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Essay on homelessness statistics
Prevalence of homelessness in us 2018
Prevalence of homelessness in us 2018
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Finding Home
Introduction
What defines a home? Some might argue that it is simply a place of residence, but the truth is, a home holds much more meaning than that of a physical building. A home is a place where you feel truly comfortable and supported by those who surround you. It is the facilitator of a healthy mental state. A question arises, then, of how health is affected by the lack of a stable home. In his book Ragged Company, Richard Wagamese discusses the topic of homelessness through the development of his characters. Amelia Onesky, Timber, Double Dick, and Digger are all self-defined “rounders”; they are chronically, and almost professionally, homeless. They have learned to survive on the streets with next to nothing. When they
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The key to feeling included in society is feeling respected by those who surround you. It was said, “The more you dehumanize someone, the easier it is to do terrible things to them,” (Storied Streets, 2014). This is often a challenge faced by those who are homeless, as they are often treated as outsiders. The documentary Storied Streets (2014) argued that many people “don’t think of [homeless people] as human beings anymore, [they] just think of them as bums” and suggested it is the reason why homeless people are more likely to be abused than those who are not homeless. Their argument agrees largely with research that indicates social exclusion can be attributed to health inequities. Like those without housing, visible minorities are often excluded by parts of society, and it has been found that minorities have a lower life expectancy and worse overall health than that of non-minorities (Stafford, Newbold, Bruce, & Ross, 2011). Homeless people are arguably the most marginalized groups in society, so the rounders’ health was certainly negatively affected by a lack of social …show more content…
As demonstrated by the characters in Ragged Company, finding a home is not as easy as signing a lease. Sometimes people search their whole lives before finding a place that they can truly be themselves and be celebrated for it. As Dick said, “When you make it home, everything that made life difficult out there disappears. You become whole. You don’t stutter anymore, you think clearly, your body’s not old and tired. You’re healed,” (Wagamese, 2009, p.376). Material wealth only marginally improved the health of the characters in the book, while coping with mental trauma and trusting their friendship was what actually improved their lives. Even after they obtained housing, the most important home the rounders had was the one they found in each
A suburban life is a paradise full of shopping, colorful gardens, and well-groomed homes. Despite all these benefits, a suburban life is an isolated life. People living in suburbs are rarely exposed to miseries in society. One of these conflicts is homelessness. When living in an environment surrounded by homes, individuals often have difficulty imagining not being able to sleep in a warm bed, eat a proper meal or even receive necessary medical attention. This grim situation is depicted in the writings of Jeannette Walls. In the autobiography The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls accurately portrays homelessness by explaining its causes, its impact upon daily life, and its effect on victimized families.
For some individuals, this instability takes the form of drug or alcohol abuse. Whether it’s Lamar smoking marijuana with his son and his friends or more extreme examples such as Ned and Pam’s crack addiction and then subsequent incarceration, substance abuse is not uncommon in a system of poverty (23, 49). Desmond reasons this sort of behavior, writing “The distance between grinding poverty and even stable poverty could be so vast that those at the bottom had little hope of climbing out even if they pinched every penny. So they chose not to. Instead, they tried to survive in color, to season the suffering with pleasure” (219). While some individuals mask their emotions with self-medication, the rest suffer through the full emotional strain of poverty or eviction. Desmond reports that half of all recently evicted mothers exhibit several symptoms of clinical depression (298). Furthermore, he reveals that suicides associated with evictions or foreclosures doubled between 2005 and 2010 when housing costs were on the
The idea of homelessness is not an effortlessly characterized term. While the normal individual comprehends the essential thought of vagrancy, analysts in the sociological field have connected conflicting definitions to the idea of homelessness, justifiably so as the thought includes a measurement more exhaustive than a peculiar meaning of a single person without living arrangement. Homelessness embodies a continuum running from the nonappearance of a changeless safe house to poor living courses of action and lodging conditions. As per Wolch et al. (1988), homelessness is not an unexpected experience rather it is the zenith of a long procedure of investment hardship, disconnection, and social disengagement that has influenced a singular or family. Furthermore, states of vagrancy may come in fluctuating structures, for example, road habitation, makeshift home in safe houses, or help from administration associations, for example, soup kitchens and the Salvation Army. Homeless is characterized as those regularly poor and, once in a while, rationally sick individuals who are unable to uphold a spot to live and, subsequently, regularly may rest in boulevards, parks, and so forth (Kenyon 1991).
...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.
“3.5 million people will experience homelessness in a given year,”(Los Angeles Homeless Services). This shocking number is one of the sad truths in today’s society. Homelessness is caused by a wide range of things including financial issues. The life of a homeless person is hard and comes with set-backs and the constant need to overcome them. Homeless people go through many challenges in surviving without a home. They can suffer from health issues, hunger, and poor emotional well-being.
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.
In society, the wealth of an individual is determined by the house they live in. In Ragged Company, the character Timber combats this idea by providing an alternate view on the idea of home. The dictionary definition of home according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary is “one’s place of residence” (Home), however, Timber attaches to the connotative definition. This definition conveys that a home is a place or person where one feels safe and comfortable. Coordinated with this definition, the author of Ragged Company goes into detail of the lives of several homeless people and higher middle class man. These characters interact and evolve with each other in ways that support Timber’s claim. Granite and Digger come from different backgrounds but
Homelessness is increasing more every year. In fact, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, over 640,000 people experience homelessness every night. (Hunger and Homelessness in North America) By definition, the homeless are groups of people that do not have a home. They can be people who are mentally ill, unemployed, veterans, or even children born into unfortunate families. Since they have nowhere to go, the homeless usually live inside abandoned buildings, in the streets, or in makeshift homes, such as a cardboard box or homemade tent. Although some work to find a decent home, many still suffer from depression or are psychically disabled and cannot work. (Overview of Homelessness in America) These people do not choose to be homeless, instead they become homeless due to a series of unfortunate events; namely losing their source of income or becoming homeless by birth. One instance of this occurred in the life of Hazel Washington. Hazel was fleeing an abusive relationship when she moved in with her relative and his girlfriend, but she was not told about their impending eviction. Because of this, her roommates took everything she owned an...
Having a house and having a home used to coincide. Families used to live in the same house for generations, but now the sentimental value of having a house has changed. As Quindlen puts it, “There was a time when where you lived often was where you worked and where you grew the food you ate and even where you were buried. When that era passed, where you lived at least was where your parents had lived and where you would live with your children when you became enfeebled” (Quindlen 215). However, over time even that changed. Now we have grown to live in a house and then move on like it was nothing. Sentimental value for a house has dwindled. Quindlen demonstrates that “suddenly, where you lived was where you lived for three years, until you could move on to something else and something else again” (Quindlen 215). However, for those without a house, they would give anything to have that sentimental feeling that used to come with having a house. But that’s just the problem; for most a house and a home no longer coincide. We can own a house but not have a home, or vice versa. After all, “Home is where the heart is. There’s no place like it” (Quindlen 214). People can have a home without having a house. A home simply means having a family,
?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...
The presence of a home is a direct reflection of the individuals living in that home. “You are where you live”, stated Anna Quindlen in her article Homeless. Where one lives is a representation of how they feel about themselves. It reveals their perception and value of life. Home life breeds compassion and character. “I don’t believe that one is born compassionate.” (Ascher) She also goes on to state that ...
Today in the United States, there are over 1,750,000 adults living on the streets (Deforge, 2003). In a study by The National Center for Family Homelessness, 1 in 45 children are homeless. When one contemplates what it means to be homeless many words may come to mind: derelict, sad downtrodden, dirty, lazy, and many more. There is a stigma connected with the word homeless, and the people it describes. This research investigates how social stigma impacts the opportunities of homeless individuals in our country, as well as around the world. This is an issue that severely needs to be dealt with, because if society can improve the lives of the most unfortunate individuals in our society, society will improve the lives of everyone around as well. Like the old saying goes, “you’re team is only as good as your worst player,” so it is with society. Creating better living situations for the homeless could result in more jobs (building new homes, providing assistance, management), a community seems less run down (no more men and women sleeping on park benches or begging for money on the corner), happier individuals (somewhere to belong, people to talk to about their issues, they can get the help they need), and many other options. There are so many facets to this topic, that to truly delve into a solution one must use more than one perspective.
BWOM predominantly targets the Adult population, whom are struggling with substance abuse issues and chronic homelessness. The majority of the clients at BWOM is men with a long history of instability, mental/physical health issues and also has contracted the HIV/AID virus. As implies earlier, a large number of the male clients as well as female clients have suffered with ongoing trauma that have planted a seed of hopelessness and despair for most of them. As a result, their addiction have landing them in countless jails, institutions, and nil death situations. Moreover, these men come from diverse backgrounds; however, they all share a commonality which is they do not know how to live life on life terms (Life on life’s terms, 2016). Furthermore,
Additionally, they have worse health outcomes and higher mortality rates than the wider populations (Saddichha et al. 2014, p204). However the most focused distinction is how some of these individuals reside in public spaces, thus they are the likely targets of regulations by the law. Due to their visibility, homeless individuals have become subjected to public order offences for activities that would not have been a crime if done in a private sphere (Saunders et al. 2014, pp46-47). Therefore, the ways in how behaviours of the homeless are governed to reduce encounters with the community will be examined in the next
The reason that I believe myself to be currently better off than the women in the article is because I have a house to go home to every night. Although these women have at one point have had house with a roof