Today in the United States, there are over 1,750,000 adults living on the streets (Deforge, 2003). In a study by The National Center for Family Homelessness, 1 in 45 children are homeless. When one contemplates what it means to be homeless many words may come to mind: derelict, sad downtrodden, dirty, lazy, and many more. There is a stigma connected with the word homeless, and the people it describes. This research investigates how social stigma impacts the opportunities of homeless individuals in our country, as well as around the world. This is an issue that severely needs to be dealt with, because if society can improve the lives of the most unfortunate individuals in our society, society will improve the lives of everyone around as well. Like the old saying goes, “you’re team is only as good as your worst player,” so it is with society. Creating better living situations for the homeless could result in more jobs (building new homes, providing assistance, management), a community seems less run down (no more men and women sleeping on park benches or begging for money on the corner), happier individuals (somewhere to belong, people to talk to about their issues, they can get the help they need), and many other options. There are so many facets to this topic, that to truly delve into a solution one must use more than one perspective.
The two most beneficial disciplinary perspectives to use are Social Work and Psychology. One must not only be able to identify the mental processes associated with homeless persons and the other parts of society (psychological perspective), but also be able to identify clear paths to remedy homelessness and the stigmas connected to it (social work perspective).
Literature Review
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Imagine a man on the streets, who society has forgotten. This man emits the smell of garbage; he has not bathed in months. This man sits quietly mumbling to himself. To the outer world he is just one of the many homeless, but little does society know that this man has a mental illness as well. Homelessness and mental illness are linked. These two happenings have similar beginnings. Homelessness is influenced by drug and alcohol disuse, being homeless at a young age, money problems, and trauma symptoms. Mental illness is caused by many of the same things, but it can also happen at birth. The effects that each entity has on a person are comparable. Rehabilitation is a necessary process if a victim of homelessness and or mental illness wants to rejoin society. Homelessness and mental illness have similar, if not the same causes, effects, and rehabilitations.
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.
The simple definition of oppression is the cruel and unfair treatment of an individual or group of people. Oppression can be systemic, meaning it is deliberate, and designed to marginalize a section of people by forever keeping on the outside of society. One such group of people who have been historically and continue to be oppressed are the homeless. According to Johnstone, Jetten, Dingle, Parsell, and Walter (2015), homeless men, women and children are denied basic civil rights even though they are members of society solely because they do not reside in a “home”. The homeless are a vulnerable and victimized population as they experience personal and economic hardship as well as discrimination and exclusion because of their housing status.
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
In the early hours of the morning on Thursday, January 3, 2013, James G. Fulmer was found frozen to death on the steps of a Nashville Church. James Fulmer was 50 years old, homeless, and physically handicapped (wsmv.com). His tragic story is just one of almost 1,000 homeless men and women will suffer death caused by hypothermia each year. (nationalhomeless.org). Every night in the United States, over 600,000 people encounter homelessness. Their stories are diverse and their paths to homelessness, varied. Many have found themselves on the streets due to domestic violence, job loss and mental illness (npr.org). Some were teachers, accountants, musicians, painters, and even doctors. So many of the homeless population once lead normal lives. Yet, there is a social stigma that views the homeless as lazy, unwilling to work, uneducated and even untrustworthy. In a Capitalist society that places the highest value on image and the almighty dollar, there seems to be little desire to interact with these “outcasts”.
In the word homeless there are two root words, home and less. Home is what most people would define as the place where they live, or grew up. Less, simply means not as much as. When you combine the two together homeless equals someone who grew up in a home that was held to less standards than what they would normally be held up to. For example, someone who is homeless could live in a box, it sounds terrible but unfortunately it is a part of our reality. Not everyone can afford to live in a house, pay mortgage, and all the other expenses that come with the responsibility of owning a house, or home. Today homelessness still has an affect on many people.
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.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] used the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ definition of mental illness as “health conditions that are characterized by alterations in thinking, mood, or behavior (or some combination thereof) associated with distress and/or impaired functioning” (2011). Our community is exposed to a large number of individuals with mental illness. Among those individuals are the widespread homeless populations. The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development reported “twenty-five percent of the sheltered homeless report a severe mental illness (as cited in Allender, Rector and Warner 2014 p. 907).” This author found the target population to be predominantly Caucasian, Non-Hispanic, single males of thirty-one years of age and older. In reviewing the research, this author found that multiple health disparities happen in conjunction with mental health and homelessness. This includes cardiac and respiratory issues and HIV/AIDs. Without the proper healthcare services, the homeless mental health population remains vulnerable.
Homelessness can happen to anyone unexpectedly. Many poor people are at the risk of homelessness. The cost of living and trying to find affordable housing can be very difficult. Many who are homeless are in poverty, have a mental illness, or addictions. Homelessness happens from personal, as well as structural factors. Many aren’t able to make enough for rent, as well as, utilities, food, and other expenses each month. More than 6 million Americans pay more than half of their income towards rent (Reamer, 1989). The trend is once someone becomes homeless, it is likely they will be homeless repeatedly. To end homelessness, affordable housing will have to be created because it is peoples largest single expenditure (Anderson, 2013).
Encouragement from one 's community plays a significant role in the ability to overcome homelessness; without such motivation from peers, a lack of trust and confidence can occur, lowering their self-esteem and want to get out of homelessness. Through the article, Homelessness: Perception of Causes and Solutions, written by Lindsay Phillips, the study shows the way in which those within a community perceive the homeless, and their inability, or the inability they believe they possess, to benefit the community as a whole, this Phillips calling a stigma. Addressing the idea of social biases. Where those not conformed to society, seem to pose a threat to the rest, believing that without a roof over your head you 're inadequately qualified to hold a job.
Sun, A., (2012). Helping homeless individuals with co-occurring disorders: The four components. National Association of Social Workers, 57(1), 23-37.
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.
Homelessness is a social suffering experienced by human beings throughout the world. In 2013, the NYC Department of Homeless Services reported that about 1 out of every 2,662 people out of the general New York City population of 8,244,910, experienced homelessness (NYC Department of Homeless Services, 2013). Preceding these findings, in 2012, the US Department of Housing and Development reported that New York’s homeless population accounts for about 11 percent of the US’s homeless population (2012 Annual Homeless Assessment Report). In our society, the homeless are a highly stigmatized group that is subject to negative stereotypes about their situation of being homeless (Knecht & Martinez, 2009). Stereotypes are generalizations about a group of people (cultural, ethnic, racial, social, socioeconomic status etc.) that are held as rigid beliefs despite not being true. They can be positive or negative, and can be attributed to a person’s internal characteristics or external characteristics (Mio, Barker & Tumambing 2011). Some of the common attributed stereotypes to individuals experiencing homeless are that they are all alcoholics, mentally ill, dangerous, or substance abusers (Knecht & Martinez, 2009). As a result, homeless individuals are often overlooked as being human beings who can benefit from increased help from society in terms of policy and advocacy. What part of human beings leads them to be inclined to aid or ignore a homeless individual as a result of their understanding, or lack of understanding of “the other’s” current emotions?
Walking down the streets of large cities it is common to see men, women, and sometimes even whole families laying beside buildings. Some people may ignore them and keep walking, some feel frightened, and some see the homeless as a human being and treat them like one. These people tend to be dirty, smelly, or they have a sad look that has overtaken their faces because of their struggle to survive. The people sleeping outside of buildings are homeless. Being homeless means not having anywhere to call home, although it also can mean living in a place that was never intended to house humans, such as a bus stop or a highway underpass. It is tempting to wedge the homeless together under a single label but there are an abundance of contrasting causes
It is a sad truth that there are homeless who for whatever reasons do not have access to homeless shelters or support services. Conflicts over the use of public and community spaces can increase when there are large numbers of people without their own private space. These conflicts can bring deeply rooted issues to the surface. These issues can be linked to negative perceptions about members of society who are poor, vulnerable or considered insignificant. The problem of homelessness can create divisions within the community, when there is a, us verves them