Homelessness Essay

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Homelessness can be categorized into three groups; primary homelessness; those without adequate accommodation, secondary homelessness; also known as couch surfing, and tertiary homelessness; such as boarding housing and caravan parks. These categories range from the most severe to the least severe, with secondary homelessness being the most common form of homelessness for young people. Youth homelessness is a prevalent issue in today’s society, as there are 100, 000 people that are homeless in Australia on any given night, at least half of these people who are under the age of 25. Catholic Social Teaching sums up the key principles of the Catholic Church and issues of justice between different groups in society.
These principles, two of which clearly relate to the issue of youth homelessness include; Life and Dignity of the Human Person, Community and the Common Good, Rights and Responsibilities, Option for the Poor and Vulnerable, Dignity of Work and Rights of Workers, Stewardship and Creation, Solidarity and the Role of Government. The two principles or themes of Life and Dignity of the Human Person and Option for the Poor and Vulnerable greatly encompass the issue of homelessness and how strongly the Church works to help aid and end this problem.

The Life and Dignity of the Human Person is a principle of the Catholic Social Teaching which is the foundation of all of the principles. It states that “all human life is sacred and that the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society.” Youth homelessness is just one issue that is clearly in breach of the life and dignity of the human person, as these ‘young people’ are either voluntarily or involuntarily without a home. As a result, they may also ...

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...e Development of Peoples) –Pope Paul VI, 1967, judges this issue of youth homelessness among with many other issues involving the poor or less fortunate as an injustice to humans. Therefore, in order to create solidarity amongst humans, we need to act on these issues, by devoting our time and resources.

Youth homelessness is a pertinent and growing issue in today’s society as the gap between the rich and the poor continues to widen. The Catholic Social Teaching provides a set of principles that the Church follows and further addresses issues amongst different groups within society. The principles of The Life and Dignity of the Human Person, as well as The Option for the Poor and Vulnerable greatly reflect this social justice issue as they each show the ways in which the Church strongly judges and acts upon it, along with many other problems we are facing today.

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