The topic I am most interested in focusing on this semester is homelessness. Homelessness is a social issue that affects hundreds of thousands of people in the United States, disproportionately impacting groups with particular identities, including veterans, immigrants, LGBQ/T people, and people with disabilities. Like many people, I first became aware of this issue through the media. Through TV, movies, and paranoid new reports, I absorbed many of the stereotypes associated with homelessness in this country. I thought people experiencing homelessness were doing it by choice, whereas this is true only of small subsets of the population. I also thought that people experiencing homelessness were dirty and lazy, a stereotype that I would …show more content…
One way in which my identity impacts my engagement is this issue is the ways in which I personally identify with some of the clients I have worked with. My family has never lived on the street, but we were displaced after Hurricane Katrina. I lived in Tennessee with about twenty extended family members for around a month until schools opened up again. When we did move back, our family lived with my aunt for a while and then with my grandparents, until my parents could afford to do the necessary repairs to our home. Later, we moved to a nicer home, but the house was foreclosed on after several years. After that, we started renting a home owned by my aunt, who was forgiving when we became over a year behind on rent. These experiences with displacement and housing insecurity had a tremendous impact on my identity. While I would never assume that my experiences are the same as someone else’s, these experiences humble me and allow me to feel a high level of empathy for people experiencing homelessness. When assessing the efficacy of programs and agencies that address homelessness, I also carry with me an understanding of this issue that is highly impacted by my college education, a privilege many of the people I work with (though certainly not all of them) do not have. It is easy to intellectualize this issue and assume a high level of knowledge and expertise because of my professional experience and studies. However, if the noticeable difference between the homeless populations at HPP and the Day Center tells me anything, it is that homelessness is not an easily generalizable issue. Thus, I come to each client interaction with a level of humility and curiosity, assuming that each individual is the expert of their own experience. When doing my research on the
This paper will explain approaches to resolve the social issue of homelessness in the state of Delaware. It will also explain a few reasons why homelessness should be addressed the correct way to potentially end it. I will describe the correlations of homelessness and health, the crimes involving and against the homeless, and lastly the families subjected to homelessness. A few solutions will be recommended in this paper also to optimistically achieve the goal of assisting the homeless and improving the assistance already given.
When we think of homelessness, we often think of people middle aged and older. For many years now, the problem has become more real to the younger generation. Some are there by choice but still, many are there because of circumstances beyond their control. In the report written by Eleanor J. Bader, she uncovers some of the faces of homeless people that just happen to be college students. According to Mary Jean LeTendre, who was interviewed in the report, “no college has ever asked for help in reaching homeless students” (638).
...on the homeless community. I previously held preconceived notions that the homeless consisted of people who were either unable to connect and form relationships with others or didn’t desire to do so. Yet, I observed most everyone greeting one another and reminiscing with those who have been absent from the community for a while, as well as, expressing concern for those missing. I recognized that the homeless may live in a non-traditional way, but they have established their own communities and are successful in forming and maintaining cohesive relationships.
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 main issue revolving homelessness is that people are not putting themselves into their perspective. Students who live in shelters and constantly worry about the possibility of eating that day go through a whole different kind of struggle compared to others. This kind of obstacle is not common to relate to. “She slept in libraries, bathrooms and her car. She sold plasma and skipped meals,” (2). Majority of students who enter college have the luxury of receiving secure shelter and food, in which they should. Ms. Evans is an example of
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.
Introduction to Homelessness: Opposing Viewpoints." Homelessness. Ed. Tamara Thompson. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 11 Dec. 2013.
There has been research evaluating the negative stigma regarding homelessness since the 1960’s. Although this stigma has been perpetuated since the beginning of time, it started to becoming
Youth homelessness is a global social issue that is rapidly increasing. Shelton & Bond (2017) divulged how accurate data on the prevalence of youth homelessness in the United States are significantly lacking. It could be due to the challenges of collecting data and variance in definitions of what constitutes homelessness for youth. Often times there are multiple levels of oppression evident amongst vulnerable individuals. Homeless transgendered youth are susceptible to intersectionality. As stated in Competency 6, it is imperative for the ethical profession of Social Work, to be engaged and understanding of the multitude of social issues that impact individuals. Thus, Social Workers are expected to be agents of change, and it is an professional responsibility to challenge unjust policies, systems, and ideologies on the behalf of marginalized, oppressed, and vulnerable populations.
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.
...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.
Imagine passing by a homeless man, holding up a sign saying homeless hunger, what do you do? you can do two things walk past it and ignore the man or give money. When you walk past the men then you need View A and View B. These views are the views of yours and the man, meaning that if you walk past the man you probably think “this is just one person, he can find a job and work rather than living in the street” that is View A. As you walk past the man he probably feels worthless, unwanted, not important etc. I feel like the person can only understand what the homeless man is going through if they experienced it themselves. You just say it’s just one person and he will survive, but what you don't realize is that, what if there are many more of these kind of people in a country who are suffering and dying. These people are at poverty and not a lot of people know about poverty because there is not a lot of awareness on it.
Homelessness has become a serious problem in today’s society. Despite the organizations that help multitudes of homeless people, homelessness is continually increasing. In recent years, America’s culture has been changing due to economic, political, and social issues. These issues have caused a lot of stress on America resulting in abject poverty in several cities. Poverty is not nationwide, but if dealt with lightly, the affects can be catastrophic. Homelessness is increasing more than ever, and research proves that changing culture contributes to rising amount of homelessness.
?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...
After watching the video “Sociological Perspective Project: Homelessness,” and read the article “Community Level Characteristics Associated with Variation in Rates of Homelessness among Families and Single Adults I started to think about this more and started to read more on the topic and have I concluded , America could support its citizens better than it currently does by eliminating the progressive tax system, in which as wealth increases so does their income tax and implement tax incentives to encourage job creation. Loop holes should be eliminated in such systems as taxes, as well as welfare in order to prevent people from playing the system. The system should not be set up in such a way that filing for unemployment can be and often times is more profitable that holding a minimum wage job, which defeats the entire purpose of the welfare system. By adding these tax incentives to big business, it would encourage them to create new jobs, decreasing the number of people on welfare. While welfare should not be entirely disbanded, it should be made more restrictive and it, along...