Becoming Homelessness In The 1600's

During the Great Depression, the homeless were almost glamorized as vagabonds who rode the rails with their belongings neatly tied up in a bandana over their shoulder. Today, the homeless can be anyone: children or women escaping an abusive relationship or those who just cannot afford to pay for housing. While some homeless people maintain employment of some sort, long term homelessness is usually a function of the inverse; either severely under-employed or no income stream at all with which to pay rent and utilities. While quite a bit of academic research has shown the need to focus on societal causes of homelessness, people who are homeless seem to be increasingly perceived and treated within a paradigm of individual sickness. While

The homeless have been a part of society for centuries, but in America, the trend of homelessness has not been on a national level until the past 30 years. During the 1980’s, homelessness was not a major concern throughout the United States, and the government did not pay much attention to it. As a matter of fact, it was not until “[t]he Reagan Administration

Homelessness has been a consistent concern since the colonization of the United States and the separation from England. However, despite the desire for new beginnings once arriving in the States, old circumstances remained and an adoption of previous solutions was implemented. The term used for those homeless has transitioned throughout the decades; however, the beginning expression used was vagrants (Levinson & Ross, 2007). This term was given due to the connotation of being “…wanderers without a home, but also likely to participate in criminal activity” (Levinson & Ross, p. 1, 2007). Though this terminology is not as prevalent today, the negative association between homelessness and crime still exists.

Homelessness tends to be associated with images of people who sleep in the streets, parks, subways, and sidewalks; who lack shelter of any kind, and are transient throughout the year, moving from place to place. The homeless are sometimes considered as undeserving of support; they are frequently stigmatized as being mentally ill, out of control, and are viewed by some as personally responsible for their situation (Phelan, Link, Moore & Stueve, 1997).

It is never easy to see a homeless person on the street begging for food or money. I would choose to see what is going on in the world

Many of us take for granted having adequate housing, health care, food and clothing while others are forced to do without.

Throughout the world many people live in poverty. There may see to be more laws that are put into place to help those in need. However, it is hard to provide support to those who refuse to take advantage of it. There is currently over five-hundred thousand homeless people in America. A lot of what was talked about in the Glass Castle and in our text book, showed a connection of how social work could have been applied.

Every homeless person has their own story for why they don’t have a home or income whether it is they immigrated to a new country, a disability, or they lost their job. Whatever the situation is, they all have their unique story. We shouldn’t be quick to judge or assume it was their decision. Sometimes we aren’t able to control a situation and for some people they are forced to

Growing up I’ve heard many reasons why people are homeless. One is that they didn't have enough money to support themselves, because they spent it on wants, and not necessities like, drugs, and alcohol. Another is that a person is mentally challenged, and doesn't have the capacity, or skills to function in, “the real world” and can't support themselves, and end up on the streets. They also don't have a support system, or the means to find assistants, and their only option may be, to end up on the streets.

Homelessness is a social problem that is everywhere. When driving a car or walking down the street, sooner or later, there will be a homeless person. The exact number of homeless in America is difficult to obtain, but it is estimated that 2.3 to 3.5 million people nationwide will experience homelessness every year (Thompson. p. 2). Why are they homeless? While the causes of homelessness vary, there are a few reasons which are always present. Learning some of these reasons can help give a better understanding of the homeless situation. Homelessness is a social problem in America caused by financial difficulties, domestic violence, and substance abuse.

Sadly in present day homelessness has nothing to do with a person's worth. Homelessness is a social issue with many variables. For those who experience homelessness, the impact of the values are still universal. In America many still hold this belief, that one only needs to lift themselves by their bootstraps and into the pursuit of the American dream and for those who cannot, they deserve to be penniless being that they bring no “added value” to society.

The result of being homeless can result in loss of your possessions, privacy along with your security just to name a few. You have to reestablish your entire life and adjust to the vulnerability of trauma such as physical and sexual assault,

Homelessness is a very huge problem that America has come to face. Millions of people, including children, families, babies, veterans, and the elderly live day after day without food, water or a roof over their heads. People that are mentally ill also have it tough on the streets, which can be extremely confusing to them, and dangerous to the rest of society. This problem must be solved soon, and therefore should be addressed as a major crisis that is affecting our society.

The lack of dignity that these individuals feel is a direct effect of society’s disrespect for the lower class. The stereotypes of the homeless conceived by upper social classes, cause the lower class to lose any respectable role they may have in society. A homeless man in Oberlin, Ohio says, “Many of us historically invisible people, in our quest for visibility, have chosen to take the routes of organization and alliance building. Often we tend to find that our muted voices have more resonance, bass, and credibility within these snugly, institutionally sanctioned cubby holes” (Laymon). After failing to get sufficient help through

That is another good point to address when dealing with the issue of poverty and homelessness. Most can be found either literally living on the streets like we most commonly see. Others have small shacks or rundown houses that they drudge through day to day. The rest are usually in shelters provided by the city or the U.S. government. These shelters typically consist of a large room such as a gym at a community center, or a YMCA. What about those who don’t have or can’t get access to a shelter? These are the unfortunate ones. Those who cannot seek shelter, food, or some sort of income will ultimately die if nothing is done to change their situation.