...The Homeless Plight Student Name Course/Professor Date The Homeless Plight Homelessness is on the rise. Homeless people can be seen sleeping in a variety of places such as city subways, terminals, stations, and the underground world of transportation. In the winter, the homeless may be sleeping on top of grates for the warm steam; fires may be burning from cylinders on street corners, under bridges, or in alley ways for warmth. In the summer, buses, subway cars, malls, and fountains are but a slight relief for those homeless until an authority figure moves the person(s) on. In small suburban areas, most of the homeless are hidden and out of view. The United States faces many social problems; however, homelessness is a major dilemma. To understanding the issue of homelessness from a sociologist point of view, different lenses need to be used. The sociological perspectives of functionalism, conflict structuralists, and symbolic interactionism, provide the best angles to assess homelessness in the United States as well as analyzing the efforts to resolve the homeless dilemma the nation faces. There are approximately two million homeless men, women, and children, and the numbers are increasing. For the second consecutive year, homeless families are on the rise (AHAR, 2009). Causes of this dilemma are vast and include hardships from loss of employment, illness, lack of affordable housing, poverty, and the current economy. The number of homeless is constantly changing. Researchers...
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...Criminalization of Homelessness Criminalization of homelessness is visible in every sphere of modern societies. The Ontario Women’s Justice Network states that “homelessness is tied to structural inequalities and the unequal distribution of resources; it’s a social problem (1). Poverty and homelessness are difficult to escape because a person’s individual choices and chances are restricted. The issue resides with social structures and the elite because they fail to address the factors that cause these individuals social distress. The Ontario Women’s Justice Network insists that “governments should attempt to address and solve the root problems of poverty and homelessness; it’s doing the opposite by criminalizing it instead; those that beg,...
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...encompass diversity. The essential idea is to investigate how and why various situations exist differently than a person’s own comfort zone and ideals. People will behave differently toward an individual who appears exactly like them versus an individual who may appear differently than they are. The environment we find ourselves in has a highly hypnotic effect on us. The environment has a tendency to establish and influence our thoughts and our ideals about people and society. As a multicultural society there needs to be awareness that what we see in our environment can play a role in what we manifest. Someone who lives in a part of town that sees poverty and crime everyday is going to have a harder time manifesting abundance than someone who already lives it everyday. To prove this point an individual first must decide on the environment they would like to explore. A good activity to investigate would be “Homelessness.” The common perception of a homeless person is an older man with a drinking or drug problem who sleeps in an inner-city park or street. This would require not only spending time with the homeless, but also pretending to be homeless. The objective is to understand people’s perceptions and attitudes toward those who are different than themselves, but also to know why we perceive things the way we do. To further understand this phenomenon it was important to determine the location of the homeless, and become one of them through a transformation from the clothing worn and...
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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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...trying to provide them with basic needs. Most people are inclined to associate parents with teachers and children with pupils; yet, not uncommonly children also take on the role of teachers. Through adopting such attitudes they can construct the limits and responsibilities for their parents. As Jeannette’s parents, Rex and Rose Mary, attempted to provide their children with a different way of parenting, it was difficult for Jeannette and her siblings to understand what their role was in the family. Although this is not necessarily the best way to raise a child, society promotes the belief that parents need to raise children in ways that are not consistent with how they actually want to behave. One of the most important roles of children and parents alike is related to how each group needs to accept the other, and Rose Mary displays this when trying to convince Jeannette to stop hiding the reality of their family, stating, “Your father and I are who we are” (p. 5). Rose Mary has always contended that Jeannette was mature for her age and did not hesitate to provide her with missions that would normally be performed by an adult. It is probably because of this that Jeannette burned herself badly while she was cooking hot-dogs as a little girl. Jeannette experienced the plight of homelessness firsthand. Even with this, she hesitated to...
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...Bridget Holmes 2659890 SWK 201Kirven DOMESTIC VIOLENCE According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 2003-2012 domestic violence accounted for 21% of all violent crimes in the U.S. and of those crimes 76% of the victims were female and 75% of the victimizers were current or former spouses, boyfriends or girlfriend. This is an interesting topic to me because it is an issue that crosses racial, socioeconomic, religious, and cultural lines. It is an often unreported crime that occurs in every community with sometimes long term and devastating effects. This topic is important to me because I myself was a 2 time victim of domestic violence. The first occurred with my children’s father whose physical, mental and emotional abuse towards me began early and increased over time, until I ended it by severing our relationship ties. The second was a former boyfriend who stalked and harassed me for almost 2 years, until he was finally arrested and served a year in jail. No one would have ever suspected that I would have experienced such things, especially because a lot, perhaps too many of the incidences went unreported and were covered up by me, the victim. Historically, women...
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...Running head: HOMELESSNESS Homelessness in America Victoria M. Williams SOC 331, Social Justice & Ethics Cari Lynn Beecham-Bautista, Instructor November 23, 2015 HOMELESSNESS Homelessness in America Homelessness is a multifaceted social problem that is difficult for America to solve. Over the past three decades, there has been an increase in the homeless population in America (“Opening Doors Plan,” 2015). Even when America’s economy is progressing, there is still a high number of citizens who are facing homelessness (“Opening Doors Plan,” 2015). A lack of federal financial assistance, fragmented services and the difficulties in accessing these services have played a major role in hampering the solution to this social problem (“Opening Doors Plan,” 2015). As a result, these factors have necessitated a shift in federal, state and local policies to end homelessness. America has learned that homelessness can no longer be viewed as a short-term crisis where an abundance of emergency shelters can solve the problem. The demand for emergency shelters has always exceeded the supply for them. In order for justice to occur, there is an urgent need for more preventive measures and long-term solutions to end this problem. Homeless individuals and families are a vulnerable population whose rights have to be protected. A just response to America’s homeless problem has to include prohibition of criminalization laws, permanent housing with supportive...
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...“School can be a tremendously disorienting place” (Rose, 2005). While Rose was referring to high school and the dissonance one experiences when exposed to values and practices incongruous with what they’ve learned outside the classroom, the statement can be applied to any type of school and to any type of student. Fresh-faced kindergarteners may find themselves unprepared for a new world in which they must share, take turns with other students and follow a schedule different than that to which they’re accustomed. A new high school student may find it difficult to juggle the demands of several different classes after years spent with the same group of students in a single classroom with the same teacher all day. College students must learn to balance new freedoms and responsibilities while attending school, and will undoubtedly be confronted with experiences and situations that will challenge the values they’ve learned from their families. While any student will likely find school to be a disorienting place, the unique set of challenges and obstacles encountered by adult students are perhaps the most discombobulating. About 30% of adult students entering colleges in the United States are first-generation students: those who are the first in their families to pursue higher education (Ramsey, 2010). “First-generation students face many challenges once enrolled in college as well. Many, for instance, feel out of place in the academic environment. They may lack study and time-management...
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...When you hear the word poverty, the images which we come across may involve people in distant lands. We have seen people who suffer greatly from poverty from the effects of wars, natural disasters, famines and bleak economic situations. it is unimaginable that here in the UK, one of the worst poverty rates since World War 2(bbc poor kids 2012). We often feel impelled to do something to help, or contribute to a cause or campaign aimed at the response to a specific need or crisis, while it is important for us to become aware of a global problem or crisis. Poverty is defined as two meanings;Absolute poverty; when a persons income is so low that they cannot afford the basic essentials for living.Relative poverty where there income is well below the national average of living usually around £15,000 pounds a year(gcse sociology ). Child poverty has become a significant issue in the UK. Its definition itself has become quite controversial. This essay will use the definition set by the government. Labour has defined child poverty as any child living in a household with below 60% of average income after housing. (www.society.guardian.co.uk) It has grown substantially in the 1980s and 1990s. The recent increase in child poverty is particularly a British phenomenon. According to figures, the level of child poverty in the UK is very high . Child poverty affects 3.5 million children in the UK. Inner city areas of London, Manchester, Leicester, and Glasgow are among the worst hit areas...
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...charitable. This is the main distinction between charities and social enterprises. This latter term is used to describe a wide range of organisations which are run as businesses (and often constituted as companies rather than charities) but don’t exist purely to make money for their stakeholders. Instead they have other goals such as to benefit the community, the environment or any other social interest. Consequently either all or some of their profits are reinvested in promoting their particular cause, whatever that may be. Social enterprises raise funds through selling either goods or services which people wish to purchase, while charities rely heavily on the generosity of givers, often appealing to their sense of “guilt” as regards the plight of others less fortunate than themselves....
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...programs. Large no. of companies are undertaking these activities superficially and promoting/ highlighting the activities in Media. Keywords: Corporate social responsibility, higher education, competitive advantage, Societal Marketing, reputation. Introduction In a societal structure, we have many stakeholders, one amongst them are companies or Corporate Houses. These Corporate houses are meaningfully contributing from their kitty which impact their internal stakeholders and also openhandedly support societal initiatives. In India companies like TATA and Birla are practicing the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for decades, long before CSR become a popular basis. There are many instances where corporate have played a dominant role in addressing issues of...
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...THE NATURE OF MAN Michael C. Jensen Harvard Business School mjensen@hbs.edu and William H. Meckling University of Rochester Abstract Understanding human behavior is fundamental to understanding how organizations function, whether they are profit-making firms, non-profit enterprises, or government agencies. Much disagreement among managers, scientists, policy makers, and citizens arises from substantial differences in the way we think about human nature—about their strengths, frailties, intelligence, ignorance, honesty, selfishness, and generosity. In this paper we discuss five alternative models of human behavior that are commonly used (though usually implicitly). They are the Resourceful, Evaluative, Maximizing Model (REMM), Economic (or Money Maximizing) Model, Psychological (or Hierarchy of Needs) Model, Sociological (or Social Victim) Model, and the Political (or Perfect Agent) Model. We argue that REMM best describes the systematically rational part of human behavior. It serves as the foundation for the agency model of financial, organizational, and governance structure of firms. The growing body of social science research on human behavior has a common message: Whether they are politicians, managers, academics, professionals, philanthropists, or factory workers, individuals are resourceful, evaluative maximizers. They respond creatively to the opportunities the environment presents, and they work to loosen constraints that prevent them from doing what they wish. They...
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...improvements in family relations and parenting skills, and the value of restorative justice for both perpetrators and victims. The chapter concludes with a summary and recommendations for future action. Delinquent and criminal behaviour For many young people today, traditional patterns guiding the relationships and transitions between family, school and work are being challenged. Social relations that ensure a smooth process of socialization are collapsing; lifestyle trajectories are becoming more varied and less predictable. The restructuring of the labour market, the extension of the maturity gap (the period of dependence of young adults on the family) and, arguably, the more limited opportunities to become an independent adult are all changes influencing relationships with family and friends, educational opportunities and choices, labour market participation, leisure activities and lifestyles. It is not only developed countries that are facing this situation; in developing countries as well there are new pressures on young people undergoing the transition from childhood to independence. Rapid population growth, the unavailability of housing and support services, poverty, unemployment and underemployment among youth, the decline in the...
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...improvements in family relations and parenting skills, and the value of restorative justice for both perpetrators and victims. The chapter concludes with a summary and recommendations for future action. Delinquent and criminal behaviour For many young people today, traditional patterns guiding the relationships and transitions between family, school and work are being challenged. Social relations that ensure a smooth process of socialization are collapsing; lifestyle trajectories are becoming more varied and less predictable. The restructuring of the labour market, the extension of the maturity gap (the period of dependence of young adults on the family) and, arguably, the more limited opportunities to become an independent adult are all changes influencing relationships with family and friends, educational opportunities and choices, labour market participation, leisure activities and lifestyles. It is not only developed countries that are facing this situation; in developing countries as well there are new pressures on young people undergoing the transition from childhood to independence. Rapid population growth, the unavailability of housing and support services, poverty, unemployment and underemployment among youth, the decline in the authority of...
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...Comte was the first person to use the term sociology in 1838, He was a French Philosopher -The early sociologist were concerned with the study of moral statistic, and the first among these was Suicide rates -Emile Durkheim studied the relationship between suicide and social forces, he held that behavior should not be considered an individualistic matter, but in a broader social context. He argued that there is a link between the degree of social integration and suicide. He believed the greater the autonomy or Independence of a category of people, the higher the suicide rate. He came up with the term Anomie, which is a floundering, or loss of purpose and direction people experience during periods of extreme social change. -Max Weber's theory was that social behavior can only be understood when the meanings of the people's actions are known, it is necessary to understand the attitudes, feelings, and beliefs. He called this Verstehen, a German word for understanding. -Karl Marx focused on the struggle between social classes of people. Marx called owners of the means of production the bourgeoisie and the non-owners the proletariat. Marx believed that a social class was determined solely by economics. -W.E.B Dubois researched conflict theory as it pertained to racial prejudice in hopes of achieving justice for his race. He helped found the NAACP. -Charles Horton Cooley and George Herbert Mead studied the effects of symbols such as nods of the head...
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