Summary: Chris Gardner (born February 9, 1954) is an American entrepreneur, investor, stockbroker, author during the 1980s, and now motivational speaker who struggled with homelessness while raising his toddler son. Chris himself was a very smart man who lacked a formal education, he joined the U.S Navy after high school but impressed many peers around him in such fields like medicine. Chris went into medical research without being previously educated but taught many of the students trained. The first half of the book is mostly concerned on Chris' struggle through his childhood. It shows the horrors he endured, the constant abuse he received as well as the gut-wrenching details of him being forced to watch his mother being abused throughout…
In her article “ Our Tired, Our Poor, Our Kids.” Anna Quindlen discusses the issue about homeless families in the United States and the impact of homelessness on the children. Quindlen describes one situation where six people, a woman and five children, live together in a room the size of a master bedroom. The idea, Quindlen says, is that the ineffectiveness of the welfare system has negative impact on families, particularly, mothers and their offsprings . She poses the statement that each day the younger children go to daycare, while the others go to school. During that time their mother, Sharanda, looks for an apartment when she isn’t at her drug-treatment meetings. Quindlen suggests that ultimately shelters will become the…
There are different reasons why someone can end up homeless. In today’s economy it is an increasing reality. The website Homeless in America states that “in 2011, for every 10,000 individuals, there were about 21 homeless individuals.” (Homeless in America, 2012) The two populations I have chosen to discuss are the eldery and the new poor. Both of these populations have unique challenges to being homeless.…
A problem that persists through every part of the world is a lack of compassion for the homeless. No matter how many charities are available for people to donate to, they are often careless and forgetful. This problem stems from laziness and a lack of motivation to be involved. This carelessness can account for the lack of resources or the lack of knowledge about resources for the homeless.…
Homelessness affects others around with either sorrow within when seeing them on the streets, frustration, or fearfulness when having to walk to your car at night in their presence. Homelessness affects business owners who have their customers scared away by the homeless. Who this issue greatly affects however, are the homeless themselves as they become more aggressive and gain a sense of dependency on others. Frosch demonstrates that these homeless people firmly believe that panhandling is a legitimate source of income and are contingent on it.…
were living in unsheltered locations.” (1) Out of those numbers, 12 in every 10,000 people residing in…
Homeless people are a part of a vulnerable population who face a very real risk of developing health issues at a rate higher than the rest of the population due to certain disadvantages and co-morbidities. The homeless population is often exposed to the harsh elements of the weather and lack access to basic necessities such as food, shelter, clothing, and medication. Housing in shelters and transitional homes are not constant and reliable, leaving the homeless population no choice but to spend their days and nights out in the streets. A vulnerable population is defined as those who are at a higher risk than others of developing health issues due to their social status, personal finances, lack of access to resources, or personal characteristics such as age,…
According to the Homelessness in Arizona 2011 Annual Report there were 25,000 individuals who experiences homelessness in 2011 (Homelessness in Arizona 2011 Annual Report, pg. 3). I personally, along with other students and faculty of Arizona State University, take the valley light rail to campus every day to class and often at night. As a result, we have become accustomed to seeing and interacting with the homeless community; whether by choice or they [homeless individuals] come(s) up to us. I have nothing personally against the homeless but they do create hostility and cause students such as myself to feel unsafe and uncomfortable. Another thing that can come into play when dealing with the homeless people of Tempe is the fact that they travel on the light rail from all over the valley. We as a…
Homelessness has a profound effect on people. Life for a homeless person is very hard.…
Homeless people all around the world are starving and nobody is doing anything about it. Homelessness is defined as a person who "lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." (Cite)They are starving because of the poverty in the world, the whole world's population as we know it, and community's pretending not to see it happening . Poverty is a big thing that affects homelessness in the U.S (cite) . The population increases every day and that makes the world more populated and creates more homeless people. The community pretends that they do not see people and just let them die right in their faces Worldwide, homelessness is caused by a breakdown in traditional family support systems, continued urbanization, the effects of structural adjustment programs, civil wars, and natural disasters. (Cite)…
I come from a fairly large city in California so I’ve been around many homeless people throughout my life. I’ve had good and bad experiences when it comes to being around them and dealing with them. My initial view of the homeless is that they are somewhat lazy and that a lot of them are on drugs. I feel this way because I’ve seen and dealt with so many sick, obnoxious people on the streets aggressively asking for money. I always think to myself, if I were in that situation I would find a way. There are so many resources that help people get back on their feet. Instead of begging on the streets, I would go get help. Instead of asking for money, I would ask for help from one of the many organizations so I can find a job and make my own money. However, there is another side of me that is extremely empathetic. This side of me knows that something sad and unfortunate must have happened to these people and that this life isn’t their choice. For example, children that are born into homeless families, people with mental illnesses, and of course people who have been laid off of work.…
Homeless refers to the people who do not have an adequate and permanent residence. They live and sleep in the streets or in impoverished shelters, under bridges, or on street curbs. Although homelessness, which is a construct of poverty, is an important issue in all countries, it is particularly if interest within the United States because it is wealthier that many other nations; yet, a much higher share of its population has income near or below the poverty line, resulting in millions homeless citizens. The social phenomenon has increased since the 1980s and many state officials and social aid organizations and institutions are addressing the issue head on. This policy analysis will use empirical research to reveal how poverty has a negative effect on communities and inevitably, the thriving of poor oppressed people, leaving millions homeless, when systems fail them. Also, this paper will discuss the current issues that America has with homelessness and also the history of this social woe. Additionally, you will read the social structural sources that are responsible for this social problem such as lack of employment, under education, institutional racism, which are just a few of the factors…
Homeless people have the tendency to treat the streets of cities like their personal homes. It’s only natural that they do this because hey, the streets are their homes. But this becomes a problem when you are strolling the streets of your beautiful city and are overwhelmed and distressed by the horrific stench of urine and waste consume the side walk. Like I said before, the sidewalks are homeless people’s homes but when you have to hold your breath, it becomes a problem.…
When walking through a major city, have you ever wondered why most of the homeless community seems to suffer from a mental disability? The truth is over 50% of the homeless suffer from mental illness; in fact, the rise in mental illness in the homeless community can be traced as a direct impact from the Reagan administration from the mid 1980’s. After becoming elected, former president Reagan passed several acts which deliberately released hundreds of thousands of uncured mentally ill patients from secure institutions by defunding most mental health services. Almost five decades later, we see the repercussions of those acts in the form of homelessness, which has risen by 26% in major urban cities, and nearly 50% of homeless citizens suffer…
Homelessness in America is more serious than people think. There are more vacant homes in America than homeless people. That should set off alarms in people’s heads. Also, not just old men and women are homeless. The LGBTQ community has a lot of people out on the street, mostly due to the lack of acceptance they receive from other people. There’s also a huge risk for transgenders in shelters, some even being turned away and banned from some homes (LGBT Homeless 1). 20% of the whole homeless population is LGBTQ, which might not sound like a lot, but that equals to a lot. It seems that the portion of the LGBTQ community that is homeless are more prone to abuse and mistreatment as well. 58.7% of the LGBTQ youth have been sexually assaulted or victimized. That is a sickening number. The suicide rate is also very high, it being around 62%. It’s also shown that homeless heterosexuals aren’t prone like the LGBTQ are, which is also a sad thing to hear (LGBT Homeless 1).…