Homeless And Substance Abuse Essay

Substance abuse is often the cause of homelessness among individuals in the United States. The Substance

​Homelessness and substance abuse are often two problems that continue to be linked together. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (2011), research conducted in the past five years indicates that about 50% of those who are homeless have co-occurring substance abuse problems. Along with co-occurring substance abuse problems, there continues to be other problems such as treatment access to those who are homeless. In this paper we will explore research on the homeless population in relation to substance abuse, and effective interventions on an individual level.

Homelessness has become an evolving epidemic of our time, and the health implications associated with being homeless makes it that much worse. Homeless people are at major risk for premature death and a wide range of health problems such as HIV, skin blemishes, and much more. It is very difficult for homeless people to fix their health issues due to the difficulty of accessing health care possibly because of missing health cards, or simply because of the stigma placed on them when they enter a public facility. Whatever the problem may be that is forcing more people to become homeless, it must be solved, and quickly before our world turns into a travesty.

This research project studied the broad subject of homelessness from a distinctive perspective. Homeless individuals have different needs, and different human services organizations offer many homeless service programs to individuals, from temporary shelter to transitional housing, and training and health programs among others. Nonetheless, the most important service needed for homeless individuals should be the one that leads to permanent housing solutions. However, findings from this research study suggested that not all homeless service programs are as effective in alleviating homelessness in the community, as most have been led to believe in the past. Therefore, the required question had to be, how effective are homeless service programs in alleviating homelessness in the City of Springfield MA? Finding an answer to that question was the primary reason for this research. This research study sought to know more about the effectiveness of two distinctive service programs, which although similar in services offered, both operate with completely different funding and visions on how to solve the

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 defined as having no fixed place to sleep at night. This includes people staying in motels until their money runs out, those staying with friends, those staying in shelters, and those sleeping inside or out whatever space they can find to protect themselves. The number of homeless people has been growing and it has become a serious problem in our society. Every night in Canada there are thousands of people living on the streets. This type of behaviour is considered deviant because it does not reflect the norms and values of our society. In many cases the homeless people in our country are treated as total outcasts. Many of these people have severe mental disorders. Some are victims of an economy that has

Homelessness is a growing epidemic across the country. This terrible misfortune has led to many unsuspecting people leading impoverished lifestyles, and facing the horrific and heart-wrenching tragedy of abandonment. The purpose of this essay is to not only persuade the readers to get involved in ending homelessness on local and national efforts, but to embrace new and creative ways of helping to end this rapidly growing problem, by taking action to end this catastrophic situation. Also, I will demonstrate the causes and effects of the homeless resorting to violence, by using comparison and contrast to examine the views and standpoints on helping the forgotten, so that we might end this calamity once and for all. In an increasingly

Researchers and policymakers are newly optimistic about the prospect of ending homelessness. For two decades, the goal of our homeless programs was to first treat people for their myriad afflictions (substance abuse, say, or illness) and hope that

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

Hobo, beggar, and bum are just a few terms used in society today to describe the homeless community. Today, more and more individuals and families are becoming homeless and majority of them never imagined being homeless. This tragic event could happen to anyone. There is not a guide created to overcome the barriers of homelessness or a "how to manual" when an individual or family is faced with homelessness. "Homelessness occurs when people or households are unable to acquire and/or maintain housing" (End Homelessness, 2016).

Harm-Reduction Model Substance abuse affects people and their environments in diverse ways. Families crumble under its power. Societies restructure to accommodate areas subject to higher rates of substance abuse, as the issues seem to exist comorbid with mental illness and homelessness. That is not to imply that all people suffering from the relentlessness of the disease that is addiction are all mentally ill or homeless, but rather, there are some common threads that can be detected within the different cultures of substance abuse and addiction.

People who are living on the streets tend to rely on drugs and alcohol to help them deal with their situations. After so long, the drug and alcohol problem could escalate into an addiction. Drug and alcohol abuse can be such a huge risk within the homeless community because the taker most likely will not have the means to treat the addiction and usually has no motivation to do so (The National Coalition for the Homeless 1). People who are homeless, like anyone else, will usually begin with gateway drugs such as marijuana, but as their need and dependence on the drug grows stronger and stronger, it can lead to other, harder drugs such as meth and heroin. A drug addiction could lead to even more prominent problems in homeless life that could go unresolved and potentially

Understanding how both individual and structural factors contribute to and sustain homelessness is a critical factor in successfully addressing homelessness. All to often service providers blame homeless individuals for the circumstances they are in, making assumptions that substance abuse or other irresponsible behaviors have caused the problems leading to the individual to become homeless. Hoffman and Coffey (2008) suggest, “the perpetuation of homelessness is not internal to the homeless individual as many claim, but rather may be embedded in the service industry itself, which subjects both clients and providers to bureaucratic forms of authority and experiences of disrespect.” While not all homeless people suffer from mental illness or substance abuse, all of

On a cold rainy Saturday in December, just two days before Christmas, in 2006 Andy Sandness set out to do some grocery shopping on his day off from work. Everything was going as planned until an announcement came over the speaker at Piggly Wiggly saying “Attention shoppers please do not panic and take cover immediately.” Naturally panic immediately broke out all over the store as gunshots rang through the produce aisle. Babies were crying, mothers were covering their children, elderly people were struggling to move to a safe place, and food was flooding the aisles. Sandness, a local rancher and volunteer firefighter/emt sprung into action. He alerted authorities and located the shooter. “A million thoughts ran through my mind in the seconds

“Homeless problem is easier to solve than to manage” (Malcolm Gladwell). It is so difficult to find a good answer for this issue, but the most moral solution for the homeless problem is to give them a free apartment and take care of them, if they have injuries, like mental illness or addictions. This is a good resolution because they need something to start with a new life, and this solution is a good way for a new beginning, as they don’t own a home and neither money to buy food.