HOMELESSNESS
DEFINITION
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence. The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country to country, or among different entities or institutions in the same country or region.
The term homeless may also include people whose primary night-time residence is in ahomeless shelter, a warming center, a domestic violence shelter or other ad hoc housing situation.
Scenario in Ireland:
Every three years Irish local authorities assess the numbers of homeless people in their area, as part of the Department of
…show more content…
War or armed conflict.
Natural disasters
Mental disorder, where mental health services are unavailable or difficult to access or as a result of deinstitutionalization.
Disability, especially where disability services are non-existent or poor performing.
Social exclusion, including because of sexual orientation and gender identity
Substance abuse
Lack of affordable housing
Domestic violence.
Relationship breakdown, particularly in relation to young people and their parents.
Prison release and re-entry into society.
Disasters, including but not limited to earthquakes and hurricanes.
Forced eviction – In many countries, people lose their homes by government order to make way for newer upscale high rise buildings, roadways, and other governmental needs. The compensation may be minimal, in which case the former occupants cannot find appropriate new housing and become homeless.
Mortgage foreclosures where mortgage holders see the best solution to a loan default is to take and sell the house to pay off the debt. Criminality—Some homeless may have committed crimes and are therefore hiding from the authorities.
A substantial percentage of homeless population are individuals who are chronically unemployed or have difficulty managing their lives effectively due to prolonged and severe drug and/or alcohol abuse. Substance abuse can cause homelessness from behavioral patterns associated with addiction that alienate an
To begin, lets define the term homeless. According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, homelessness is defined as “People who are living in a place not meant for human habitation, in emergency shelter, in transitional housing, or are exiting an institution where they
Due to the relative nature of culture and language, the definition of homelessness varies across the world. What is a common thread among nearly all definitions is the difficulty in locating and retaining permanent residence and integration into normative society. (Elliott & Krivo, 1991, 114) Some of the stereotypes about the behavior of homeless people are true.
The widespread of the crack cocaine in the 1980 also increased homelessness. Many individuals suffering from homelessness also suffer from many different type of drug addictions. It is estimated that 40 % of homeless people are dependent on alcohol and 25% on other drugs. Alcoholism is increasingly being recognized as the most pervasive health problem for homeless. In addition homeless alcohol dependent individuals have a higher prevalence of other psychiatric disorders and more impaired in their social and vocational functioning. Alcoholism and the behaviors coupled with it have a huge influence on physical health. Majority of studies conducted on homelessness and drugs
Homelessness is a temporary condition that people fall into when they cannot afford to pay for a place to live, or when their current home is unsafe or unstable.Homeless can be considered as living in a place where they have no right to stay, living in a home that they can no longer pay, and living separated from their families. Over 564,708 people are homeless,that is about half a million and this is only in the US! Can you imagine how many are in the world? A quarter of them are children. Tens of thousands of veterans are homeless. Our people that
A homeless person is one who lacks a permanent place to live. This person is therefore forced to live on the streets, in abandoned buildings, in cars, and some lucky ones get to live in shelters where they are safe from the dangers of the night and also from the harsh elements. These people find themselves in such a situation because they cannot afford to pay for a place to live. This can be caused by a variety of reasons. Economic factors is one of them, where one is unable to get enough money to pay for their house either because they don’t have a job or the money they get at the end of the month is insufficient. There is also the issue of high cost of housing which renders a permanent place to live way out of their reach. They
This homelessness population consists of people from all age groups: infants, children, adolescents, adulthood, and the
To be homeless means a person is considered homeless who "lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence; and... has a primary night time residency that is: (A) a supervised publicly or privately operated
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”.
Ever noticed the people outside, asking you for money on the train or in the streets? Most have a funny smell, or are barely dressed when it is freezing outside? Those people are more than likely homeless. Being homeless is the state of a person living on the streets, if they have no home. Homelessness occurs because many people cannot afford housing, do not have a job, receive low income, are mentally ill or have a drug addiction (Coalition for the Homeless). Homelessness affects society in a variety of ways making it a social issue. It causes economic downturn, increases poverty, and also causes family dysfunction.
Homelessness can affect anyone you know - your neighbour, your friends even your family. There is a wide diversity of people turning to us for help for many different reasons. Broken marriages, disabilities, domestic violence, mental illness or breakdown may all contribute.
The issue of homelessness has been called as one that is "highly ambiguous and intangible" (Neale, 1997, p.7). Wright defines the homeless a "diverse, heterogeneous lot. No single catch phrase or easy myth can possibly describe them all" (p.46)
Homelessness is something that can be temporary or chronic. It is when an individual or family does not have and cannot afford a suitable place to live long term. Things like staying in a shelter, one room facilities (motel) or staying with a family member or friend does not mean you are not homeless. If you cannot afford suitable long term accommodations yourself, then you are considered homeless. When you are referring to youth homelessness they are considered homeless if they do not have parents to care for them or are not in the foster or legal system receiving care.
There is no specific definition for homelessness, but it is a growing problem that goes much further than just not having a home or living in a safe shelter. It goes beyond that. There are three different categories that homeless people are put in: Primary homelessness is experienced by people who don’t have accommodation (e.g. deserted buildings, cars, under bridges).Secondary homelessness is experienced by people who move from shelter to shelter which includes living with friends or relatives. Tertiary homelessness is experienced by people staying in accommodation without their own bathroom or kitchen.
The Department of Homeless Shelter defines homeless as lacking “ a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence”. One reason there are so many homeless people is that many are undiagnosed of possible mental disorders. Dementia, schizophrenia, bi-polar are more common among homeless individuals, yet many do not have health insurance to get the necessary treatments. Inappropriate behaviors deemed as criminal acts
Homelessness is an epidemic that affects millions of people all over the world. These people have no place to live, are rarely able to bathe, and they have little to no food to eat. There are many reasons why people become homeless, but they can be broken down into three categories; Structural factors, systematic failures, and individual and relational factors.