...Homelessness affects more than 3.5 million citizens annually in the United States alone. People become homeless because of the loss of a job, mental or physical disabilities, or they do not have the skills to get a higher paying job. Homelessness is a social problem because of the lack of jobs, the lack of education, and the lack of affordable housing. People may think homelessness is not that big of a problem, and that homeless individuals are just lazy and want attention, but it is a much bigger deal. If the United States could find a way to solve these problems, homelessness would not be as big of an issue. The United States economy is not the best. This nation’s unemployment rate has been rising for quite some time now. Many people have...
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...New York City municipal shelter system”(coalitionforthehomeless2015 ). Homelessness is a huge issue that has gone unknown for a long time. There are homeless families in your own neiborhood that many people are unaware of. Many factors can lead a person or a family to become homeless. The loss of a job is one main reason for family’s today who winds up homeless. The unemployment rate is very high and when you cannot find a job to replace the one that you have loss, the struggle to survive and keep you home along with food and bills, it becomes a down ward chain of effects from there on. As you may...
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...Is homelessness a problem throughout the United States? How can the government help lower the homeless population? The amount of people in the United States that are qualified as homeless has been growing since the 1980s. “Homelessness, the condition of being literally without shelter” is a chronic problem in the United States. Being homeless does not just mean one has no shelter; being homeless can also mean when two families are living doubled up, or in a welfare motel that the government has bought as a shelter for the less fortunate. One can become homeless for a number of reasons, the number one reason being bad luck. Most families that become homeless are the ones living paycheck to paycheck. The lack of affordable housing, unemployment, and the cutting of federal aid...
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...Homelessness is an ever growing problem for years in the United States, and the debate on if the government should help is question that has been brought to the table. There has been a sharp increase in the homelessness in 2010 from approximately 407,966 to 640,000 since the fall of the economy (endhomelessness.org 2012). This number only represents just the people that have been reported in shelters. If you look closer the number of homeless in the US is amazing. Homelessness is a complex problem, with many challenges and variables. But for all of its complications, the solution to homelessness to some is surprisingly as simple placing them in homeless shelter. For many city officials, community leaders, and even direct service...
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...Prevalence of Homelessness Among United States Veterans Martha Clark Adventist University of Health Sciences Abstract The purpose of this paper is to critique the article “Homelessness among a national representative sample of US veterans: prevalence, service utilization, and correlates,” which is a case study on the topic of homeless veterans in the United States. This article finds that low income, younger age, and poor mental and physical health had significant impact on whether a veteran would spend time homeless. The conclusions found in this article will be examined and compared with other related articles and data. This article shows that there is a correlation between veterans of foreign wars and periods of homelessness....
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...Throughout the United States statistics show that there is evidence of an increase of persons that are in the state of being homeless. Conditions such as unemployment, low income, substance abuse, and mental disabilities are just to name a few. Some of these victims of being homeless are those that are least expected which include members of the military, the veterans, mainly those that have served during the time of the Vietnam War. As a direct result of Post Traumatic Syndrome and other mental/medical disabilities many in this group may not have a permanent home to call their own. To define homelessness according to the site for National Health Care for the Homeless Council (retrieved 2014), one of the official definitions for the state of being homeless or homelessness is presented as follows: A homeless individual is defined in section 330(h) (4)(A) as “an individual who lacks housing (without regard to whether the individual is a member of a family), including an individual whose primary residence during the night is a supervised public or private facility (e.g., shelters) that provides temporary living accommodations, and an individual who is a resident in transitional housing.” A homeless person is an individual without permanent housing who may live on the streets; stay in a shelter, mission, single room occupancy facilities, abandoned building or vehicle; or in any other unstable or non-permanent situation. [Section 330 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C., 254b)](National...
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...Homelessness is a huge social problem that is facing America as a nation today. According to Wikipedia 'Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling' (Wikipedia.(2013). Homelessness. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessnes). Homelessness has become a huge problem that looks us in the face daily and is putting a large number of children, teenagers,women and our elderly at risk daily. It impacts our society negatively. According to National Alliance to end Homelessness, '82 people experiencing homelessness on any given night in the United States.Of that number, 239,403 are people in families, and 394,379 are individuals. Slightly fewer than 16 percent of the homeless population are considered "chronically homeless,"and About 13 percent of homeless adults- 62,619 - are veterans. '(National alliance to End Homelessness.(2013). Snapshot of homelessness. Retrieved from http://www.endhomelessness.org/pages/snapshot_of_homelessness)'. Some of the causes of homelessness and the extent homelessness affects our society today are as follows- Domestic violence is one of the leading causes of homelessness in the U.S. Statisctics show that in 2008 28% of families where homeless in the united states due to domestic violence.(National Homeless Organization.(2013). Domestic Violence and Homelessness . Retrived from www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/domestic). Over the years our society has seen a surge in violence largely due to media...
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...Introduction Homelessness is a crisis faced across the globe. Homelessness can be simply defined as a person living without a home, forcing them to reside on the streets. Some homeless people exit the situation quickly, but many more fall into homelessness long term. Much of this trend is due to many social-economical factors in the society. Drugs, finances and abuse are some of the root causes to this problem. The lack of jobs, rise in living costs, addictions to drugs, and domestic disputes are what drive people to become homeless. According to a report released by the US census Bureau, (2014), the rise in homelessness is significant, hitting 3.5 million people who experience the situation in every year. Out of the 3.5 people experiencing homelessness, 35% of them are families that include children. The families in the United States are the fastest growing segment of homeless individuals. The military veterans who are homeless constitute 23% of the total people who are homeless in the United States. Of the 3.5 million homeless people, 25% are minors who are aged below 18 years (U.S. Census Bureau 2014). The minors become homeless when their families or the caretakers become homeless. Some of the homeless children lack paternal families and may have run away from the orphanage and children homes to make lives on their own. The statistics showed that 30% of the homeless people had experienced domestic violence and 25% suffered from mental illnesses. In the urban settings...
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...lock the car doors, turn their heads and ignore the fact this person is asking for help. The homeless population in America is growing. There are four main areas that may cause homelessness; poor families unable to afford rent, substance abusers, deinstitutionalized mental patients and runaways (Rogers, 1990). The current regulations and standards are working to improve homelessness, but surely, as the homeless situation continues to grow these legislative acts will need new acts to be introduced to meet the needs of this population. Affordable housing is becoming a desperate need for this population. According to the United States Census of 2010, about 34% of our population is homeless ("United States Censes 2010", 2011). This is a staggering number. Although some of the people are substance abusers or mentally ill, the larger part of this population is homeless because of low income jobs, unemployment, and the lack of affordable housing. These are families with children to feed and may suddenly find themselves in the street, with nothing. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in which the United States is signatory, states housing, is a fundamental human right (Head, n.d.). Many politicians, unfortunately, look at the homeless person as property value or public image. Many states and cities have created ordinances to work against the homeless. Some of the ordinances make it illegal to panhandle, sleep in a pubic area and even worst, to be homeless in some...
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...Vulnerable Populations BSHS/320 The United States of America is the place known to many as the land of the free, home of the brave, and the place to start a better life. With any place that has good qualities, some have not so good qualities. The homeless population in the United States is at a staggering high, and many individuals are suffering because many lack employment/financial resources, housing resources, support from family and friends, and others negligence; such as natural disasters or fires. Homeless individuals may have no other choice than to live on the streets, trains, and alley ways to name a few places where homeless people seek shelter. The history of homelessness, social problems, demographics, common clinical issues, and intervention/future interventions will be explored to determinate how homelessness is caused and how it can diminish with time. Homelessness has been around for some time and is increasing with time. Homelessness was noticed soon after the Great Depression, which caused many people to lose his or hers home. “During the Great Depression in the 1930, many families were no longer able to afford their homes and It is thought that over two million people were homeless at this time and suffered severely from hunger and extreme poverty” (American History Of Homelessness, 2011). The Great Depression was an era of life where the stock market crashed and many where out of jobs and many lost their home. “The Great Depression began in October 1929...
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...THE HOMELESNESS 1 The homelessness Mario Berrios Concepcion Columbia College This research was prepared for HUMS 365 American Social Policy Instructor Jessica Whitmore 24 july 2014 THE HOMELESSNESS 2 The homelessness Homelessness is a major problem facing many US cities today. According to Foundations of Social Policy in the United States a house is a commodity, developed and traded for profit. A house can provide shelter and protection. A home provides continuity and a social context for individuals and families, and those become homeless lose more than a shelter (Smith Barusch 165). With its many causes, homelessness is an extremely diverse problem that has proven difficult to remedy. Though some homeless people find themselves in unfortunate situations, others are homeless by choice. Those who choose homelessness do so either indirectly, by making decisions that result in negative consequences, or directly, by opting to be free of life’s responsibilities. This belief is not commonly found in print since society most often feels compassion and pity toward the homeless. Still, assistance is offered on a federal level, as well as on local levels. Although there are many charitable organizations, along with the government, that offer assistance to the homeless nationwide. Homelessness remains a prevalent problem mainly due to the fact that some of the homeless choose that lifestyle. The Stewart B. McKinney Act, which provided assistance...
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...Vulnerable Populations BSHS/320 The United States of America is the place known to many as the land of the free, home of the brave, and the place to start a better life. With any place that has good qualities, some have not so good qualities. The homeless population in the United States is at a staggering high, and many individuals are suffering because many lack employment/financial resources, housing resources, support from family and friends, and others negligence; such as natural disasters or fires. Homeless individuals may have no other choice than to live on the streets, trains, and alley ways to name a few places where homeless people seek shelter. The history of homelessness, social problems, demographics, common clinical issues, and intervention/future interventions will be explored to determinate how homelessness is caused and how it can diminish with time. Homelessness has been around for some time and is increasing with time. Homelessness was noticed soon after the Great Depression, which caused many people to lose his or hers home. “During the Great Depression in the 1930, many families were no longer able to afford their homes and It is thought that over two million people were homeless at this time and suffered severely from hunger and extreme poverty” (American History Of Homelessness, 2011). The Great Depression was an era of life where the stock market crashed and many where out of jobs and many lost their home. “The Great Depression began in October 1929...
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...Homelessness is not a new problem facing our nation; it dates back to the beginning of time. Homelessness is defined by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as “an individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.” This definition is how the number of homeless individuals in the U.S. is calculated. There are many reasons why a person becomes homeless; some people are homeless by choice, others are forced there by circumstances. According to a 2006 report issued by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the main causes of Homelessness are: lack of affordable housing, poverty, low paying jobs, unemployment, mental illness, substance abuse, domestic violence and prisoner re-entry. This report will take a closer look at each cause to determine why it is such an issue. Is homelessness and problem people must accept as inevitable or is there a solution to reduce the number of homeless in our community? Over the past 25 years, several trends have contributed to the rise in homelessness. The first trend is a shortage in affordable rental housing. This includes all forms of rental property whether it is a house or apartment. Rental rates rose with the rate of home values but when the housing market crashed at the end of 2007, the rental rates did not drop. The increased popularity of luxury, resort-style apartments have also aided in a high rent market. The foreclosures that the United States has been experiencing have left many people with...
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...Homeless The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 25(1) states: “Everyone has the right to… food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services” (Donohoe, 2004). Although it is everyone’s right to have access to those necessities, it is not always the case for many, who for whatever reasons, have no means to afford them. Here in the United States, the current unemployment situation as well as record foreclosures has forced many people to become homeless. “The term homelessness refers to the condition of individuals without a regular dwelling and that term is used to describe people who do not have a home and whom sleep on the street but it is also commonly used to refer to individuals whose primary night-time residence is a homeless shelter, a warming center or another ad hoc type of housing” (NPACH, 2011). The homeless face many problems in day-to-day living and this paper will focus on this group as a vulnerable population will discuss the history of the homeless, the nature of homelessness as a social problem, what issues they experience, their demographic, their common clinical issues, intervention strategies used for this particular group, and finally, what interventions are planned for the future. History of the Homeless Population For years, homelessness has been an ongoing problem in countries around the world, including developed countries like the United States of America. Although many community programs have existed for years...
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...We know that hunger and homelessness is spreading rapidly in the United States. In the resent years, the national poverty rose to the level of 13.2 percent of the population. And nearly 3.5 million people were compelled to sleep in the parks, under bridges, in shelters and cars. In comparison to the high cost of living, low- wages jobs, and high unemployment rates are considered to be the main reason behind the problem for countless Americans to make a choice between food, housing, and other expenses. If the society does not treat this situation as a notional priority and address those in a systematic way the problem will keep continuing with the future generation as well (Alayne Potter, 2011). People Homeless: The United States consists of more than 3.5 million people from all walks of life experiencing the homelessness every year. And 35 percent of homeless populations are families with children, one of the fastest growing sectors of the homeless population. The remaining homeless population consist 23 percent of retired U.S. military people, 25 percent of children under the age of 18, 30 percent of experienced domestic violence, and 20 to 25 percent of people suffering from mental illness. There are various reasons why people become homeless. Economic problem can be considered as one of the major reason for homelessness and even the social and political factors have affected the homeless people (Alayne Potter, 2011). Causes of Homelessness: As we know there are...
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