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Homelessness in the us statistics essay
Sociological approach to ending homelessness
Sociological approach to ending homelessness
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Homelessness in America has always remained a present issue, and while recently there has been a small decline in the trends, this hasn’t always been the case (AHAR, 2014). According to Drier (2004) before the Reagan Administration took hold on America, the number of homeless people was minimal and the typical homeless person was a middle-aged alcoholic male. But soon after Reagan took office, the homeless issue became a much more widespread issue; with average people becoming homeless, the numbers skyrocketed to over 1 million homeless people in the United States. With the number of homeless people drastically increasing, organizations began to design systematic responses to handling the influx in homeless people.
These many strategies
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For one, this approach provides immediate stable housing to homeless individuals or families. Research on the effectiveness of the program was completed by Greenwood et al. (2005) and found that participants remain stably housed for long periods of time, regardless of a history of chronic homelessness. Findings by Aubry, Ecker, & Jette (2014) also found that Housing First has proved to be more effective in improving housing stability, while reducing homelessness, hospitalization, and incarcerations. Housing First works to get people off the streets permenantly, but also seeks to address many other issues the individual may be facing such as mental illness or substance abuse; issues typically related to homelessness (AHAR, 2014). While many participants may be skeptical about the services attached to their newfound housing, it has been found that the services offered are quite flexible to meet the needs of the individual (Ecker et al., 2014). Consumers of the services are able to choose, modify, or refuse services if they wish, as well as set their own goals in treatment programs (Ecker et al., 2014). This form of housing also allows for secondary benefits. Individuals housed through the Housing First approach are typically housed in close proximity to others facing similar difficulties, allowing a sense of community to build and foster (Collins et al., 2012). Having a sense of belonging can improve attitudes on building and developing positive relationships with others, which can serve as a safety net to detect early warning signs of an impending crisis (Collins et al., 2012). Another secondary benefit would be overall improved health of those in the Housing First approach, as well as better, cheaper access to health care (Larimer et al., 2009). It is also argued that the Housing First approach is a cheaper alternative
Homelessness has been a long standing problem in the United States dating back to the American Civil War and significantly increased during the Great Depression. After the Great Depression, even when the economy regained strength, homelessness continued to be a widespread problem (NLCHP, 2007). Due to the deindustrialization movement in 1950’s, many people lost their jobs. Factory jobs offered well-paid wages and needed little to no skill base. Therefore, during the deindustrialization movement, people were left with no source of income and no skills to find another job. As a result for the United States Government not establishing anything to a...
I am writing to inform you of the current homeless situation in Australia and how we solve fix it.
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. There needs to be action taken against them. "I shall now humbly propose my own thoughts, which I hope will not be liable to the least objection (Swift.)" I propose that all of the homeless be relocated to foreign third world countries. They can then be hired in American factories producing shoes, automobiles and other various goods at less than one dollar per hour.
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 amount of students who are or are in danger of becoming homeless has increase on our country over the years. Although society structured people to attend post-secondary school in order to receive a sustained career, there are some cases where college is simply too expensive. Many homeless students are not receiving a proper education due to these circumstances, which results of them dropping out. Because of this situation, there are different methods to combat students dropping out of college due to financial issues. However, increasing taxes and/or tuition would not benefit the situation without an increase of society’s knowledge and awareness in the topic.
The homeless population across the United States has become a problem, not a problem that is a large burden on the country, but a problem that persistently takes from our economies greatest potential. According to the International Journal of Psychosocial Research, the estimated homeless population in the United States can range from 600,000 to 2.5 million. The research conducted that 1.37 million of the total homeless population are children under the age of 18, 40% are families with children, 41 % are single males and 14% are single females. With government agencies seeking to lower and ultimately eliminate the homeless population, resources are being expended in order to discover how. With multiple government grants and large amounts of money being put into resources, there are constantly evolving solutions that present themselves. With these solutions being implemented throughout the country, a positive outcome being reached would source the solution to a worldwide problem. When the homeless population in the United States is reviewed, there are major occurrences that are repeating. The four main socio economic factors that affect the homeless population in the United States are alienation of the homeless, substance abuse, government involvement and police brutality.
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.
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).
Homelessness is a problem that happens in many different countries around the world. Definitions of homelessness are defined in different meanings by different people. However, the Stewart B. McKinney Act defines a homeless person as “ one who lacks a fixed permanent nighttime residence or whose nighttime residence is a temporary shelter, welfare hotel, or any public or private place not designed as sleeping accommodations for human beings” (McNamara 1025). It is impossible to find out exactly the number of homeless; however, the researchers can do a study to estimate that number. Based on different statistics from different researchers, the homeless population in America has been increasing as “an alarming rate” (Markos and Lima). Therefore, even though America is one of the most powerful countries in the world, homelessness, which has many common causes, has always been a big problem in society.
...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.
The police face many different issues while out on patrol every day. One issue is that of the homeless. In many cities, homelessness has been criminalized, but we, as a society, have to question if this is the right thing to do. Should people who have the misfortune of being homeless be punished further?
There are countless laws today that subliminally discriminate against homeless people. One such law was passed in 2014 that made it illegal to sleep in public areas of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Philosopher Jeremy Waldron and author of the essay “Homelessness and the Issue of Freedom” would view this law as extremely unconstitutional and immoral. Waldron would argue that making it illegal to sleep somewhere takes away the homeless persons freedom to live. I agree with Waldron on the claim that outlawing sleeping in public spaces is unconstitutional because by doing so one is taking away the homeless persons only home. For those who do not have a place to sleep the streets are their only homes. The law banning sleeping in public spaces therefore discretely makes it illegal for homeless people to even exist.
Homelessness is a subject that has inspired many to write poems, speeches, and even songs. However, there is more depth to homelessness than just a source for inspiration; this is an ongoing problem for many all over the world. The 40th president to the United States, Ronald Reagan, once said that "what we have found in this country, and maybe we're more aware of it now, is one problem that we've had, even in the best of times, and that is the people who are sleeping on the grates, the homeless, you might say, by choice."(Reagan). The president's expression is very powerful even today, implying that even in the best of times homelessness is one of the top issues in society. Notice how President Regan cleverly used the wording "by choice" at the end of the sentence, what did he mean to convey by this? Was he implying that those who are homeless are so by choice? Or that many individuals perceived homelessness to be a choice? Perhaps it was a way to raise awareness of the impending problems that can lead an individual to homelessness. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness and the National Coalition for the Homeless, there are three triggering factors that lead to homelessness, lack of affordable housing, unemployment, and health care ("Why Are People Homeless?"). Therefore, when exploring into more depth the determining reasons, considering the key roles that a home, money, and employment play in an individual’s life will facilitate a better understanding of the downward spiral towards homelessness.
Although homelessness is widespread and almost next to the catastrophic global hunger problems, it can be brought under control and its effect reduced to a greater percentage. By simply tracking the root causes of low wages and the lack of affordable housing as well as improving other support systems like housing vouchers and health care, homelessness can be solved.