Homelessness in Sacramento

Social stratification is the hierarchical arrangement of large social groups on the basis of their control over basic resources (Kendall, 1998, p.24). By ranking each social class in society, those who fall in the underclass are referred to as the poor. They typically live in areas with high rates of poverty and few opportunities to improve their lives. But what about those who have less than the lower class. There is a rising population of people who have lost everything and therefore must take shelter in the local parks, abandoned buildings, overpasses, and any other form of protection against the elements (Schutt, 2011). Homelessness is a social problem affecting our nation, which can only continue to grow if society does not make a change. Eitzen, Zinn, and Smith (2011) define a social problem as inducing material or psychic suffering for certain segments of the population; there are sociocultural phenomena that prevent a significant number of societal participants from developing and using their full potential; and there are discrepancies between what a country such as the United States is supposed to stand for (equality and opportunity, justice, and democracy) and the actual living conditions in which many of its people live (p.9). The population of those who are homeless is difficult to specifically identify. Many are often huddled in small areas and do not travel far from a location, but others may travel from region to region causing the numbers to be skewed.
Sacramento, California has many local and nationally run organizations and businesses dedicated to assisting those who have fallen on hard times. One organization particularly has provided many opportunities to not only provide assistance to the local homeless population, but also worked with local and statewide policy makers to reduce the rates of homelessness in the region. Sacramento Steps Forward (SSF) is more than just a food bank. Providing both temporary and permanent

References: Cronley, C. (2010). Unraveling the social construction of homelessness. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 20(2), p.319-333. doi: 10.1080/10911350903269955. Eitzen, D., Zinn, M., & Smith, K. (2011). Social Problems (12th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. Kendall, D. (1998). Social Problems in a Diverse Society. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon. Lee, B., Lewis, D., & Jones, S. (1992). Are the homeless to blame?. The Sociological Quarterly, 33: 535–552. doi: 10.1111/j.1533-8525.1992.tb00142.x Sacramento Steps Forward. (2013). Schutt, R. (2011). Homelessness, housing, and mental illness. The American Journal of Psychiatry 169(2). Williams S. & Stickley, T. (2011). Stories from the streets: people’s experiences of homelessness. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 18(5), p.432-438.