Homelessness And Mental Health And Substance Abuse

Homelessness for the mentally ill in America is disproportionately represented when compared to the remaining population. According to a report from the National Coalition for the Homeless, “only 6% of Americans are severely mentally ill,” while “20 to 25% of the homeless population in the United States suffers from some form of severe mental illness” (National Coalition for the Homeless). The exorbitant rate is exacerbated by the difficulties faced by the mentally ill regarding steady employment and maintenance of healthy relationships. There is a strong interrelation between homelessness and risks of incarceration. This correlation is more robust among the mentally ill. The National Health Care for the Homeless Council issued four major policy

Homelessness has been a problem in the United States for well over a hundred years. Major economic downturns have always had a large role in effecting the homeless population. However, the deinstitutionalization of the psychiatric hospitals in America has greatly increased the size of the mentally ill homeless population, particularly in large urban areas. This increase in homelessness among people with

Mental illness has generally been a minority among homeless citizens; but with growing numbers in substance abuse, mental illness has also taken a climb up the number ladder in the past years. “Most studies have found 30 percent of homeless have some

How many people are homeless in the United States, why are they homeless, and what percentage of homeless people are negatively impacted by mental illness? These issues will be presented in this paper.

In fact, nearly one-third of the homeless population are schizophrenic or have manic-depressive illnesses. Schizophrenia, however, is very treatable and manageable if given the appropriate guidance and attention. Also, many of the homeless are also willing to get help, contrary to popular belief. In addition to mental illness, half of the homeless who have a severe mental illness also suffer from substance abuse. What these mentally ill need are patient mentors and professionals who are willing to take the time to help these homeless people get back on track. It is shown that the homeless who have mental illnesses have a higher chance of recovery if they have a stable, supportive place to

As known the increase of homelessness in America is increasing. Not only that, mental illness within the homeless communities and the homeless in general is around one-third of the percentage of the homeless population. The mental illnesses one can have, has severe consequences. People who are homeless and have a mental illness are not able to carry out daily routines. They may also have trouble building or maintaining stable relationships. The mental illness causes people to misunderstand others guidance which causes them to react mentally. This results in pushing away anyone that cares for them; including family, friends, or even care givers. Mental health could result in poor physical health, especially for homeless people. The mental illness can cause people to neglect necessary precautions against disease. When improper hygiene is added to this, respiratory problems, skin disease, and exposer to tuberculosis or HIV can occur. Half of the homeless who are mentally ill, abuse

According to a study of Mental Disorders among the Homeless, there are around 740,000 individual’s homeless in the United States alone at any given night. Homelessness is everywhere, yet it is unseen. And yet at the same time American’s everywhere often take what they have for granted, especially the roof over their heads. Anna Quindlen discusses these issues in her article “Homeless”. She writes about a woman she met at a bus terminal one day. The woman‘s bag and raincoat were covered in grime, her name was Ann, and she was homeless. Suddenly, it is then when Quindlen writes that to her, the world’s worse problem is how many people are living without homes. She often emphasizes throughout her essay how home is more than just a simply a house- it’s a place woven with memories, a place of certainty. “That is everything”, she writes. Quindlen also goes on to write that our home is something we’ve been taking for granted in recent days, and stresses that the homeless should be viewed as a collection of individuals with no homes, instead of blemish on society. I agree with Quindlen. Society often view the homeless as a collection of “crazy” people who are there of their own mistakes. Instead of shaming those who are forced to live on the streets, we should be trying to better understand why these people are homeless.

According to the U.S. Conference of Mayors, only 16% of the single adult homeless population suffer from some form of mental illness and according to the National Coalition to the Homeless, The increasingness of homelessness over that past two decades can not be explained by addiction alone

​Homelessness and substance abuse are often two problems that continue to be linked together. However, homelessness can be an effect of substance abuse and vice versa. Addiction problems disrupt family organization and job performance resulting in loss of housing. While homeless, recovering from an addiction can be hard with lack of resources and the ability to access the appropriate care. In the following sections of this paper we will look at interventions and its effectiveness in the helping process, a multi-cultural analysis on the effects of homelessness, social and

There are many social problems that are prevalent here in Los Angeles County. Three of the most prevalent social problems experienced by Angelenos would be homelessness, unemployment, and chemical dependency. Though our agency offers many resources to our clients, issues maybe beyond our scope. So to better help serve our clients I have put together this coordination of services plan to help us in referring our clients to the appropriate services offered by other agencies.

Substance abuse impacts the society on multiple levels and it is a major and complex public health problem. The total overall costs of substance abuse in the United States exceeds $600 billion per year. Substance abuse is often a cause of homelessness and homeless people report that drugs and/or alcohol were a major reason for them becoming homeless. Drug overdose is a new epidemic and it is the leading cause of death among homeless. At a state level, California accounted for more than 22% of the nation’s homeless population in 2013. Several determinants of health can be addressed to the high prevalence of substance abuse in homeless people. A fish bone diagram will be used to illustrate six determinants of health: Stress, Poverty, Discrimination, Housing, Access to Health Care and Social Support. Homeless people face stressful situations related to violence and danger and emotional dysfunctions. The access to health care has several barriers for homeless people. Poverty is also related to all the factors to contribute to drug use. At last, lack of social support from family and friends and for recovery. Discrimination that leads to marginalization, stigma and increase of emotional distress.

All new housing developments should have a clear and accessible link to supportive services, such as mental health and substance abuse programs, in order to prevent future homelessness. This concept is often referred to as the Housing First model, which is an approach that centers around providing stable housing to individuals before providing supportive services (“What is Housing First,” 2006). Substance abuse is often an obstacle in mental health recovery and the ability to maintain stable housing. It is estimated that approximately 50–70% of homeless individuals with severe mental illness also abuse substances (Padgett, Stanhope, Henwood, & Stefancic, 2011). Padgett et al. (2011) compared the Housing First approach to the Treatment First approach

Anthropology is critical in order to understand many pressing contemporary issues such as social inequality, homelessness, drug addiction, structural, symbolic and interpersonal violence, and illicit economies. While all of these issues are important to understand, the public concern that is of the utmost importance is homelessness as well as the issues that correspond with this public concern. Homelessness is a very serious and pressing contemporary issue and it is strongly linked to another very serious contemporary issue, that being, drug addiction. Through the conduction of ethnographic research such as that found in Bourgois and Schonberg’s Righteous Dopefiend as well as Shandy’s “The Road to Refugee Resettlement,” it is possible to

Even though substance abuse can be a cause of homelessness by being an addict who uses all their finances to support their unhealthy habits, it can also be an effect. Often times it is a way for the homeless to cope with their struggles. It is possible that they might consume these liquids as a way to ignore their misfortunes and blocking out their reality. (Gomez, Thompson, et.al, 2010, Para 2), states that, “Drug use is a common approach to numbing the daily experiences of life on the street and alleviating the stress of street life and the negative emotional effects of traumatic experiences. The stress resulting from sleeping outdoors and in public places may be alleviated or eased by using drugs and alcohol to keep warm and suppress hunger”

People with mental illnesses are at greater risk of homelessness. This is particularly true for people with serious mental illnesses, particularly those that might impact their reality testing, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression (National Coalition for the Homeless, 2009). California, like other areas of the country, sees a relationship between mental illness and homelessness. In fact, mental illness may be one of the most significant risk factors for homelessness. Of people with serious mental illness seen by California's public mental health system, approximately 15% of them experienced at least one bout of homelessness in a one-year period (Folsom et al., 2005). Furthermore, "According to the Substance Abuse and Mental