Hello Krystal, I agree with you that seeing so many people still homeless and living on the streets while there are a high number of shelters are very confusing. This could be partially due to shelters rules; for instance, some shelters only allow people stay in the facility at night which would cause an influx of homeless people on the streets until they are able to get back in the building(s). It seems that you were able to get a well-rounded interview experiences by being able to speak with in people living with that shelter and the police officer. The story you mentioned about one of the women’s brother refusing to help her leave the abuse relationship due his believe about marriage was very sad to hear. It is hard for me to image that
The interview that I conducted was with the 1736 Family Crisis Center located in Los Angeles, California since 1972. They own three locations and leases 10 other building spaces. Their services include providing shelter for domestic violence victims, youth programs, individual and family counseling, job development/placement, legal services, case management, hotlines for those in crisis, to name a few. 1736 Family Crisis Center’s mission is to help those in need by offering the necessary tools to develop safe, self-sufficient lives, focusing on domestic violence victims, runaway and homeless youth, and community
The shelters in Portland provide warm food, water, a place to sleep, and someone you can talk to about your troubles. But first let's talk about how they got there and why. One reason is Domestic Violence, 50% of women and young children leave their homes because they get abused by their own husbands leaving them even though they know they won’t have warm food, water, or a bed to sleep on for them and their children.
The data was obtained through a questionnaire and answers from five theme questions. One of the limitations of this study was the small amount of nurse practitioners who participated in this study. However, what was determined from the participants in this study was that the role of nurse practitioners could play an important role in providing vulnerable population care because of the positive experiences they have had in doing so. Seiler & Moss (2012) stated that it is imperative that changes be done to provide the care that is needed for this population (p. 305). The objectives were supported in this study to show that nurse practitioners have positive attitudes and positive insights on caring for the homeless. This study could lead to more studies being done to support the nurse practitioners role as having a great impact in the community with vulnerable
It is indeed very unfortunate that a certain percentage in the population are experiencing such difficulties in their lives that making the streets or their cars as their home become very convenient. It is however, not the right place for these people to be at. Therefore, homeless shelters have become available for them to have a safe and secure place for them to stay so that their basic needs can somehow be provided.
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.
Homeless families compose a fraction of the homeless population as they “represent roughly a third of the homeless population in the United States (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2010), and approximately 1.5 million children—1 in 50 youngsters—are homeless each year in the United States” (p. 389). These homeless families often struggle to find permanent residency as a collective unit. There are several types of housing situations available for homeless families such as temporary housing, transitional housing settings, and shelters, yet the housing situation for homeless families often causes stress for families as stability and a secure home is always in question. “The lack of stable, consistent housing is the central, defining characteristic of families experiencing homelessness, distinguishing them and their experience(s) from those with stable housing who experience other correlated conditions (e.g., poverty)” (Kilmer, Cook, Crusto, Strater, and Haber, 2012, p. 394). Homeless families often seek different types of housing usually by first reaching out to temporary shelters in emergency situations like domestic violence that often lead to homelessness, which provide services for children and families. There are many challenges families encounter in the process of seeking permanent housing.
According to the state of New York, approximately thirty thousand families were living at shelters in 2012. I am not ashamed to say that my family and I were included in those statistics. For the past three years, the percentage of families in shelters around New York City have increased. Growing up in The Bronx was extremely challenging for adolescents due to the amount of drugs and crime. Many families are receiving help from the city and still can not afford housing or food. Homelessness has also increased, creating every corner a new home. Although I have faced countless issues growing up, I have been taught an infinite amount of lessons. I have learned that failure is not always a bad thing in life, achievements include hard work and
The presentation of these facts should be met with an equally opposing force to change the homeless rates for the better. With all the tools and opportunities that can be used in this field, why should we not act upon it? It's time that we as a people band together to fix something that is bigger than ourselves. All too often we bring appeals to our government that are, if we can be honest, very selfish. To better understand a sympathetic point of view, imagine a loved one being out on the streets. Would that change a person's view on helping those without a home? Would the loved one hope, desire, and pray for an advocate and supporter to help carry them off the streets? The answer to both of these questions is yes. These are the points of view one must veer into in order to fully understand why it is such an important and relevant
The Transitional Living Program was designed to promote a transition for these clients to self sufficient living and prevent long-term dependency on social services. Another strength of this policy both micro and macro is that in 2008 when changes were occurring to the preliminaries of the act, the length of stay was increased in the shelters from 14-21 days and in the Transitional Housing Program from 18-21 months. This amount of time stated in the RHYA for an individual’s stay originally worried me only because what if the client’s needs were not met by this deadline what happens next? On the macro level this extension of time gives the agencies more time for implementation of services and programs. Agencies must try there hardest to not turn away any clients, because it could possibly come across as discrimination. It was rewarding to learn that these agencies are well equipped with information and techniques for the various people inquiring about services. As the National Alliance to End Homelessness states the United States served over 500,000 homeless youth in 2005. But the Department of Human Health Services reported that 2,500 people were turned away from agencies and shelters due to the lack of bed space. If I were a major stakeholder or beneficiary of this Act, I would be concerned that not all people in need are getting what they deserve. Although this number is relatively low compared to how many served this shows some changes
Hi, Ella! Kliman addresses many pros and cons of buying local foods! Just to name a few, Kilman begins by explaining that "local reduced our 'carbon footprint'" because trucks do not have to travel as far to deliver fresh produce (Kilman 67). We are made to believe that local foods change the system entirely, however, this is not really the case. Kilman provided a statistic that "local and organic foods currently make up 3 percent of food consumption in America" (Kilman 67). In the long run, this small amount of percentages does not do as much as consumers think it does. People often argue that local food is fresher and overall better, but Kilman says that "local is not inherently fresher, nor is it inherently better" (Kilman 68). Since the
When we were first introduced to this assignment, I was both excited and nervous. I was excited because it gave me the opportunity to step of my comfort zone. I was also excited to be able to get out into the community and practice some of the social work skills that we have learned in class. I was nervous because I knew it would be hard to hear the struggles of a single-parent experiencing homelessness. As someone who was raised by a single-parent, I also know how easy it can be to fall into homelessness. Overall, I think I was more excited about doing this assignment because I truly did want to hear the stories that single-parents experiencing homelessness wanted to tell.
Although homelessness may be difficult and isolating for anyone who experiences it, there are certain adversities specific to women. Whether cisgender or transgender, those who identify as women often have additional hardships when homeless (Shier, Jones, & Graham, 2011). A society in which women are paid 77 cents to a man’s dollar, it is apparent women are seen as the lesser gender and are subject to different difficulties; this is evidenced in multiple studies concerning women experiencing homelessness (David, Rowe & Ponce, 2015; Sayers, 2012; Shier, Jones, & Graham, 2011; Whitbeck, Armenta, & Gentzler, 2015). David, Rowe, Stacheli and Ponce (2015) surveyed homeless women with both mental illnesses and substance abuse problems and 100 percent reported to be victims of physical or sexual assault. Additionally, Shier, Jones, and Graham (2011) studied homeless women who expressed the lack of shelter space for women, and they found many shelters are catered to men only. Another study on intersectionality of homeless women found women experiencing homelessness are three times more likely to have posttraumatic stress disorder than women in the general population (Whitbeck, Armenta, & Gentzler, 2015). Due to these facts, women experiencing homelessness are clearly subject to unique exploitations and vulnerabilities. It is also important to understand that various intersections of race, culture, sexuality, age, and physical and mental health conditions contribute to the severity
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
To begin with, it is important to start with the fact that more than half a million people in the United States are homeless and forced to live on the streets and either sleep in an unsheltered location, or at a housing project (emergency shelters, short-term transitional housing, or safe havens). Moreover, according to a Social Solutions’ article (2016), 15% of the homeless population are individuals who have experienced homelessness for a period longer than a year (chronic homelessness). It is because of those facts about homelessness that I had decided to volunteer at a faith-based temporary overnight shelter and subsequently record my experiences and what I observed during my visit.