I Was Homeless Kristin Lewis Summary

“One diverse population that has continued to increase over the quarter of a century is composed of people who are homeless” (Baggerly & Zalaquett, 2006, p.155). Homelessness has become a growing problem in society because more and more people are finding themselves to be homeless and not knowing where to turn. Many people do not

“Homeless is more than being without a home. It is tied into education needs, food, security; health issues both mental and physical, employment issues, etc. Don’t forget the whole picture.” (“Boxed In” 2005 pg. 108)

Homelessness is portrayed as circumstances of people or family units without steady, uninterrupted, proper lodging, or the quick prospect, means and capacity of getting it. It is the aftereffect of universal or public obstructions, an absence of reasonable and suitable lodging, the individual/family unit 's money related, mental, cognitive, behavioral or physical difficulties, and/or bigotry and segregation. A majority of individuals don 't decide to be dispossessed, and the occurrence is usually negative, unsavory, upsetting and troubling

When we are little we never see ourselves being homeless, we only have dreams of having a good life that has family, love, lots of money, nice cars, and big houses; we never think maybe we might end up homeless with nothing but the clothes on your back. Being American and in “the land of opportunity” we see and hear of endless possibilities, but everyone does not get to enjoy the possibilities because the possibilities are not really endless. Homelessness in America is a persistent, complex, and widely-occurring problem that incorporates many economic, social, and psychological dimensions. After years of war and economic decline, the ranks of the homelessness have grown to include

“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” (Suitcase). Over the past few years, homelessness has decreased in America. Even though it has decreased, homelessness is still very common in the US. Recent studies show that more than three million people in the United States are homeless each year. Thirty percent of homeless people have been living on the streets for more than two years (National). Adults, families, and even children struggle with the troubling and difficult issue of not having a place to call home. Homelessness is an unfortunate circumstance to be in and has become a growing concern for everyday people especially

There are so many people homeless that it leads to poverty. Poverty plays a big role in homelessness, because it’s the simple fact that there are people out there struggling, starving, some even near death, and people have the nerve to say it’s a lifestyle, it is a unhealthy lifestyle, and I know that the middle class and wealthy high class citizens of America would never want to be in a homeless person’s shoes. Homelessness is in fact caused by depression, someone can just lose a loved one and completely lose all type of humanity. “ People living in poverty or close to the poverty line and everyday life issues that may be manageable for individuals with a higher income can be the final factor in placing them on the street”. ( Homaid 1).

Defining homelessness has been controversial, but most researchers collectively accept that it is a situation in which an individual lacks a permanent place of residence. According to First, Rife, and Toomey (1994), if a person lacks shelter, even on a temporary basis, such an individual becomes homeless. Therefore, most homeless people live on the streets or find temporary accommodation in managed public and private shelters. Most researchers state that a close analysis of the issue of homelessness reveals that there are both individual and structural causes. The structural causes of homelessness comprise poverty, unemployment, economic structures, and social policy while the individual causes include substance abuse, alcoholism, and, domestic abuse, mental illness (Johnson, 1994). However, of the two causes, almost all researchers agree that the structural causes are the leading, describing them as intrinsic in the United States’ political economy. However, it is important to examine the individual causes of homelessness because of their prevalence.

An assessment of human history will portray the fact that a significant portion of the human population has always lived in unbearable conditions. In particular, it would seem that in first world countries that those that live in such conditions would have the appropriate means to secure an alternative to their plight. Regrettably, there are millions of people that have little choice but to sleep on the streets of cities, under bridges, and in subways. These citizens are homeless. Homelessness is a stark contrast to situations that many privileged American citizens find themselves in. Indeed, those who endure this plight on a daily basis appall many Americans. Homelessness in American society is often portrayed by the media as an individual

Homelessness is an unfortunate epidemic that has plagued communities across the United States for decades. Although a homeless population has existed in our society throughout history, this social issue came to a head only a few decades ago in the early 1980’s. What defines homelessness varies from source to source, however a concise definition, stated by the McKinney-Vento Act, specifies that a homeless individual is typically one that lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate night time residence (McKinney-Vento Act, 2001). Approximately 3.5 million people experience homelessness at some point each year in the United States. The homeless population is presently declining across the country. The National Alliance to End Homelessness reported a seventeen percent decrease in the homeless population between the years 2005 and 2012. However this trend is really only a mirage, that is certain to end and revert itself in the opposite direction. The increasing population, scarce resources and the surging number of individuals living at or below the poverty line indicate that the number of people without adequate shelter will eventually increase.

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.

The essay begins with stating a common assumption that “vast majority of the homeless were in the same state of semipermanent distress” and raising a question “what could be done to help them?”. The author represents two main arguments, understanding the types of homeless population and how do we assist them, to the readers, so that they can easily follow along. Later in the first paragraph, the author brings the readers into a real situation where a researcher—student Dennis Culhane graduated from Boston College—tells his story inside a shelter. Instead of believing that Culhane speaks eloquently without firm evidence, readers tend to give Dennis Culhane’s story credibility because his experience makes him closer to the truth and the readers. Quoting words from the one who experienced living in the shelter himself adds reliability of the essay.

There are many causes of homelessness in the U.S. and some are more challenging than others. The nation has a high poverty rate which does not help matters. There is a need for more affordable housing and many do not want face the fact that Americans are still facing challenges brought on by the Great Recession. There are racial disparities that exist and the challenges of single parenting. Researchers found that the majority of families experiencing homelessness were led by single mothers with at least two young children. The families did not have a permanent residence and they moved frequently living in substandard housing in dangerous neighborhoods. Most had low levels of education and had difficulties finding work that would pay a decent

The purpose of this study is to comprehend the who, what, why, when, and where of homelessness.

While a portion of today’s society turns a blind eye to the subject of the criminalization of homelessness, an even larger quantity of people are not aware of the situation that is happening in every major city of America. For those living an affluent lifestyle, it can be difficult to discuss the amount of poverty and homelessness that is constantly occurring. The definition and meaning behind the absence of home is also arduous to discuss. While homelessness is commonly associated with sleeping outside or in provisional areas, this word also identifies with an absence of belonging. This absence of belonging can relate not only to a community, but also to the people that dwell there (Baumohl 3). Within the portion of those who are aware of the homelessness situation, there is a section that detests the poverty stricken persons of our society. These biased members of the American population express their antipathy in several ways. It is necessary to reveal the privileges that homeless persons have been violently stripped of, and expose and broadcast the freedom they are entitled to. Through

by SamPac07/07/07 ( I have noticed this very odd coincidence that every night we slept on the street was the anniversary of terrorist bombings and catastrophes, as I look back on it, I am not really sure what to think, was it just a coincidence? or is there more than meets the eye…I hope to find the answer)