Living on the border of Indiana and Ohio, I occasionally encounter homeless individuals when I go to Cincinnati for baseball games. When I walk by homeless individuals I am usually fearful, as I am unsure of how they will react to me not giving them any money. I also wonder why the individuals don’t just go to the fast food restaurant around the corner and obtain a minimum wage job. But despite these negative thoughts, at times, I do feel bad for these individuals. For example, about a week ago I went with my Dad to his office in downtown, and we saw numerous individuals sleeping outside in below freezing weather. I could barely make it five minutes in the cold, and I cannot imagine how horrible being in that weather indefinitely must be. While I do believe that these individuals should receive the compassion that all individuals deserve, I cannot help but be suspicious and wonder if they truly are victims of …show more content…
Some people believe that homeless individuals are criminals, poor decision makers, drug addicts, alcoholics, mentally ill, and/or lazy. Many times, however, an individual being homeless is not the result of one of the above stereotypes, but that they were simply misfortunate, lost their job, are were unable to obtain a new one. To overcome these stereotypes, people need to think about poverty and homelessness differently. Having a new perspective on homelessness will require that people are educated and knowledgeable regarding the causes of poverty and homelessness. One way to do this would be to set up an organization that works to educate the public on poverty and homelessness. In addition, this organization could arrange for people to talk to homeless individuals. This would allow people to hear the stories of homeless individuals, so that they could learn to see them as real people, rather than just judge them off
Homelessness is a social issue that has been overlooked for too long. It can be observed in many states worldwide. The rising population of homeless people affects those characterized as homeless, their families subjected to the lifestyle, and the communities where homelessness exists. There are many solutions but only a few will be discussed. Improving existing shelters and building new shelters are general solutions. More in depth solutions within the shelters include programs that assist the homeless with opportunities for re-entry into the community. I would first like to discuss reasons why this issue should be looked into and conclude with recommendations.
Lars Eighner's short essay, "Dumpster Diving," reveals the stereotypes about homelessness in America. In order to confirm these known stereotypes about American culture, Eighner includes autobiographical accounts of the economically inferior class, as well as revealing his elitist rules that governs the life of a homeless person. According to Eighner, homeless people fall into the following categories, 'can scroungers', 'Dumpster divers', and 'scavengers.' (Eighner, 1993). In addition, Eighner's blatant demonstration of his superiority to the people he scavenges from reveals his true character of snobbery.
Homeless or not, we were all raised and taught not to do the things that would hurt people. The way homeless people are being treated in today’s world is out of hand and it needs to come to an end. The homeless are humiliated, assaulted, talked badly about, and overly stressed due to traumatic experiences.
Homelessness in the United States has been an important subject that the government needs to turn its attention to. There has been announced in the news that the number of the homeless people in many major cities in the United States has been increasing enormously. According to United States Interagency Council on Homelessness reported that there was an estimation of 83,170 individuals have experienced chronic homelessness on the streets of the United States’ streets and shelters on only a single night of January 2015, which is a small decrease of only 1% from the previous year (People Experiencing Chronic Homelessness, n.d.). The United States must consider this subject that most of the people underestimate it and not pay attention
Homelessness is a real serious health issue all over the world that must be addressed. A lot of people in a public frequently misunderstand the cause of homelessness. Remarks regarding homeless people such as “they need to just get a job” or “go to school” are normally used liberally by members of society because they neglect to look at the complete issue. Homelessness does not discriminate. Individuals that have previously experience or may experience being homeless can be from different regions, have different cultural backgrounds, ages, and could be of any gender. Minorities seem to be mostly affected by homelessness. A study done in 2012 found that the homeless population is consisted of 39% non-Hispanic Whites, 42% African-Americans, 13% Hispanic, 4% Native-American, and 2% Asian (Now on PBS, 2012). The End Homelessness website provides the following statistics:
This great nation of awesome power and abundant resources is losing the battle against homelessness. The casualties can be seen on the street corners of every city in American holding an ?I will work for food? sign. Homeless shelters and rescue missions are at full capacity. There is no room at the inn for the nation?s indigent. Anyone who has studied this issue understands that homelessness is a complex problem. Communities continue to struggle with this socio-economic problem while attempting to understand its causes and implement solutions. The public and private sectors of this country are making a difference in the lives of the homeless by addressing the issues of housing, poverty and education.
Homeless individuals are known for taking hand outs and they prefer to plead for money rather than to go work for it. People assume most of the the money that is given to homeless people they spend it on drugs and alcohol because of the fact that many homeless people have drug and alcohol addictions. It is not uncommon to come across homeless youth and older homeless population that are known to abuse substances like drugs and alcohol. Because of the fact that homeless people have substance abuse problems, they tend face illnesses and infections. Many hard working Americans ask themselves “why don’t homeless people just get jobs?” The assumption is they are just lazy and unmotivated. Homeless people choose to live the life they live. Everyone goes through problems but not all people take the path homeless people do. The problems homeless people face is not an excuse for them to be helped and maintained by other hard working people. Although homelessness might be a choice to some, no one knows the hardships these people have gone through. Some assume these people are just lazy but in reality a lot of these homeless people have jobs of their own, they just can’t afford housing and a decent life. Everyone has their own opinion on homeless people, but that does not change the fact that one should still serve the homeless. Not because homeless people need help but because we are
At any given time, approximately 600,000 homeless survive at the front door of America. They are sleeping in parks, living in cardboard boxes, sitting on street corners, and resting under bridges. Terrible hunger gnaws at their stomachs as they search for food. Society labels the homeless as useless and worthless, but they are not. They are children, grandmothers, grandfathers, mothers, and fathers that need a place to sleep, eat, and live. What does society do to help? Nothing. Society hurries home from work, shopping, and leisure, worrying about who will win the next football game. Society is not worried about where their next meal will come from, where they will sleep, or where they will be tomorrow. Although it is difficult for society not to feel discomfort at seeing homeless people, it is the homeless who pay for the way people feel about them. Alienation of the homeless in America is a direct result of injustice, health issues, and societal attitudes; however, solutions are available to society as they are obligated to all of their citizenry, including the homeless.
Here in Tahoe, we are lucky enough to experience a great quality of life, and only a few have to face the horrible life of poverty and homelessness. However, nationwide, even right outside the basin, homelessness is a growing epidemic across the country. There are many ways one can become homeless; for the most part poverty. There are also different concentrations of homeless in different types of terrain, such as urban or suburban areas. Last, there is the ever- growing homeless population, and how much money it costs us for others to live in poverty. These are the questions we ask ourselves about homelessness, and the only way we can help is to know the facts about this lingering subject.
Homelessness is a vast predicament in America and around the world. It is severely overlooked as people don’t really think of homelessness as real world problem. However, there have been ways that people have tried to fix the problem. They have come up with homeless shelters, emergency shelters, food banks and soup kitchens. These solutions have limitations though, which will hopefully come to an end.
I have decided to create a social program that identifies the social problem of Homelessness. The new human services, social program will target helping homeless individuals and families to get off the streets. In order to have a successful program I have to come up with an outline and cover all of the basics. This program will have many different resources available to homeless or about to be homeless individuals and families. There are so many homeless people out there and her in the state of Florida there are not many places for homeless people to turn to for comfort and safety. So I am truly excited to be creating this new program that will help many people to go forward and live wonderful and successful lives, no matter what they have been through. Throughout this paper I will be discussing some of the things that are needed in order to start an organization. This paper will serve as an outline or an information source on how to create a social program as well as the social program that I am creating.
?Over the past year, over two million men, women, and children were homeless? in America. (NLCHP) Homeless people face an intense struggle just to stay alive despite the fact that society turns its head from the problem. The government makes laws that discriminate against homeless people, which make it, illegal for them to survive. The mistreatment of homeless people is an issue that is often ignored in our community. When you see a homeless person on the streets how do you react? Do you turn your head and ignore them? Do you become angry that they are living on the streets? Do you feel frightened and avoid the situation all together? Or do you see these people as human beings and treat them in that way? Homeless people are ?subjected to alienation and discrimination by mainstream society?. (NLCHP) Most alienation and discrimination comes from the lack of education about homeless people. There are numerous untrue myths about homeless people. Many people believe that homeless people ?commit more violent crimes than housed people.? (NLCHP) The reality is that homeless people actually commit less violent crimes than people with homes do. Dr. Pamela Fischer, of John Hopkins University, studied arrest records in Baltimore and discovered that even though homeless people were more likely to commit non-violent and non-destructive crimes, they were less likely to commit violent crimes against people. (NLCHP) The crimes that these people are committing are necessary to keep them alive. These crimes include sleeping, eating, and panhandling. Making it illegal to perform necessary daily activities in public when homeless people have no where else to go makes it impossible for homeless people to avoid violating the law. (NLCHP) Another myth about homeless people is that they do not work and that they get their money from public assistance programs. A study done in Chicago discovered that ?39% of homeless people interviewed had worked for some time during the previous month?. (NLCHP) Many of the people who do not work are actively trying to find jobs, but are discriminated against by the work force. In an interview done at the River Street Homeless Shelter I found many people who have experienced this discrimination. ?People can?t get a job without an address. When they use the shelter?s address they get turned down.? (Mike) Speaking...
I used to volunteer at our Church kitchen by cooking food and serving poor folks. My main task was to serve folks and make sure that they have enough on their plates. Whenever people would come for more food, I would always hear me aunts discussed their dislike towards the homeless population because their issues could have been solved if they weren’t lazy to look for a job. As a young teen, I internalized these stigma about homeless people because I wasn’t well educated on social issues and I was just plain ignorant. I used to blame homeless people for making me spend four hours of my time on a Saturday to cook for them. As a result, I never engaged myself in conversations with homeless folks. It was not until I got to Santa Cruz that I became
In conclusion, homelessness is the severe problem that can be solved by awareness, free housing, and free homeless services. Ending poverty is vital for our communities and its society duty to create a healthy environment for the future generations; it benefits our economy, prevents crime, and strengthen the well-being of our communities. There are many ways people can support the homeless population. For example, volunteering at shelters, donating, creating organizations, and by educating people. Also, I believe it is essential to teach young students, so they can be encouraged to make a change for the
Homelessness is an everyday problem seen in many areas of the world. Starting locally within your community is a good way to resolve this issue. The government, organizations, and even regular people are looking for ways to help solve and assist those in need. A small solution to this problem would be to first, just show compassion to those in need. There are many cases where people simply ignore the homeless population, call them names, judge them, and even harm them physically. It is imperative to always treat others the way you would want to be treated. We must spread the love with a smile or hello because that could go a long way for homeless people. The most important thing as a community of believers is become educated on this topic. The stereotypes need to be eliminated about the homeless. Everyone has their own story and situation and there are different reasons for homelessness (“35 Ways to Help the Homeless”). Society needs to see the homeless as human beings, find out what they need and maybe take the time to talk to them. Many homeless people just need encourage...