Causes of Homelessness in San Antonio

Homelessness has been a prevalent and contentious topic since its public emergence in the 1980’s. In fact, according to the most recent estimates, on any given night in the United States, there are roughly 645,000 people residing in homeless shelters or unsheltered street locations (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2011). And based on a local study done by the Mental Health Unit at the Houston Police Department in 2011, Houston has the largest homeless population in Texas and the eighth largest in the United States. While many great efforts have been put forth to aid the homeless population in Houston, “the public health epidemiology task of quantifying and tracking child and family homelessness over time has been complicated…by increasing rates of…shortages [in] affordable housing” (Grant et al., 2013), and restrictions on temporary encampments (Loftus-Ferren, 2013). In order to successfully reduce, prevent and combat homelessness, more policies must be put in place to create sustainable, affordable housing for homeless families and to modify current laws that harm homeless individuals.

     To be homeless is to not have a home or a permanent place of residence. Nationwide, there is estimated to be 3.5 million people that are homeless, and roughly 1.35 million of them are children. It is shown that homeless rates, which are the number of sheltered beds in a city divided by the cities population, have tripled since the 1980’s (National Coalition for Homeless, 2014). Worldwide, it is estimated that 100 million children live and work on the streets. Homeless children are more at risk than anyone else, and are among the fastest growing age groups of homelessness. Single women with children represent the fastest growing group of homeless, accounting for about 40% of the people that are becoming

Homeless is not just an issue in the city of San Diego but throughout the entire country. An unimaginable situation that happens to countless people all across America. According to Social Solutions, “Over 564,708 people in the U.S. are homeless...over half a million people were living on the streets, in cars, in homeless shelters, or in subsidized transitional housing during a one-night national survey last January. Of that number, 206,286 were people in families, 358,422 were individuals, and a quarter of the entire group were children” (2016’s Shocking). Clearly, homelessness is a major problem that affected over half a million people just last year. Most

The most recent survey of homeless individuals conducted January 29, 2014 revealed 958 homeless adults with no dependants, 70 of which were completely unsheltered, and an additional 130 homeless adults who also had dependent children with them. 208 of these homeless adults are chronically homeless (HUD’s 2014 Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Programs, Populations, and Subpopulations, 2014).Wayside Christian Mission reaches approximately 7,000 homeless individuals annually (Wayside Christian Mission, 2007). In the Journal of General Internal Medicine, a majority of homeless individuals surveyed stated that they felt discriminated against or that they received lesser care because of their poverty or homelessness (Wen, Hudak, & Hwang, 2007). Homeless and impoverished individuals suffer from high rates of depression, psychiatric illness, alcohol and or substance abuse, HIV/AIDS, TB, Trauma, preterm birth, COPD, low birth weight, musculoskeletal problems, decreased access to care, foot problems, malnutrition, and high Emergency Room utilization (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2014). Not only do homeless persons have a high rate of illness, but they are also less able to appropriately treat health problems. Many homeless individuals have limited access to care, cannot afford medications or nutritious food, and may have difficulty with managing a strict

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.

The common profile of a homeless family is headed by a single mother, in her 20’s with an average of two children, of which one or both are under the age of six. Homeless mothers tend to be poorly educated, unemployed, and lacking the skills necessary to become employed. There is an equal representation of Caucasian (47%) and African American (47%) homeless mothers. These women commonly described their lives as ““… a remarkably constant stream of distressing and spirit-breaking encounters, beginning in early childhood …” including experiencing physical and/or sexual abuse, constant crisis, stress from persistent poverty, violence in the family and community, and isolation. Most of these women grew up homeless and spent their childhood in foster care making them distrustful of the system.

Homelessness has always been a problem for the United States. Since its birth as a nation, there have consistently been individuals who find themselves without a place to live, looking for shelter with family, friends, or simply anywhere they can find it. These individuals have been targeted as candidates for social aid, but this was primarily provided by churches and other care organizations. However, in the past thirty years the homeless population has increased almost exponentially in numbers. While the cause of this is undetermined, it is quite certain that while the

First, what is homelessness? This question has been up for debate for some time now. There is one general accepted definition of homelessness, due to the different types of homelessness the definition can vary. According to the government of this country homelessness, “is the condition of people without a permanent dwelling, such as a house or apartment” (The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services). When people who are not homeless see the less fortunate living outside in public areas they automatically know that the person does not have a “permanent dwelling”.

One in every 50 American children experiences homelessness, according to a new report that says most states have inadequate plans to address the worsening and often-overlooked problem (“1 and 50 children experience homelessness” 1). The problem of homelessness

There is a dire, hard pressing, unrelenting fact that San Diego, CA is home to more than 8,500 homeless individuals. On any given night there are more than 800 homeless people living unsheltered on the streets of downtown San Diego, a 26 percent increase since 2014 (Wrath, 2015). In order to begin to effectively assess the homeless crisis in downtown San Diego, a needs assessment should be completed to examine and determine the full extent of the social problem. Key informants are identified as well as the engagement and assessment skills a social worker would utilize in completing a needs assessment of the homeless crisis in downtown San Diego, California.

As Super Bowl season draws near, many of the homeless living in San Francisco are being encouraged to head away from the vicinity of the recently built Super Bowl City in San Francisco, California and move towards local homeless shelters nearby. Home to nearly 7,000 homeless people and growing, San Francisco is ranked 8th in the nation for its substantial homeless population city. According to “The 2014 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress”, “...Most (69 percent) [of the homeless living in the USA] were staying in residential programs for homeless people, and the rest (31 percent) were found in unsheltered locations.”(Henry, 5). However in San Francisco, “64 percent [of the current homeless population in San Francisco are] living outside of shelters”(Veckshin, 2). San Francisco cannot and should not just keep turning a blind eye on the men, women, and children harming their health by living on the streets.

Homeless families with children represent the fastest growing segment of the homeless population; in fact, they constitute about 40 percent of all people who are homeless (Stronge 7). In addition, the most recent estimate of homeless children and youngsters by the United States Department of Education is 744,000 (Stronge 7). These statistics are indeed quite frightening, and they go to show that children constitute a large part of the homeless dilemma. The part of that dilemma that seems most taxing is that of educating such homeless children. How can these kids become active members of society if they are unable to receive a proper public education, the same education that is provided for so many other kids under the Constitution?

Poorer children are half as likely to be in good health directly taking a tole on their schooling conditions such as attendance. The poorest children lose 50% more school directly related to poor health conditions. Poorer children are twice as likely as the general populace to develop mental and or physical disabilities which impair daily basic activity ("World Health" 12). The situation is even worse for children who don’t have ready and constant access to shelter. Homeless children are 4 times more likely to develop mental health issues. The United States is failing a large group of children growing up without the luxuries of a home or shelter. These children face a high risk of illness and disability as they progress from childhood to adulthood (“Mental Health Practice” 4). Children coming from homeless families were twice as likely as poor children with homes to have elevated levels of lead in their blood, which can lead to lifelong disability and mental impairment. In Los Angeles, 23% of homeless children were stated to be often or always hungry. In New York, 43% of homeless children and/or their parents suffered from diarrhea for three or more years ("World Health" 12). It is a crime that one of, if not the wealthiest country in the world is so thoroughly neglecting to take care of a significant amount of people especially when they have the means and resources to. These

Homelessness is in every corner of our nation and according to Doorways for Women and Families, “On any given night, 1.2 million children are homeless” (Doorways for Women and Families, n.d.). Most of us are lucky to grow up in a safe, secure environment as children and did not have to worry about if we were going to have some place to sleep the next night.

In today’s society children becoming homeless and having to fend for themselves is wide-spread but homelessness in families also tends to be common (Jewel 2). This issue affects the human population in a very grave way which leaves one out of every fifty children experiencing this immense epidemic (Crary 1). The current recession, has caused sixteen percent of homeless children to be present in our country today and with the economy worsening this statistic will increase (Kingsbury 1).