The United States Homeless Population

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Introduction

In the United States the homeless population continues to grow rapidly. Homelessness has been a public health issue for many decades. Often times these individuals feel as though society has turned a blind eye to them. This at risk population is seen by society as lazy or chose to live a life on the streets, but if one would examine this population closely would see that there is more to this at risk population than what society has labeled them as. The forces, which affect homelessness, are multifaceted. Social forces such as family breakdown, addictions, and mental illnesses are in combined with structural forces such as lack of low-cost housing, insufficient health services, and poor economic conditions. Many would never know that our veteran population makes up a huge number of out homeless population. The focus of this paper is to provide an in depth review of literature, review of group interventions, and a critique of the current group interventions.
Review of Literature of Homeless Population

Today in the United States homelessness is affecting approximately 1.5 million
Americans each year (Brown, Thomas, Cutler, & Hinderlie, 2013). For decades America described the homeless population as alcoholic men. That description has changed today. Many individuals that are homeless include families, children, and woman. More studies are showing that the new homeless population as younger and single woman. Minorities have significantly contributed more to the homeless population than ever before. Families with younger children currently are the fastest growing element to the homeless population
(Fischer & Breakey, 1991).).
The definition of homelessness is often defined by congress’s 1987 Mckinney-V...

... middle of paper ...

...nity Ment Health J 43: 527–544.

Somers, J. M., Rezansoff, S. N., Moniruzzaman, A., Palepu, A., & Patterson, M. (2013).

Housing First Reduces Re-offending among Formerly Homeless Adults with Mental

Disorders: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial. Plos ONE, 8(9), 1-8.

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0072946

Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C 11431 (1987)

Tsai, J., Mares, A. S., & Rosenheck, R. A. (2012). Do Homeless Veterans Have the Same Needs

and Outcomes as Non-Veterans?. Military Medicine, 177(1), 27-31.

Tsai, J., Pietrzak, R., & Rosenheck, R. (2013). Homeless Veterans Who Served in Iraq and

Afghanistan: Gender Differences, Combat Exposure, and Comparisons with Previous

Cohorts of Homeless Veterans. Administration & Policy In Mental Health & Mental

Health Services Research, 40(5), 400-405. doi:10.1007/s10488-012-0431-y

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