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.…
Research shows that the lack of affordable housing is the primary cause of homelessness, where over 5 million homes have already been foreclosed since 2008. The growing gap between wage earnings and the high cost of housing in the United States has left millions unable to make ends meet, increasing the number of people who are now homeless due to foreclosures. According to the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) an estimated 12 million renter and homeowner households spend more than 50 percent of their annual income in order to pay for housing. HUD also notes that an acceptable percentage of monthly income should be no more than 30 percent and anything above 30 percent will prevent people from affording not only housing but…
Transitional Homelessness identifies those individuals that registers in a shelter for a day or up to one year. Younger adults are likely to be categorized under Transitional. Episodic is another form of Homelessness that affect individuals that occasionally enter shelter homes and not on a consistent basis. Factors such as Unemployment, Substance Abuse, and Mental Illness, and Domestic Violence have been identified as the main causes leading to homelessness. Episodic Homelessness are individuals that often register in and out of a shelter. Individuals are likely to be young in age, and go through chronic unemployment, substance abuse, and mental illness.…
My friends and I left the restaurant, laughing. It was getting dark and the city was beautifully lit. We smiled and chatted as we walked through downtown. Suddenly my eyes fell on a young woman arranging her sleeping quarters in the middle of the sidewalk. She looked barely older than me - she could have easily been a college student. The girl sat down and pulled a few dirty blankets over her body, preparing for the night’s sleep. I was staggered by the similarities between the two of us. Her face stuck in my memory as I got home and climbed into my comfortable bunk bed. People my age weren’t supposed to be homeless, were they? Where was her family, her connections? Why would she be on the streets? Were there more people like her or was she an anomaly? I realized I knew nothing about homelessness and had instead been subconsciously analyzing it with my own preconceptions as a basis. But I wasn’t the only one allowing myself to remain so misinformed. Research shows there are almost ubiquitous misconceptions concerning homelessness and the stigma against it, especially when it comes to the demographics of the homeless population, the amount of crimes…
“With respect of gender, the majority of the single homeless individuals are men (67.5%)” (Clark, 2015, p. 556). According to Clark homeless women are those who are abused or domestic violence, and 50% of homeless veterans are under 51 years of age and approximately 40% African Americans following Hispanic population. Most of the homeless people are present with some kind of diseases. “More often than causing homelessness, however, health care system factors make it more difficult for poor and homeless individuals to obtain health care and to prevent or resolve health problems” (Clark, 2015, p. 567).…
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.…
Homelessness is one of the biggest issues that people face in many counties. The United States faces many homelessness issues. Homelessness issues create many social, economical and security problems which should be dealt with very seriously by the government and the society as well to ensure the well being of all people in the society. Homeless issues differ from a city to another based on the typist of people and opportunities of each city. But let’s face it, what are the major causes of being homeless? There are many causes that could make the normal person living turned into homeless and that based on some causes such as: lack of education, work opportunities, mental, physical problems and social responsibilities.…
Homelessness is caused by certain circumstances that led people without a place to stay. Every person in life is worthy of having a place to live. Housing is one of the three necessities. People who do not have a stable home, are awaiting to face many challenges. Living on the street in a place like New York City is very dangerous. Even during the winter season, the weather is unbearable. It is too risky to have people living on the streets. Recently, there has been a tremendous increase in the amount of homeless people living in New…
People who have complex life issues related to mental illness and of substance use are the most common people who tend to be homeless. Serious mental illnesses, some caused from substance abuse can disrupt people’s ability to carry out essential aspects of daily life, such as a job, self care and household management. Mental illnesses may also prevent people from forming and maintaining stable relationships or cause people to misinterpret others’ guidance and react in an angry manner. This often results in pushing away caregivers, family, and friends who may be the force keeping that person from becoming homeless.…
He walks in the door, tired and weak. He has no car, or home, and he’s walked from the complete other side of town just to get food. Starving, he orders his sandwich with the utmost politeness. His name is Frank, a homeless man that we--at Jimmy John’s--give free food to. Frank comes in very often to get food, because there’s not many other ways for him to get food because he can’t afford it himself. Frank also suffers from mental disabilities, and it is incredibly sad to see him homeless and hungry like he is. Frank can not maintain a stable job because of these mental disabilities. Instead of neglecting the homeless for not getting a job, we should be doing everything we can to help them get back on their feet.…
Homeless people often depend on the highest-cost public service systems. They need emergency room care, hospital psychiatric beds, detoxification centers, and residential treatment programs, due to the fact that one-third of the people who are homeless have serious mental illnesses, and more than one-half of them also have substance use disorders. Many people who are homeless and have addictive disorders want treatment, but the service system is ill-equipped to respond to their needs, leaving them with no access to treatment services and recovery supports. Studies show that supported housing is an effective option for…
People who suffer from mental health issues, especially those who are poor, homeless, suffering from substance abuse issues are often unable to receive the mental health treatment they need (Jones, 2007). With mental health treatment left untreated many of the people will recidivate. There are approximately 600,000 men and women released from prison annually and approximately one-sixth of the prison population is receiving mental health treatment (Jones, 2007). In the New York City jails, there are approximately 25,000 mentally ill inmates released every year (Jones 2007). Seventy-five to eighty percent of who also suffer from drug or alcohol addiction (Jones, 2007).…
According to the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, "homeless youth are typically defined as unaccompanied youth between the ages of 12 and 24 who are without family support and who are living in shelters, on the streets, in cars or vacant buildings or who are "couch surfing" or living in other unstable circumstances." On any given night in the US, there is about half a million homeless individuals. 40 percent of that are homeless youth. It is important to say that exact numbers of homeless youth are hard to determine because the lack of standard methods and the mobility of the homeless population. The amount of homeless youth is staggering and heartbreaking. There are many factors that lead to homelessness, and many consequences…
America currently obtains more than 500,000 people living on the streets. Homelessness is a rising issue that is continuing at full speed. Everyday more people are forced to the streets with no other options. The main cause of homelessness is loss of income, divorce or breakups in a home, and traumatic incidents in a person’s life, these factors can push people out onto the streets and damage their mental and physical health.…
Millions of Americans suffer from a mental illness throughout the years, and a majority of them are not getting an adequate treatment. Individuals who experience a mental illness are found in populations such as the homelessness and jails. Between one-fourth and one-third of the homeless population suffers from a serious mental illness, (Folsom, Hawthorne, Lindamer, Gilmer, Bailey, Golshan, Garcia, Unutzer, Hough, Jeste, 2005) and according to the treatment advocacy center (2010) at least 16 percent of inmates in jails and prisons suffer from a mental illness. During the year 1970 there were 525,000 psychiatric beds in the United States that number dropped to 212,000 in 2002 Sharfstein, Dickerson (2009). The care for the mentally…