Imagine having no safe place to return to, or to call home. You spend each night on a park bench with waste cardboard, which you call your bed. As you wake up every morning, you search for areas with public access to clean yourself. When you are hungry, you search the nearest garbage can to keep you from starving. For the rest of the day, you sit near the corner of a shopping centre, begging for spare change so you can purchase the bare necessities. You watch people walk past you, hoping they will notice you and help you out. Good morning delegates of the United Nations. My name is Yuina Akamatsu, and I will be speaking as a representative of Australia. Homelessness is a never ending societal problem and remains a key issue for many years …show more content…
Financial woes contribute to homelessness in significant ways. Declining wages and job cuts have a direct impact to this issue as it makes it difficult to meet social responsibilities such as paying rent. Another key factor is the lack of affordable housing. Although the income per person is declining, the cost of housing is increasing year by year. The two aspects correlate, which puts housing out of reach for many people. Having no shelter is unsafe, which contradicts Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “You have the right to live, and to live in freedom and …show more content…
Abusive behaviour can occur in any type of domestic relationship, including family relationships and spousal relationships. According to a survey collected from the SBS, the statistics are that one in every six women will be victims of domestic violence from the age of 15. Out of the large population homeless people, 37.8% of them were homeless due to escaping domestic and family violence. Countless families and individuals leave their houses seeking for a new start, as they believe having no money and being safe is more vital than having money but being in fear. Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that we have the rights to be protected under many circumstances, however the current situation of homeless people evidently opposes this human right. With our own eyes, we see the homeless. With our ears, we hear the homeless pleading for help. This is not an issue that has arisen in the past year or decade; we as individuals already have knowledge of this issue, yet we don’t do anything about it. As global citizens, I believe it is time for us to face the homeless and lend them a helping hand. No matter what gender, age, race or ethnicity, everyone should have a place to call home. We must raise more awareness for the homeless and do our part to make sure that each person has the fundamental human needs that they are entitled
The issue of homelessness in regard to shelter in Australia has been prevalent for an extended period of time in the 21st century. Homelessness is the situation in which individuals are unable to attain a permanent and adequate quality of shelter. Shelter is a human right as stated under article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which specifies “Housing” as part of the standard of living required for an individual to maintain their wellbeing. Australia’s law specifies no legal right to shelter, however as a party of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), the Australian government must recognise that all individuals should be entitled to “an adequate standard of living for themself and their family”, where one criteria is “adequate housing” as stated in article 11. It is imperative that in order to fulfil both Australia’s obligation to uphold human rights and maintain social cohesion within society both legal and non-legal responses are effective in dealing with both the causes and effects of homelessness.
“One diverse population that has continued to increase over the quarter of a century is composed of people who are homeless” (Baggerly & Zalaquett, 2006, p.155). Homelessness has become a growing problem in society because more and more people are finding themselves to be homeless and not knowing where to turn. Many people do not
Homelessness is all our responsibility. Waking every morning in a warm bed in a secure house for some Australians is only a dream. Every day more and more people are becoming or are at risk of becoming homeless as the global economy crumbles away and monetary resources become harder to find. What is homelessness: the Australian Government Department of Health (2005) defines homelessness as a person who is without a conventional home. Homeless Australians have become disconnected from family and friend and has few, if any resource and very little prospect of achieving financial independence without Government assistant. This assessment will talk about Australia’s history with homelessness, it will go onto to talk about the Government’s role
Transition: Now that i've discussed how poverty is constructed, I will share with you how personal problems play a role in homeless.
A place of safety and security is something that many of us take for granted, until we are confronted in our own neighborhood by someone holding up a sign pleading for help. Homelessness is a problem that has been afflicting hundreds of thousands of people around the world for ages. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, on a single night in 2016, 549,928 people were experiencing homelessness in the United States. That means that there were at least 500,000 individuals suffering without a place to lay their heads at night. In this report I will be discussing the causes of homelessness, who is affected, how it affects people, and homeless mistreatment.
Homelessness in America has existed for some time now, but has grown and changed majorly over the years since the 1980’s. According to Mary Hombs, “the prevailing stereotype of a homeless person was that of a middle-aged white urban male alcoholic” (6). But now there is no stereotype because homelessness could happen to anyone at any moment, so that is why it important to be aware. Millions of people in this country do not have a place to live including whole families, children, veterans, and even the mentally ill. Going day after day without food or shelter. Throughout this paper the main focus will be answering the questions: What is homelessness?; What are the main causes of homelessness?: Who is the homeless?; and How do the people of this country assist the homeless?
Structural factors of homelessness affect people due to circumstances and out of the control of the individual while individual factors are individual apply to the surroundings of a homeless person. Structural factors such as the availability of low-income housing and higher rental of housing exacerbate on the already burdening individual factors. Many researchers contribute homelessness to structural factors but advocates of human rights debunk this and highlights that the main reason for homelessness is due to mostly individual factors, which are health problems, poverty, and family breakdown also the domestic violence of women and child. Addressing the driving causes is the most significant strategy to minimize the homelessness population. Future research must put more attention on individual causes without denying the reality of structural causes (Main, 1998). Based on my research, individual factors are the main cause while the structural factors put more pressure on burdening individual factors that lead to
Two other perspectives can also help us underline the issue of homelessness. On the one part you have the industrialized world and on the other you have the developing world. Homelessness in the industrial world is explained in terms of a lack of affordable housing, family disintegration, and drug and alcohol abuse, deinstitutionalization
A homeless person is an individual without a permanent, stable housing situation who either spends his or her nights on the streets or in temporary facilities, such as shelters and abandoned buildings. Throughout history, society has been “holding the poor, rape or incest victims, minorities, or the handicapped responsible for their misfortunes” (Zur). Society has been blaming the homeless for being in the position they are in. However, upon closer inspection, it must be noted that “children under the age of 18 accounts for 39% of the homeless population…battered women who live in poverty are often forced to choose between abusive relationships and homelessness…[and] 40% of homeless men have served in the armed forces” (Who Is Homeless?). It is clear that those who are homeless are not
People drive or walk past a homeless person almost every day without thinking twice about the plight of that person or they may even unconsciously turn their heads the other way in disgust. Homelessness simply put, means without a home - therefore homelessness is an equal opportunity state that can happen to anyone. Even though we have seen some economic prosperity over the years, statistics show that the number of homeless remains very high. With this in mind, communities need to come together at the state, city, and individual level to come up with solutions to mitigate the spreading of this problem.
Globally, in addition to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (YEAR), there are many other treaties, declarations, conventions, and covenants, signed by all UN states that proclaim housing as a fundamental human right (REF). Over 40 national constitutions also include the right to housing. However, as the number of homeless is not decreasing, it appears that an insufficient amount is being
If one saw a homeless person living on the side of the street, one may think he has an substance abuse disorder or mental illness that lead them down this path. Although substance abuse and mental health can lead to homelessness, there are many other factors that contribute to this terrible trend. A homeless person could experience personal trauma, such as an accident or loss of a loved one, and they may be unable to provide for themselves. Experts claim that lack of affordable housing, low income/poverty, and domestic violence are also a few contributors that lead to homelessness in America. Homelessness in a major concern in our country. This issue is important because the rate is heavily increasing as the months go on. Especially in states such as New York and California, that house hundreds of thousands of people. These two states also
People of all ages and backgrounds can become homeless. However, some people are more vulnerable to homelessness than others. Homelessness can be the result of many social, economic and health-related factors. For example, a social factor is that the they are not capable of MONEY’ They are supported by our taxes giving them benefits to buy cigarettes and alcohol.
Every year approximately 2.3 to 3.5 million people go homeless in the United States of America. Twelve million adults in the US were homeless in the year 2001, or are still currently without a permanent home (“Homelessness in the U.S.”). How does this happen in “the land of opportunity?” We think of ourselves as one of the greatest nations in the world, yet citizens are living a life of poverty, often without food, clothing, and shelter. When most people think of fighting homelessness, they think of providing medical assistance, showers, and counseling services for those who suffer mental illness, trauma, and substance abuse. Although these necessities are imperative in helping a significant
Homelessness is increasing more every year. In fact, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, over 640,000 people experience homelessness every