The Pros And Cons Of Homelessness

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Homelessness takes many forms and affects two to three million Americans at one point within their lifetime (US Department of Health and Human Services, n.d.). It is such a concern in our society that a specific goal for this population was added to Healthy People 2020 (Health People 2020, 2013). There are many stereotypes, stigmas and judgment cast on the population of the homeless. Many describe someone who is homeless as a “bum,” who lives on the street. Do we really know that person’s story to call them a bum? In reality, homelessness can be caused by natural disasters, poverty, mental illness, disabilities, drug and alcohol abuse and an abundance of other unfortunate reasons (Zlotnick, Zerger & Wolfe, 2013). Homelessness affects children, elderly, veterans, families, men, women, lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual individuals (Zlotnick et al, 2013). There are many associated risks with homelessness, which are heat stroke, hypothermia, respiratory infections, emotional and physical trauma, nutritional deficits and mental illness …show more content…

These include:
1. Financial – Homeless individuals lack the money to pay for basic survival needs such as clothing, shelter and food.
2. Transportation – The majority of homeless people do not own vehicles to get back and forth, nor can they afford to pay for the gas if they did. Taxis are very costly, bus routes do not often reach where they want to go, and they often lack the social network of family and friends to help them with transportation.
These two categories of obstacles could, in certain cases, possibly be caused by the lack of interaction with others (family and friends) within the homeless person’s life, or the mere existence of others in their lives (Kirby, 2014). Homeless people as a whole are not proud of being in their circumstance and it is not something that they want to advertise to the world, or to the individuals that they care for in their

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