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Homeless people have a huge impact on their own but what is their impact towards other people? On the website “Understanding how Homelessness affects us all” published on November, 2009, homelessness is a big community issue. The impact that homeless people have towards others can be in 4 different types of way. One way homelessness can impact someone is by moral dimension, social cohesion, social inclusion, and social harmony. Moral dimension is when others are affected by homelessness because they have to share public areas that homeless people are living or sleeping in some of the public areas and by that those are affecting their physical, mental health, and their spirit. Social cohesion which is when everyone gains a certain amount of
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.
Principally, to a homeless person, if there was only one thing they hated, it would be pity. The only way society at this point knows how to deal with the homeless is by pitying them. They take the individuals and they put them in a group basically labeled “displaced”, then it is expected that it is up to the state to help them. Many say they try, but because homelessness deals on such a personal level, many don’t get helped because they are grouped. On the personal level, when one sees a homeless person, many, if not most people, shy away thinking that “someone else will help them”. In most cases, they are ignored. Because everyone is thinking this way, not many local homeless people get assistance. In this country, homelessness is one of the last issues to be thought of, which is why the homeless population is now flooding into small cities and towns. Homelessness should be combatted one person at a time and not as a group. I agree that everyone needs to pitch in and help rehumanize these lifeless souls, and with everyone’s help, it can be done on a personal level.
As the number of people living in poverty increases every year, the need for assistance also increases. According to the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness, the national poverty rate reached 13.2% in 2013. This means that one in seven Americans are at risk of suffering from hunger. The increased cost of living and high unemployment rate force about 3.5 million people to make the streets their home (“Overview). Although everyone living in poverty needs assistance, the general public tends to separate the homeless into groups towards whom they should or should not show compassion. In an article for Newsweek magazine, journalist Stuart Bykofsky divided the homeless into three groups: “(1) the economically distressed, who
This disadvantage is based on a reduced access to goods, services and accommodations which all contribute to increased rates of poor health. Furthermore, those who are homeless have limited opportunities to protect their well-being. Authors Johnstone, Jetten, Dingle, Parsell, and Walter (2015) claim, as being homelessness is often viewed as to some extent controllable due to reasons such as unemployment, drug addiction or mental illness, those individuals are perceived as responsible for their lack of adequate housing and therefore not worthy of assistance or as a matter of fact not fully human. The homeless, as a group, are seen as incompetent and “the lowest of the low” which elicits the disgust and contempt as well as a prejudice that can make people associate the homeless as subhuman. Noted by author Fischer (1992), data indicates that crimes perpetrated on homeless victims including offenses against property and against the person between seven and forty times more often than the general population. Also, one fifth of homeless adults surveyed in New York had been raped and one of every thirteen shelter users in St. Louis reported sexual
The homeless population is growing in America. There are more and more Americans living in boxes, sleeping on park benches and panhandling on the streets each day. These people tend to make us, the non-homeless, feel uncomfortable and unsafe. They are also placing increasing stress on the nation's economy. In short, the homeless are a burden on the rest of society.
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.
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.
There are too many connecting issues that have caused homelessness to escalate from a lifestyle that was really only lived by middle aged individuals with a substance abuse problem, to a condition that is endured everyday by a diverse number of people. The 2013 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress reveals that 36 percent of the homeless population consisted of individuals in families--over half of which were children--17.8 percent was made up by the chronically homeless, and an estimated 10 percent was comprised of veterans.
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.
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...
Homelessness continues to be a crisis in most countries. A rising number of families and millions of people are becoming homeless each year. Poverty, mental illness and substance use are said to be the main reasons as to why individuals become homeless. Over the years, however, economic conditions have contributed considerably to homeless families. A study carried out to determine substance-use and poverty as predictors of first-time homelessness in the United States revealed that, in a given year, Americans who experience episodes of homelessness are approximately 3.5 million (Thompson et al, 2013). Additionally, increased risk of mortality and morbidity has been associated with homelessness. The homeless people live under poor and unhealthy
Ever noticed the people outside, asking you for money on the train or in the streets? Most have a funny smell, or are barely dressed when it is freezing outside? Those people are more than likely homeless. Being homeless is the state of a person living on the streets, if they have no home. Homelessness occurs because many people cannot afford housing, do not have a job, receive low income, are mentally ill or have a drug addiction (Coalition for the Homeless). Homelessness affects society in a variety of ways making it a social issue. It causes economic downturn, increases poverty, and also causes family dysfunction.
First off, being homeless is bad on an individual’s health. People who are homeless are 3-4 times more likely to die than someone who is not homeless. Also, being homeless reduces your life expectancy by a total of 25 years. (Kalyanaraman, N. 2012). This is because the homeless are more likely to carry bacteria and disease because of their lack of hygiene. Not only does this create problems for the homeless people themselves, but this also creates problems for people in society. This is because bacteria and disease are more likely to be spread throughout society by the homeless (Kalyanaraman, N. 2012). Additionally, crime is a problem among the homeless. A fifth of homeless people have committed a crime in order to stay the night or several nights in jail. Also, around 30 percent of homeless people admitted to committing crimes, such as petty theft from convenient stores. Lastly, the homeless are susceptible to violence, metal illnesses, and addiction. Over 22 percent of homeless people are victims of violence by other homeless people, police, or people just passing by (Homelessness Defined. 2009, October 19). Over 22 percent of the homeless suffer from mental illnesses and this puts others at risk as well as themselves. Finally, the homeless are more likely to become addicted to drugs and alcohol due to depression and this also puts themselves and others at risk (Homelessness Defined. 2009, October
Homelessness is a problem virtually every society suffers from. There are many things that cause people to become homeless, such as unemployment, relationship problems, and being evicted from ones domicile either by a landlord, friend or even a family member. However, with every cause there must be an effect. Some of the effects of one becoming homeless, besides the obvious change of lifestyle, are various health problems which often times may lead to death.
I am just a poor boy that lives on the street. My mother has just got the axe from her boss. She got fired because she started to have her drinking habits again. I would get abused by broken beer or wine glasses, slugged in the face, arms, and my skinny bone legs. My father would not do anything because he was in Heaven watching over me. He passed away when I was six years old. He was my not caped superhero. I wish he was still walking me to school everyday until November, 12 2002.