into our society that wealth defines “good” and poverty defines “bad.” Characteristics associated with this understanding of “bad” include deviance, laziness, and lack of capability. Our system has shaped us to believe that everyone has an equal chance at wealth and success, ignoring the underlying cases of the struggling individuals in our society born into their socioeconomic status that prevents them from this “American” opportunity. We have these preconceived notions of homeless people that have been proven to be untrue yet we only pay attention to the fewer examples that support it and pre-judge based on these mere instances. The situation of being homeless...
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...Your name? Homelessness is a growing concern in the world we live in. But, how do military veterans end up homeless? The men and women who voluntarily fought for our country and others. Homelessness among military veterans concerns me because I, as a current service member and spouse of a retired veteran, understand some of the things veterans face once they return to civilian life. We need to take steps to save our military men and women from the destructive life on the streets of America. One must fully understand homelessness before anything can be done to correct the problem. People typically turn their heads in disgust when looking at a dirty, smelly, homeless veteran and blame the veteran for letting themselves get into such a situation. Our society needs to take ownership in working with our sState and fFederal gGovernments to come up with successful solutions that will produce positive results in eliminating homelessness among our veterans. Daily they give their all for each of us. The first step in solving a problem is to understand why the problem exists. Veterans have been separated and isolated from society and when they return home they are lost and feel out of place or out of touch. Most are wounded and need help getting back on their feet. Many homeless veterans suffer from health related problems and experience alcohol, drug, or mental problems such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD, the result of current wars, makes...
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...place where homeless veterans have served. (National Coalition for Homeless Veterans) “The United States Department of Veterans Affair (VA) estimates that on a given night 250,000 veterans are homeless nationwide, and that as many as half a million veterans experience homelessness in the course of a year; this represents around two percent of all living American veterans. All but 3 percent of homeless veteransare men, and 56 percent are black or Latino. Approximately 45 percent suffer from mental illness, and more than two-thirds suffer from substance abuse disorders. More than two-thirds of homeless veterans served in the armed forces for at least three years, and 47 percent served in the Vietnam War.” (Coalition for the Homeless) Estimating about 500,000 veterans each year has experienced homelessness at some point, the VA has only reported that it homeless treatment and community-based assistance network serves only 100,000 veterans for the whole calendar year. That is leave 70 percent (400,000) veterans without service from the department which is responsible for supping them. (National Coalition for Homeless Veterans) In 1888 the federal government was deeded 400 acres in West Los Angeles for homeless disabled veterans. This campus has outpatient services along with a hospital but not yet a long-term supportive housing for the ill veterans who live and die on the streets. The current president and past president are being blamed but the circle of blame is wider...
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...Flor Payan Prof. Jane Doe ENG 1102 November 17, 2014 Homelessness: Its Roots and Implications Everybody has been in touch with homelessness in America in one way or another. Either by looking at homeless people on the streets while driving home, or in a more unfortunate way, by dealing with it personally or knowing someone who deals with homelessness. It is clear that homelessness is a multifactorial problem, and its ramifications and consequences go beyond the simple fact of not having a home to call our own. Homelessness seems to affect more some segments of the population and some ethnic backgrounds more than others. With such facts, we can ask: what is the origin of homelessness? How someone becomes homeless? What can we do, as a society, to fight homelessness? And more importantly, why the strategies designed to fight homelessness are not working as effectively as expected? Considering the fact that hundreds of thousands of people are homeless and millions more at risk, as moderate estimates tell, the problem is clearly worse than we would like to think. There are clearly understood circumstances that create homelessness in America. Now “it is generally believed that the increase incidence of homelessness in the US has arisen from broad societal factors”, and economist and sociologists have found that homelessness is directly related to “changes in the institutionalization of the mentally ill, increases in drug addiction and alcohol usage, etc” (Quigley and Raphael)...
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...Policy by Karen Spuriel Coleman- MBA Abstract Homelessness among youth in the U.S. is disturbingly common, with an estimated annual prevalence of at least 5 percent for those ages 12 to 17. Although homeless youth appear throughout the nation, they are most visible in major cities. Rigorous research on this special population is sparse, making it difficult to capture an accurate and complete picture. Despite its limitations, recent research describes homeless youth as a large and diverse group. Many homeless youth have multiple overlapping problems including medical, substance abuse, and emotional and mental problems. Literature suggests that comprehensive and tailored services are needed that address both the immediate and long-term needs of homeless youth. Where appropriate, services should include assistance with meeting basic needs as perceived by youth as a gateway to other needed services. In addition to serving those already homeless, interventions are needed to prevent homelessness among at-risk youth. Lessons for Practitioners, Policy Makers, and Researchers • As used here, the term “homeless youth” focuses on minors who have experienced literal homelessness on their own—i.e., who have spent at least one night either in a shelter or "on the streets" without adult supervision. On occasion, where warranted by the research being discussed, the term is also used to describe homeless young adults up to age 24. • Homelessness among youth in the U.S. is disturbingly common...
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...of Los Angeles concealed from migrants In the forty-year period at the beginning of the 20th century, the population of Los Angeles has increased 1535.7%, according to Southern California: an island on the land written by Carey McWilliams. This phenomenal growth in population was in a great measure contributed by immigrations from the Midwest as well as other countries all around the world. Since 1870s, spurred by the gold rush and the completion of the transcontinental line, Los Angeles has been continuously booming and thus attracted vast numbers of boosters to come to this wonderland with numerous job opportunities and desirable climate. One of William Faulkner's short stories, Golden Land, is about one man of those who left their hometowns in the middle of nowhere to this city in pursuit of fortune. The main character, Ira Ewing, fled from his home in Nebraska to Los Angeles and became successful in the real-estate industry, however, at the expense of morality and family ties. Unlike Ira Ewing who is a boomer himself, Ysela, the narrator in an episode titled Oiga of The Republic of East L.A. written by Luis J. Rodriguez, is one of the descendants of those Mexicans who arrived in this city hundreds of years ago. Although, her ancestors used to own horses and properties and were the ones who named lands in this area, Ysela has got nearly nothing to lose after the family got ripped off by Anglos during wartime and she now lives in a trailer, suffering from homelessness and...
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...One of the programs made to help the homeless is the Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Created in 1990, PATH funds many community-based outreach, mental health and substance abuse services, case management, and limited housing services for people experiencing serious mental illnesses. On February 2009 Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which gave $1.5 billiion for homelessness prevention and rehousing. Programs Not many homeless programs focus on mentally ill people except perhaps the mental houses. Most programs do not focus on the mentally ill homeless people because they are uncommon. Some programs may not of even heard of such a thing. Those who do house the mentally ill include the Mental House American of Los Angeles and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The Mental House American of Los Angeles first founded in 1924 in one of Los Angeles’ biggest mentally ill organizations. They have been dedicating themselves for over 80 years helping people with mental illness get back on their feet. They have also been helping veterans who are homeless or at risk of being...
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... ENG 115 10 December 2013 Venice Beach: The Definitive Place of Los Angeles When many people think of Los Angeles, they have these preconceptions that Los Angeles is associated with shopping, entertainment, art, the beach, and its well-known sense of escapism it offers many people who live there. Considering this is how most of the world views Los Angeles, these are their preconceptions when they come here to visit. When foreigners come here, they tend to believe that Los Angeles is a place that is stricken with glamor and elegance. This ideology is attributed to the modern Hollywood film culture that Los Angeles is closely associated with. However, once they come here they realize that, just like most cities, Los Angeles has an upper class suburban area that is very enjoyable for those who live there, and a sketchy urban area which is not as pleasant as the well-kept suburban areas. Unfortunately, there are very few places where you can experience all of these aspects of Los Angeles. This is due to the fact that Los Angeles is a very fast paced city, which sometimes makes it difficult to experience the city the way you intended. However, Venice Beach is a place where you can experience everything Los Angeles is associated with: its shopping, entertainment, art, and the beach. Unlike most places, Venice Beach is very rare in the sense that is offers the more sophisticated side of Los Angeles, while also capturing the city’s more sketchy side as well. Venice Beach...
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...Homelessness Throughout the largest cities such as Los Angeles down to the smallest as in Des Moines homelessness is on a constant rise. Natural disasters happen all too often. These natural disasters cause many people to be without homes, thus they end up on the streets. Because of many people not being able to pay their bills, because of loss of jobs, whole families are getting laid off. A final cause of homelessness is untreated mental illnesses particularly PTSD. In 2014 there were 49,993 veterans living on the streets in the US alone. When someone is homeless their health suffers. They are at a higher risk of catching diseases such as respiratory. The children and teenagers that are homeless do not receive any sort of education or job training. This makes it so much harder to find work, especially in today’s economy. Another effect homeless has is on crime. Many people will turn to stealing food and other things needed for survival. Homelessness is a problem that can be helped through providing financial aid to...
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...Homelessness in America Homelessness in America has always been an issue but it has become an even bigger issue over the past years. With a world filled with global conflict, disappearing jobs, higher education cost, and increasing poverty in America, the homeless need our help more than ever. Just last year, the national poverty rate rose to include 13.2 % of the population. Also, 3.5 million people were forced to sleep in parks, shelters, under bridges or in cars. Hunger and homelessness are increasing epidemics plaguing the United States. Because of the high cost of living, high unemployment rates, and low-wage jobs, countless Americans are forced to choose between food, housing, and other expenses. According to recent studies, money is being devoted to rent and utilities rather than food. 35% of the homeless population is families with children, 23% are U.S. military veterans, 25% are children under the age of 18, 20-25% suffers from mental illness and 30% have experienced domestic violence. 19.3 % of homeless people live in New York City and Los Angeles. New York City has been shown to have the highest number of homeless people in the country. The next biggest is Loss Angeles and then Seattle/King County Washington. As a result of doing nothing for the homeless, more people will become homeless. That means, more people sleeping on the streets, dying from hunger, and possibly an even higher crime rate. Economic factors play a huge role in the issue of homelessness. The...
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