Effects Of Homelessness

Homelessness is defined as the situation of an individual or family without stable, permanent, appropriate housing, or the immediate prospect, means, and ability of acquiring it. It is the result of systemic or societal barriers, a lack of affordable and appropriate housing, the individual/household’s financial, mental, cognitive, behavioral or physical challenges, and/or racism and discrimination. Most people do not choose to be homeless, and the experience is generally negative, unpleasant, stressful and distressing6. Homelessness is a problem that affects every Canadian town or city, and is one that is dealt with using a variety of different methods.

Furthermore, I am extremely interested in attending the Hunter College Silberman School of Social Work for its social work program. I have always been a clear advocate social work as well as policy to be prevalent in our society. The Hunter College Silberman School of Social work is historic in developing effective change strategies at the individual, agency, community, national, and international level.. Moreover, the Hunter College Silberman School of Social work students as well as faculty are fully engaged in policy and practice issues for innovation and change. This essential environment is the foundation that I want to learn and gain professional growth. In parallel, the Hunter College Silberman School of Social Work has a diverse student

Homelessness is a major problem facing many cities. Some people are homeless because of unfortunate situations, and others are homeless by choice. Homelessness has been around since 1640.

Most of these families and individuals now are in programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, also known as welfare(National Coalition,2009), Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. These programs provide cash, health care benefits and food for these families and most individuals helping the individuals or families to get back on their feet although some will get denied for such help.

Homelessness seems to constantly trigger debates among our society. It has since caused a complex social problem between U.S. citizens and multiple cities worldwide. Cities across the nation have passed a law that criminalizes the act of feeding the homeless, has restricted simple acts of compassion, and have required the purchase of permits to utilize public areas. According to Robbie Couch,” The outlet reports that, incredibly, at least 33 municipal bans on publicly handing out food have been enacted across the U.S. between January 2013 and April 2014, reflecting a sharp increase in communities with such restrictions…. This past February, Columbia S.C., began requiring groups of 25 people or more to purchase permits allowing them to utilize the city’s parks.” I know many will probably agree and say something along the lines of “By restricting the feeding of the homeless, it would motivate more homeless individual to get off the streets”. Houston Mayor Annise Parker stated, “Making it easier for someone to stay on the street is not humane”. Feeding bans are allowing an increase in chronic hunger, allowing stereotypes that are ill-treating those who are experiencing homelessness and allowing homeless individual’s mental, physical, and emotional health to weaken as time progresses.

In Stanislaus county the homeless population has grown from 1,156 in 2005 to 1,800 today and still growing. Modesto had the highest count of homelessness with 983 documented homeless individuals according to a 2015 Modesto Bee study and sadly, the amount increases as surrounding areas begin to enforce strict laws. These laws criminalize and relocate homeless folk to our county. There are no exceptions to the cold reality of homelessness: men, women, children, military veterans, individuals, and families are included in the rising numbers of homelessness in Stanislaus County. According to the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, the leading cause of homelessness in the United States is the lack of affordable housing. Exposing the problems and cause will allow us to figure out how we can work towards a solution. The answer to diminishing homelessness is to invest in permanent housing. By working together as a community and devising a plan, we could reduce and possibly end homelessness in Stanislaus County.

The term to describe the homeless may have changed over time, however the issue of housing insecurity has remained for some Americans throughout history (Kusmer, 2001). Although the homeless population has always maintained in the United States, homelessness became a national issue in 1870 with the emergence of the “tramp”: these were men that banded together, rode trains illegally and had negative interactions with law enforcement (2001). The movement of the homeless from location to location changed after World War II, and after the 1940s the homeless were typically confined to urban areas (2001). This urbanization of the homeless population continued throughout the remainder of the century.

According to homelessresourcenetwork.org substance abuse is the second highest reason for why people become homeless. 14% of people become homeless due to drug or alcohol use. That's 70 - 98,000 people out of the 500 - 700,000 that the article discussed. Drug use has much bigger impact on society than just homelessness. By using, buying, or selling drugs a person is contributing to the multi-billion dollar illegal business, known as, drug trafficking. Addiction is like a cold; it is contagious. If a high school student sees his/her parent doing drugs they might think its okay and start doing it. Sooner or later they will have their friends doing it, possibly siblings. Drugs can lead to kids dropping out of school and possibly even joining gangs.

"Oh you live in Longview, Washington?" A term that is stated way to often when someone claims they live there. Disproportionate assumptions of the town are often made by those who usually have never even stepped foot in Longview. Before Washington passed a law forbidding panhandling, it wasn 't an unusual sight to see a homeless person on the side of the road holding a sign begging for change. What Longview, Washington needs is a strong structured program, that helps transition homeless not only gets homeless off the streets but also keeps them off.

As you stand in the center of the Main Street bridge with your legs pressed against the railing, your torso slightly bent over the edge, staring down at the I35 commuters below passing underneath you without even knowing you exist. Your stomach begins to rumble and you are forced back into reality. It has been days since your last real meal and with a sign folded up in your back pocket that reads “homeless and hungry” you head back to the stoplight to hopefully receive enough money to keep you off the ledge once again. We have all seen the individual with the sign at the stop light, but what we don't see is the one on the edge of the bridge just moments before. In a recent study it shows that in 2016: “550,000 unaccompanied, single youth and young adults under the age of 24 experience a homelessness episode of longer than one week. Approximately 380,000 of that total are under the age of 18.” (“2016's Shocking Homelessness Statistics.”) It has also been said that homeless teens are three times more likely to attempt suicide than housed teens.(Eleanor Goldburg) With over a half million homeless Americans needing assistance lets compare two different nonprofit organizations that use their resources to invest in the lives of the homeless and the community, to rehabilitate, and to help individuals become successful members of society. The two organizations being compared are Christian Community Action(CCA) and Journey to Dream, in order to determine who will be the recipient

Homelessness is a problem virtually every society suffers from. There are many things that cause people to become homeless, such as unemployment, relationship problems, and being evicted from ones domicile either by a landlord, friend or even a family member. However, with every cause there must be an effect. Some of the effects of one becoming homeless, besides the obvious change of lifestyle, are various health problems which often times may lead to death.

Homelessness impacts society in various, different ways. People generally don’t think about all the effects that vagrancy has on the society, as a whole. There are many different ways by which homelessness affects society. A first way, being the amount of money the taxpayers spend to give these people support services and other programs, for the homeless population to survive. Another effect that vagrancy has on society is the effect that is due to increased crimes by homeless individuals, in order to survive. A third affect that vagrancy has on society is through the absence of education and job opportunities for these individuals.

Homelessness is one of the tragedies that one can face unexpectedly or where one can choose to be as well as being homeless by taking your own risk, which can be positive or negative, intentionally or not intentionally such as family breakdown or leaving a house where you could have been able to live there. Many people are sleeping rough while others are also finding it difficult to secure housing due to the regulations that govern the whole issues on homelessness legislation that is, being entitled for or not entitle for what you will be expecting. Some multi agency workers working under homeless people can also be an advantage of helping homeless people to settle yet there are some people that still needs help to settle down through

“It’s time to declare a war on homelessness, which is evolving into a crisis,” proclaimed Mayor Kirk Caldwell in The Honolulu Star Advertiser. (Katel, 841-864) Homelessness has become a widely known issue in the United States. Many people today are living in the streets without a source of food, water, or a place to sleep at night. Some who are among the homeless include the elderly, children, and those who are mentally ill. This is a cause for concern for citizens who are living their daily lives. Some people express their fear of homeless persons, believing that they are just beggars for money and take up space on the streets. Although the description homeless people is not always true, homelessness does affect society and puts the future generation at risk of becoming homeless as well. People need to bring attention to the homeless problem across the United States so action can be taken and change will take place.

As many as 3.5 million Americans are considered homeless each year. Often, people believe that homelessness is a complication only caused by the poor choices of a single person when they are typically the result of multiple uncontrollable factors. For some, the line between being homeless and not can be very thin, with several obstacles preventing stability. These individuals and families commonly come from more deprived areas. Those who are homeless can be very different to each other in how and why they came to be in their situation, but they all have in common their desire to find a way back to a normal and healthy lifestyle. Homelessness is an issue created by poor physical and mental health, a lack of money, and relationship complications.