One of the most prominent social issues is that of the homeless population. According to Korge & Furst, 24 percent of the homeless population are severely mentally ill, 20 percent are physically disabled, 19 percent are employed, 14 percent are victims of domestic violence, 14 percent are veterans, while 3 percent are HIV positive (Chp. 2.4, 2012). Although there are numerous programs and policies to eradicate homelessness, we still see that the numbers continue to rise. Essentially, social theories such as conflict, functionalist, and symbolic interactionist theories have been fundamental methods used to study and examine social issues like homelessness. Therefore, expanding on innovative methods and policies for the vulnerable populations are continually needed to be in sharp focus.
For example the best fit in a sociological theory would be the conflict theory. These theorists would probably not consider homelessness, in and of itself, to be an issue at all. They would name capitalistic intentions as being "the issue." A conflict theorist would maintain that the reason the homeless issue continues is not because of a homeless individual's supposed inability (or reluctance) to progress and be self-reliant. Rather, the conflict theorist would most likely theorize that the cause of homelessness comes from the capitalistic (upper SES), social classes that afflict those who cannot find employment or own a home. Further, when the very oppressors that refuse employment to those who need employment, the economic-underclass victims will be the thorn in the side, instead being the flower that blooms.
The second theory that helps explains homelessness is the Interactional theory. Interactional theorists would agree that the homeless pop...
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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
Although most people know what homelessness is and it occurs in most societies, it is important to define because the forces of displacement vary greatly, along with the arrangement and meaning of the resulting transient state. The Stewart B McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 defined a homeless person as “an individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence or a person who resides in a shelter, welfare hotel, transitional program or place not ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation, such as streets, cars, movie theaters, abandoned buildings, etc.” Resent surveys conducted in the U.S. have confirmed that the homeless population in America is extremely diverse and includes representatives from all segments of society, including: the old and young, men and women, single people and families, city dwellers and rural residents, whites and people of color, employed and unemployed, able workers and people with serious health problems. The diversity among people that are homeless reflects how difficult it is to generalize the causes of homelessness and the needs of homeless people. Robert Rosenheck M.D., the author of Special Populations of Homeless Americans, explains the importance of studying homelessness based on subgroups, “each subgroup [of homeless people] has unique service needs and identifying these needs is critical for program planning and design.” Despite these diversities, homelessness is a devastating situation for all that experience it. Not only have homeless people lost their dwelling, but they have also lost their safety, privacy, control, and domestic comfort.
The Homeless in America I never imagined that I would be homeless. " Although I have read this statement over and over again, the facts behind it remain astonishing. The facts are that there are millions of homeless people in America today. Many of these people had no choice but to become homeless. Economic problems such as being laid off work, or the rise in the cost of housing, have led people to live on the streets.
Many believe that a common thread among the homeless is a lack of permanent and stable housing. But beyond that, the factors leading to homelessness and the services that are needed are unique according to the individual. To put them into one general category ? the homeless- suggests that people are homeless for similar reasons and therefore a single solution is the answer. Every homeless person shares the basic needs of affordable housing, adequate incomes and attainable healthcare. But a wide range of other unmet needs cause some people to become or remain homeless which include drug treatment, employment training, transportation, childcare and mental health services (Center 8.)
Many people debate on weather homeless people should receive guidance or just be abandoned. Do homeless people deserve our service and to be supported, or are they just lazy individuals trying to take advantage of people? Homelessness is a growing dispute in cities. It has became an extensive problem for the community. Homelessness can not and should not be ignored. The number of homeless people in the United States is quickly growing. It seems like no one cares to help them. Even our heroes like police officers show no sympathy towards the homeless. “Homeless people appeared on the streets of Bucharest in 1990. Since then, their number and the problems created by this phenomenon have steadily increased in all major
Individuals often have their own perceptions and definitions of homelessness. These perceptions generally are over exaggerated. Over exaggerated definitions of what homelessness looks like can be explained by movies, TV shows, internet, and ev...
...is to understand the factors that lead people into homelessness, that keep them homeless, and how they can recover from homelessness. Advocates for the homeless have proposed policies range from taking preventative measures, such as making housing and health care affordable, to policies that deal with individuals that are already homeless, such as rapid rehousing and redefining what it means to be homeless. Although many of the experts disagree on how the homeless epidemic should be handled, many acknowledge that the federal government plays an inexpendable role in helping the homeless. Homelessness is, obviously, a complex issue, but like all difficult issues it must be undertaken. It has become clear that homelessness is not something that will eradicate itself given time, homelessness will continue to grow and evolve unless an outside force stops it in its tracks.
Lee, B. A. Jones, S. H., & Lewis, D. W. (1990, September). Public belief about the causes of homelessness. Social Forces,69(1), 253-265. Lee, B. A., Tyler, K. A., & Wright, J. D. (2010, March 15). The new homelessness revisited.
The four sociological perspectives provide a brief detailed description of how different types of sociologists would consider what a disturbing and complex social issue this was. However, the above examples of symbolic interactionist, functionalist, conflict and postmodernist theorist responses to homelessness represents how these four perspectives would address a problem that has proved to be a persistent and difficult matter to resolve.
Throughout history there has always been a lower class society and some even lower than that which are known as the homeless. The homeless are people who don’t own homes or don’t live in their own home so they have to live in public places like shelters or even on the street. Homeless like to come out from the shadows and target the weak like a father with his daughter. They target specific groups so they know they can get money out of them easily instead of having to work for it. Homeless people are lazy to get jobs unless they are handed it so they would just sit down on their butts and do nothing until an opportunity comes to them. Homeless people are lazy and don’t want to work for themselves and have to get others to do their work for them because we think they are useless and therefore won’t do anything.
Homelessness affects millions of Americans each year, with approximately one third of this population suffering from severe mental disorders. In Las Cruces we have a number of homeless people that have a mental disorder. Las Cruces does not provide the homeless mentally ill with sufficient services. it is necessary to provide them with support, protection, treatment, and rehabilitation.
Many social problems exist in today’s society, among them is homelessness. In our nation, we encounter homeless people in our day-to-day lives, yet we rarely question the reasons for their circumstance. Through the symbolic interactionist perspective, I will explore the causes of homelessness in order to help find possible solutions.
Homelessness is a critical issue in today’s society. Men, women, and youth are all faced with it daily. The many causes of homelessness can vary according to the circumstances and the surroundings which one finds themselves. Drug use, abuse, unemployment and poverty, all common problems which many people face everyday, are all examples of why homelessness exists. There is an extreme differentiation regarding the causes of homelessness in the developed and developing countries of the world when taking into consideration that they are not in similar positions. Many homeless people are often drug abusers whose addiction has caused them to lose control of their life. Some are victims of mental illness which in many cases often leads to crime or violence. Whether someone is a chronic or transitional...
Merino, Noel, ed. "Introduction to Poverty and Homelessness: Current Controversies." Poverty and Homelessness. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2009. Current Controversies. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 27 Feb. 2015.