...Social Problem of Homelessness Submitted by Name School Date Social Problem of Homelessness Definition of Homelessness Persons who reside in places that are not intended as, or are unfit for human habitation, including cars, abandoned buildings, bus or train stations, under bridges, in garbage or recycling dumpsters, parks, or other places lacking basic amenities. Persons who live with sharing housing with other persons on a temporary or emergency basis. Persons whose primary nighttime place of abode is a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations, including shelters for victims of domestic violence, welfare hotels, congregate shelters, and transitional housing. Why homelessness is a problem. No one really knows why but many factors can cause one to become homeless. Losing one’s job, becoming ill, and a lack of affordable housing can all play a major role in ones becoming homeless. What exactly does it mean to be homeless? Webster’s Dictionary defines the word homeless as having no home or permanent place of residence. To the conflict theorist social class is extremely important in this perspective for it defines your place in the pyramid of power. Resources are limited greatly in society and people are constantly in competition for these resources. Conflict theorists approach the issue of homelessness just like a master approaches his servants. They see the homeless as people that are...
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...Homelessness It is a common desire for many people to have a nice home with the ideal family. While many are able to accomplish this in their lifetime, there are still others who suffer from the inability to achieve such simple joys in life. Homelessness is described as the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are most often unable to acquire and maintain regular, safe, secure, and adequate housing. The legal definition of "homeless" actually varies from country to country, or among different entities or institutions in the same country or region. Homelessness is a prominent social issue within the state of Indiana as well as the rest of the nation that needs to be brought to awareness. In every state, more than minimum wage is required to afford a one or two bedroom apartment. The National Low Income Housing Coalition says nationally a typical family needs wages or combined incomes of $17.84 per hour just to make ends meet. In Indiana, a typical family needs wages or combined incomes of $13.41 per hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment. Utilities only exacerbate the problem. With this being the very minimum cost of living, it is no surprise that many people across the country struggle and fail to provide an adequate home for their families. Depending on each family’s lifestyle, homelessness is not a farfetched possibility. Probably the most common stereotype of chronically homeless people is that they are drug and alcohol addicts --...
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...GAC008 Assessment event 4: Academic Research Essay ESSAY TOPIC | Reducing homelessness | Process | | | | | Student’s Name: Vu Thu Uyen Student ID: KKPS17379 Teacher: Ed Wade Due Date: 3 March 2015 World Count: 1033 There are about 100 million homeless people in the world (Homelessness around the world,2011). Homelessness is a condition where people don’t own a house or have a permanent residence due to inability to provide or pay for or maintain a home. So they often stay and sleep on the streets or homeless shelters. The definition of homelessness varies depending on the country. However it is not simply a result of poor economic situations in the country but other factors such as poverty, crime, domestic violence, and mental health issues as well. To make matters worse, not much has been done to lower the homeless population in Vietnam. However, there are still some positive possible solutions can be done to help homeless people. The homeless situation in Vietnam is becoming more serious because a lot of various complex reasons. While many people have a life of luxury, they have food,house and family, there are many people out there experiencing the cold weather and have no place to sleep. That is the extremely opposite circumstances of the present life. The government should invest more in social housing for the low-income or poor people. This is one way to help people have more stable and productive lives. The government can...
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...Homeless in Missoula Kelsey Brandewie Homelessness in Missoula, Mt has been a tremendous issue that the community is trying very hard to eliminate. What people do not know, is that the people out on the streets downtown and around the city, only make up 11% of the homelessness (2.) Those are not the only people struggling with life. There are families that do not have a steady home that the community does not realize need help because most of them have jobs and seem normal but in reality they are struggling to make ends meet. That is what the community needs to come together and fix. There is a rough estimate of at least 200 people who are homeless in Missoula.(1) There are of course, the visible homeless but 25% of the homeless, the “chronically” homeless that seemed to be overlooked by the community. Most of the homeless, of that 25% are families. (1) Families in which have children in them, who are trying so hard to provide for them and give them a normal life. These children attend public school but for them they never know where they will be sleeping that night once they leave school. Some of them sleep in their cars or they go from house to house but none of those houses are their homes. That is not a healthy life style for anyone to live, especially children. The sad thing is though, of all the resources that are at their feet, they only seem to use 50% of them (1.) They feel like they do not need the help as much as others might, so they are too afraid to ask for...
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...Homelessness Homelessness is not at big problem in the Faroe Islands. The people, who are homeless in the Faroe Islands, are the people who mostly have got problems with alcohol or other drugs. But they get some money from the country to buy food or something else. And they can sleep in a shelter called “Herbergið”. You don’t often see people sleep on the street here, and if someone sleeps on the street, the police will bring them to the police station so they can sleep there for a night, or they drive them home to where they live. In some countries, homelessness is a huge problem. There are too many people who are homeless, and sadly we can’t help them all. There are some places where the homeless people can go and get something to eat and a bet to sleep in for a night. But because there are so many people who are homeless, there isn’t enough room for them all, so some of them just have to sleep outside. It’s not easy to be homeless. When you are homeless your life is in danger every minute, especially at night. You sometimes have to sleep outside, and there are some people how are so desperate that they will hurt you just to get your money to buy drugs for or something else. There are many reasons why some people are homeless. Some are homeless because they are addicted to drugs or are alcoholic. They are so addicted that they can’t work. While some other people lose their job and can’t find another job. Some people send their children out to beg for money so they can use...
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...THE MAIN CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF HOMELESSNESS OUTLINE THESIS: According to the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ recent survey of homelessness in twenty-three cities, homelessness is one of the most persistent problems that U.S. citizens have faced in recent times. Many factors have been diagnosed as the causes of homelessness. Advanced research done by many students and organizations have however proven that domestic violence, lack of affordable decent housing, and unemployment are the main causes of homelessness among people. These causes and their corresponding effects tend to make people miserable for most parts of their lives. I. Homelessness A. Increased rate in this problem B. Examples of situations of homelessness C. Main causes of this dilemma II. Domestic violence as one of the main causes of homelessness A. Various forms of domestic violence B. Main victims of this demeaning act C. Effects on domestic violence on victims III. Lack of decent, affordable housing as a contributing factor A. Continuous increase in rent as a main reason for this situation B. Eviction of tenants due to inability to afford rent C. The Impact of unaffordable housing on citizens IV. Unemployment as a major cause of homelessness. A. Rate of unemployment in our society B. The contribution of unemployment to the problem of homelessness C. Consequences of natural disasters on victims V. Conclusion A. Consequences of homelessness in the lives of people B. Possible solutions...
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...Why is homelessness an issue in a country as wealthy as the United States? When we as a country send billions overseas to other countries. We have over one million homeless people in our own country. Being a person that recently has had a debilitating physical issues that has left me without income for two years I have faced this issue. Homelessness effects everyone. According to the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness US government spent a little over 4 billion dollars in 2012 on programs for medical treatment, housing grants, emergency housing, and even hotel vouchers for mothers that where victims of domestic violence. Here is a breakdown where some of that money went “HUD received 108 million dollars in 2012 for rental assistance, long-term housing, and rehabilitation programs that lead to permanent housing. The emergency solutions grant program was given 1.901 billion dollars for rapid rehousing and homelessness prevention programs”. So I found proof that our government is spending sufficient amounts of money on this problem. Still more intervention, prevention, and treatment need to be directed in the right areas to irradiate this problem. According to our fact sheet the Current statistics on the prevalence and characteristics of people expiring homelessness in the United States over fifty percent of the people who have experienced homelessness have a substance abuse problem or mental health disorder (2011). So are we properly screening the homeless at the...
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...“We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty.” – Mother Teresa (Mother Teresa, 2001). Many people have difficulties in their lives that make them more susceptible to becoming homeless. When these complications become reinforced they can initiate a downward spiral that almost seems impossible to get out of. Approximately 3.5 million people are likely to experience homelessness in a given year (National Coalition for the Homeless, 2007). Not receiving the help needed in time can result in living on the streets. Some of these complications include mental illness, lack of affordable healthcare, drug addiction, domestic violence, decreasing work opportunities and housing, decline in public assistance, and poverty. It has become so common to see a homeless person sleeping on the sidewalk. 43% of the homeless population are women, 36% are families with children, and 7% are unaccompanied minors. 50% are African-American, 35% white, 12% Hispanic, 2% Native American, and 1% Asian. 66% of the homeless have problems with alcohol, drug abuse, or mental illness and veterans constitute 40% of the homeless population (GrabStats, 2008). Having insufficient money does not help to cover the expenses of a home, a family, and bills. The typical lower class citizen has to deal with all types of financial issues. ...
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...of homeless families are unwed mothers or women from abusive relationships. Many times these women have a hard time providing for their children due to lack of education, familiar support, and limited social support. Health related issues are also a concern of the homeless whether with or without children. Many of these adults work, but their wages won’t cover housing cost and none provide health insurance. For the children that may be covered by Medicaid, many times the parent may have problems with transportation to and from clinics. For the adult homeless that are covered by Medicare, a lot of the medical expenses may not be covered and they have to utilize free clinics where available. Children that experience homelessness can overcome their challenges and become successful, but many end up with behavior problems that can have a negative impact on their education. (Walker-Dalhouse and Risko 2008). An article by Walker-Dalhouse and Risko, states “75% of homeless children perform below grade level” (2008). I’m sure the unique situation of the homeless child brings many challenges to teachers. Children need to be encouraged in the classroom to participate in...
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...There’s no place like home | | Homelessness started as far as the 1930’s when the stock market crashed causing “The Great Depression”. During this time people lost jobs and their homes. People were devastated at the fact that that they were forced to sell their belongings. Later on in the years homelessness began to increase after the war because the vets couldn’t find jobs and were forced to live on the street because no one would hire them. The reason that there are so many people homeless is because the economy. People can’t find jobs so they have to sell their home and downgrade to a smaller home or apartment. Often there are times when families are broken up because the husband can’t provide for his family and they end up on the streets. The root cause of being homeless can be explained by economics, it’s said that people who become homeless are going through a financial issue and are unable to obtain or maintain their homes. Research shows that 83% of the homeless population experience episodic, transitional, or temporary periods of homelessness. The challenges that people in poverty ridden areas in trying to keep their get a home is the level of the housing cost burden. When housing is 30% or less of monthly income then it is considered to be affordable. Data collected from the US Census Bureau’s 2010 American Community Survey shows that 75% of the households at or below the poverty line are severely housing cost burdened. When your housing accounts for 50% or...
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...Advocating for the Homeless Kathi Chambliss May 14, 2012 BSHS/442 Anita Payne The population I choose was the homeless. I have a lot of compassion for the homeless because of how people perceive them as being lazy, drug addicts, or alcoholics. Because of the economic state of the nation today there is a significant rise in middle class homelessness. (Caldwell, 2012). Even though a large portion of the homeless suffer from psychological issues, lack of food, no job training making most of the homeless unemployable, no housing, no medical care, and have criminal backgrounds, they are still considered human beings, should be offered rehabilitation programs, and easier ways to obtain medications for psychological issues. A large percentage of the homeless suffer from psychological problems. Another problem is in most cities the center that treats indigent psychological problems is usually located in the downtown sections and the homeless cannot get transportation to and from the centers. This makes it hard to get treated for the psychological problems and this causes the person to be unemployable. The homeless need an interested party to negotiate in his or her behalf on matters of conflict or legal matters. Since there are so many areas that the homeless need help dealing with it takes a person who knows the system, where the resources are, and how to use them to advocate in their behalf. Another alarming issue concerning this population is more than 40% of the current...
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...Homeless Assignment When I think of the homeless I think of those who are less fortunate, meaning not able to provide the necessities of life for themselves and/or families. These necessities include food, drink, clothes and shelter. Of course, when I was younger, I was very afraid of the homeless because they fit the description of a stranger explained by my parents. I was, as I’m sure everyone has been told when they were little how not to talk to strangers. Therefore, I associated homeless people with bad people that I should not talk to and this became the stereotype. Through the years, I begin to place the homeless into categories. What I mean by this is, as I grew up I stop seeing the “typical” homeless person simply walking the streets or standing in front of a store, restaurant or gas station asking for help. Instead they had began to hold signs near a busy intersection that would give a brief description of who they were and why they were in this position. One may have been a retired factory worker out of a job or a divorced parent who had lost everything. Then there was the old “will work for food” sign that never saw a job because when offered they just asked for money instead. Therefore I began to associate the homeless with “normal” people who had faced some difficult circumstances in their life. If normal people could get through it then why couldn’t the homeless. Because I asked myself this question, the homeless in my opinion had...
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...concerning homelessness in Australia. ‘Polices and programmes to end homelessness in Australia: Learning from international practice’ by Cameron Parsell in the International Journal of Social Welfare will be compared against ‘There’s more to homelessness than ‘rooflessness’’ by James Farrel found in The Conversation. The following essay will go in-depth in what these articles share in similar along with their contrasting views. Within International Journal of Social Welfare’s article it states Australia’s current homelessness policy is adapted from the USA and UK policy through interventions that seek to permanently end homelessness. In the text...
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...Homelessness in California Introduction Homelessness is a condition or a state where an individual or a family does not have a home to live in. Along with that, the person is deprived of the legal and the social dimensions 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. This led to a burst in the studies and the rising stories related to the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of July 1987. In this act, there was an interference allowed of 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 by the Californian government. Basically the non-profit organizations focused on improving the life quality of the people in the city, especially those who did not have a place to spend their nights. It is a fact that there should be some very efficient approach to eliminate this homelessness problem, the Californian government has taken some steps and brought in a modest change in their policies to attack this homelessness problem very obviously. Their main change in the policy was to provide housing to the poor and the needy people (Hombs, Mary Ellen, and Mitch Snyder, 1982). Despite this action which the government took, there had been a consensus in the year 1980 which reflected the fact that the homelessness in US...
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...Homelessness in America Tonight, across America, as many as 3.5 million people will not have a safe place to go to sleep. The homeless will be sleeping out in the cold, on a park bench or in the gutter. The lucky ones may be sleeping in a shelter tonight. These so called shelters are sometimes even more dangerous because they are frequently over-crowded and understaffed. But the real question is, in the land of opportunity, where the typical family has more televisions than family members and an average of two cars, why are there so many citizens on the street, struggling to survive from day to day? How are so many people, fellow human beings, sleeping on sidewalks, begging for spare change, and digging through garbage cans just to find food to eat? While the general impression is that the homeless are primarily alcoholics and drug abusers, more than half the homeless are families with children. The vast majority of these have been thrust into homelessness by a life altering event or series of events that were unexpected and unplanned for. There are many reasons these unfortunate individuals are seen living on the streets of our cities. Homelessness is caused by tragic life occurrences like the loss of loved ones, job loss, domestic violence, and divorce. Other impairments such as depression, untreated mental illness, post-traumatic stress disorder, and physical disabilities are also responsible for a large portion of the homeless. Many factors push people into living on...
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