sociology

PBH 324 HOMELESSNESS: Social and Health Perspectives 3 credits Homelessness is a topic I can relate to very well, coming from a poor background and living from paycheck to paycheck has caused me to be out of residences for over ten months.It was very hard to comprehend, living under a hotel with my two daughters taught me to seek out and learn what causes homelessness.Having a background of being a nurse it was hard for me to live without a roof over my head.My oldest daughter was pregnant at the time and had no adequate health care , so it was tough for us.I am petitioning for credit from Excelsior College toward my degree in the Health Sciences department.This class will meet one of my health sciences cores.I learned a lot from being homeless.Writing is my best subject and talking with several ladies over the years who was homeless with smaller children made me learn that being homeless is a social disease and sometimes not a mental disease.Associating homelessness with mental illness does tie in for some people.
Definition of homelessness-Homelessness is where a person does not have an adeqauete roof over their heads according to society’s views.Living in a shelter, sleeping on the streets, no permanent place of residence are a definition of homelessness.
Identifying who are homeless .
How many homeless people there are .Since 1970 approximately over a million.(Jencks,1994).
Challenges in counting people who are homeless.(The Census Bureau, only goes to homes, not street corners).
How much has the state of homeless changed over the years.(since 1989 it has rose over 5 percent of homelessness rates Jencks,1994).
Homelessness Issues-Poverty,chronic homelessness,mental illness,substance abuse,culture of homelessness.(Various of changes occurred from the emergence of crack cocaine to the downfall of the economy). Homelessness:Social Contexts and Identity of Self
Social coping strategies
Concepts of self
Social capital
Bonding and Bridging