Essay about Homelessness and mental illness

Homelessness is all our responsibility. Waking every morning in a warm bed in a secure house for some Australians is only a dream. Every day more and more people are becoming or are at risk of becoming homeless as the global economy crumbles away and monetary resources become harder to find. What is homelessness: the Australian Government Department of Health (2005) defines homelessness as a person who is without a conventional home. Homeless Australians have become disconnected from family and friend and has few, if any resource and very little prospect of achieving financial independence without Government assistant. This assessment will talk about Australia’s history with homelessness, it will go onto to talk about the Government’s role

Following the release of individuals with mental and physical disabilities from psychiatric hospitals in the 1960’s, large quantities of convalescents relocated to programs of community-based care, several individuals became isolated and obtained homelessness. While this dilemma expanded, vagrancy became acknowledged as a community health issue, that may be approached through mental wellness supports (Bassuk, 1984; Rossi, 1990). In the beginning of the 2000’s, the United States government started to encourage society to develop foundations and courses of action to combat the epidemic of homelessness (National Alliance to end Homelessness, 2014). According to the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (2016), roughly 550,000 individuals

Homelessness experiences serious violation against human rights, essentially where sustainable and conventional shelter cannot be maintained. From early on, it has influenced the spiritual, legal and economic aspects of Australia, forever changing the culture of our history. As a consequential issue, homelessness has not been minimised, currently affecting our modern society, especially influencing our younger generations.

Homelessness damages people’s general skills, resilience, self-esteem and self-confidence. One in four ex-homeless people also find themselves unable to keep a residence. Loneliness and isolation are the main causes. Therefore it is important

Homelessness is the condition which is a social category of people who are without a regular house because they are struggling and cannot afford or are unable to maintain regular, adequate and safe housing. (Homelessnessact.org.uk, 2015) This term and category of people may also include those who night time residence is in a homeless shelter. Or for sofa surfing, and living on the streets, which is a private or public place which is not designed for use as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings. Or staying at an institution that provides a temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalised, such as b&b 's, hostels, nightstop and temporary accommodation. In this piece of work I, as a housing options officer,

In the last three decades, mental illness rates in the homeless have risen rapidly. Thirty percent of Minnesota's population is homeless; of this thirty percent between fifty and seventy percent have a diagnosed mental illness. The rate of homeless people with a mental illness is much higher than the state average; one in seventeen. Homelessness and mental illness can affect anyone, regardless of age, race, or gender. Mental illness and homelessness are tightly intertwined and contribute to one another often while mental health treatment is advancing, it is still not widely available to the homeless.

Homelessness has been a globalised concern for centuries. In United Kingdom homelessness predominantly describes in the lines homeless legislation such the Housing Act (2004) and Homeless persons Act (2002) Burrows, Pleace and Quilgars, (2004). This in predominantly surrounding who is perceived as homeless based certain criteria whereby the individual cannot be intentional homeless. However, priority is given to women who have children and women who are vulnerable, in cases such as domestic violence, abuse and mental illness (Fitzpatrick, Kemp and Klinker 2010). Despite this, evidence demonstrates that increasingly women are affected by homelessness; particularly single female-headed households, whereby single female often has to define their vulnerabilities.

Homelessness unquestionably affects all areas of people’s lives particularly their mental state and well-being. Adults who are experiencing homelessness have high rates of mental illness, and considerably low rates of mental health service use. It is important to note that homelessness can be the result of a variety of different factors. Poverty does not discriminate, it is a process that has the power to affect vulnerable individuals at different points in their

There are range of factors that cumulate and drive people to become homeless such as poverty, unemployment, traumatic events, relationship breakdown, prison release, mental health and lack of affordable housing (Harris, 2015). With this in mind, the provision of accommodation alone is inadequate to solve the complex issues of homelessness and often fail to deliver positive long-term outcomes for people who are sleeping rough (Leggatt-Cook & Chamberlain, 2015). Some people are more susceptible to become and remain homeless than others due to multiple structural disadvantage such as low income, mental health or substance abuse (Richards, 2008). A research by Johnson et al. (2008) interviewed 103 homeless households in Australia and after twelve

Having seen the diverse homeless popultion in Bristol, further research showed how it has taken a toll in many peoples lives. Homelessness can be defined as having no sancury or safe haven as well as no permanent address. Although homelessness is viewed by many as the result of personal failings, it is actually caused by an interplay between a persons individual circumstance and surrounding factors out of their direct control. This essay will focus on the structural and personal causes of homelessness, and then assess the staggering effects it can have on individuals. ‘In England, more than 14,000 households headed by young people were accepted as homeless and in priority need during 2013/14 (Shelter England'.

Homelessness is one of the socio-economic problems that can strike anyone when they least expect it. In the phase of the rapidly growing world populations accompanied with constant rising cost of living, it may be impossible to completely eradicate homelessness but it can be drastically reduced with some measures in place. Providing more affordable and readily available housing opportunities to low income earners can help them afford a permanent place of residence. Homelessness is simply lack of housing, so having a permanent place to live will keep people off the street. Also, studies have shown that there is a correlation between mental health and homelessness. People with poor mental health are more susceptible to the three main factors

Homelessness has always been present, yet its numbers now outweigh any sense of reason, and the “social fabric”

In order to critically analyse and recognise the current government approaches in social policy with regards to the inequalities in gender relating to homelessness, firstly the issues of housing and homelessness will be explored to give a background as to why homelessness exists in the UK. This can be explained by looking at the link between homelessness and tenure that has evolved over time, and how policy has changed and the affect that has had on the extent of homelessness in the UK. The link between housing tenure reflects general changes in the welfare state in recent years. The impact on gender inequalities relates to a number of social policies that include, The Housing Act, 1988, and ‘The Housing (Homeless Persons) Act 1977’ which introduced a standard government definition of homelessness that has impacted who is seen as vulnerable in society and deemed as ‘priority in need’. The housing problems faced by single men will be explored to illustrate some of the issues, and assess the impact on equality with regards to homelessness in the UK.

Hamid-Balma, S. (2007, July 1). Visions journal - housing and homelessness. Retrieved September 1, 2015.

First, we were introduced to the different types of homeless people; these being street homeless, hidden homeless, threatened homeless, and emergency homeless. Being in the housing clinic, it is possible that we will have clients who are, or are about to be made, homeless. In order for the local housing authority to have a duty to provide assistance to someone, they must be declared statutory