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Homelessness in canada essays
Sociological approach to ending homelessness
Sociological approach to ending homelessness
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Throughout this paper I will be discussing the issue of homelessness and how it is steadily becoming a more serious problem as time progresses. I will discuss issues that surround homelessness such as the NIMBY, not in my backyard, issue and how it is causing the homeless to not receive the help that they need. This is an issue that needs to change, but due to NIMBYism, it is very difficult create such change.
“One diverse population that has continued to increase over the quarter of a century is composed of people who are homeless” (Baggerly & Zalaquett, 2006, p.155). Homelessness has become a growing problem in society because more and more people are finding themselves to be homeless and not knowing where to turn. Many people do not feel the need to help them and carry the ‘not in my backyard’ attitude, and due to this attitude, there are not enough homeless shelters around to provide shelter or food for those in need. Many neighborhoods refuse to have a shelter built in their community because they simply do not want the homeless in their neighborhood. “It [appears] that NIMBYism was based on the unwarranted fears and prejudices of a neighborhood” (Gilbert, 1993, p.7), and some of these fears and prejudices are pressed upon the homeless. The negative views that society has upon them create barriers as to where a shelter should be located, and also lessen the urgency to make them. If less people in society carried these negative views, the easier the issue of homelessness would be to deal with. Change could finally happen because more people would want to fight for that change.
Due to ‘NIMBYism’, society as a whole causes the issue of homelessness to be a less serious case to deal with simply because not enough people h...
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...nment would start putting more money into funding that would support this cause, instead of making it even more difficult for someone to help themselves.
Works Cited
Baggerly, J., & Zalaquett, C. (2006). A Descriptive Study of Single Adults in Homeless Shelters: Increasing Counselors' Knowledge and Social Action. Journal of Multicultural Counseling & Development, 34(3), 155-167. Retrieved from SocINDEX with Full Text database.
Gilbert, D. (1993). Not in My Backyard. Social Work, 38(1), 7-8. Retrieved from SocINDEX with Full Text database.
Homan, M.S. (2008). Promoting Community Change: Making it happen in the real world. (5th Ed.). Belmont, CA. Nelson Education, LTD.
Rahder, B. (2006). The Crisis of Women's Homelessness in Canada. Women & Environments International Magazine, (70/71), 38-39. Retrieved from SocINDEX with Full Text database.
Even with the daily struggle faced by youth in obtaining shelter and homelessness becoming a reality for a growing number of Canadians, Canada, with its high quality of life is one country that has always had a global long-standing reputation. This paper will be working towards giving the reader a better understanding with regards to homeless youth. It will be focusing on the reasons why they leave home, their lives on the street and steps they are trying to take to be able to leave the streets. An important finding from this research suggests, “the street youth population is diverse, complex, and heterogeneous”. According to Karabanow, made up of a number of subcultures including hardcore street-entrenched young people, squatters, group home kids, child welfare kids, soft-core twinkles, runaways, throwaways, refugees and immigrants is the generic term ‘street youth’.
Tunstall, L. (2009). Homelessness: an overview. EBSCO Publishing Service Selection Page. Retrieved February 5, 2011, from http://web.ebscohost.com/pov/detail?hid=119&sid=d5f751fa-0d0d-4ed1-8deb-483e701af50c%40sessionmgr111&vid=3&bdata=Jmxhbmc9ZW4tY2Emc2l0ZT1wb3YtY2Fu#db=p3h&AN=28674966
Homelessness is a condition of people who lack regular access to adequate housing. As this condition becomes a growing problem in Canada people are forced to deal with the issues. Who are the homeless? They range from children to adults and even in some cases, families. Why are they homeless? Poverty, lack of jobs or well paying jobs, decline in Social Services, domestic violence, mental illness, and chemical dependency contribute to the majority of the homeless within our society. What effects does being homeless have on members of the family? It contributes to many physical and mental health problems for both parents and their children. Homelessness is a world-wide issue, yet zeroing in on Canada, the majority of the homeless live on the streets of Toronto and Vancouver where they seek shelter anywhere from a park bench to dark alleys. The fact remains that homelessness will always be a problem yet over the years, the number of homeless people has been on the rise and something must be done. Homelessness, specially in families, is a devastating experience. It disturbs nearly all aspects of family life, damaging the physical and emotional health of family members. In addition, it interferes with children's education and development and often results in the separation of family members. It is hard to say exactly who the homeless are because it is usually a temporary circumstance and not a permanent condition. -2- Therefore more appropriate manner of estimating homelessness is to look at the number of people who are currently experiencing homelessness rather than the number of "homeless people". WHO ARE THE HOMELESS Homeless people range anywhere from 11 to 65 years of age. Most studies show that homeless adults are most likely to ...
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.
...ty for increasing the likelihood that women will become homeless. Female single parent families rose form 23.7 % of all families in poverty in 1960 to 52.6 % of all families in poverty in the mid 1990's. (Hagen, 1994). As a result of historical growth in women's poverty and female headed family homelessness, it has been increasingly important for research to focus on the unique sets of issues and problems that women's homelessness presents.
Introduction Researchers from the Parliament of Canada have proven that there are “as many as 300,000 homeless in Canada” . Homelessness is a major social issue which is present in society throughout most of the world; when it comes to Canada it is no exception. The homeless are known as people who do not have a home or a stable place of residence, they are seen as individuals who sleep in “shelters, public places, vehicles, abandoned building or someone else’s home” . In the past few years homelessness in Canada has become a growing social issue. Researchers say that there are approximately one hundred million homeless individuals who live in public areas, which means they are that one hundred million out one billion homeless individuals
If you do not already know what homelessness means, it is someone who is not able to live in a stable residence because of financial or psychological problems, so they are forced to live on the streets or put themselves on the streets, because they feel it would be a better fit. Homelessness in Canada is a very large and concerning issue because of the growing population.
Romeo, Jim. "Homelessness in America Is a Growing Problem." Poverty and Homelessness. Ed. Noël Merino. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2009. Current Controversies. Rpt. from "A Roof of One's Own: Homelessness Is Growing, but Solutions Are Out There." Planning 71.11 (Dec. 2005): 12-16. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 11 Dec. 2013.
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.
...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.
“Homeless is more than being without a home. It is tied into education needs, food, security; health issues both mental and physical, employment issues, etc. Don’t forget the whole picture.” (“Boxed In” 2005 pg. 108)
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.
In conclusion, homelessness has taken a toll on millions of people around the world. Being physically or spiritually deprived of shelter has forced many people to face this gruesome situation. Observing ones stance on the issue, analyzing why the homeless resorts to violence to remedy their problems, and examining new and creative ways of helping the desolate, by implementing new plans to end this unfortunate situation, can provide better lives for the downtrodden and forgotten. No matter who you are, or what you do, everyone is affected by homelessness. Even if you have not experienced losing your dwelling firsthand, there is no doubt that almost every community is stricken with homelessness. Keep in mind that most of us are one paycheck away from being homeless ourselves.
Hopper, Kim. “Housing the Homeless.” Social Policy 28.3 (1998): 64+. Academic OneFile. Web. 29 Oct. 2013.