Fagan claims that rather than doing half-hearted programs, the nation needs to commit both emotionally and economically in order to save the whole generation of old homeless men (336). By describing Mike Dick, a 51-but-looks-like-a-66 homeless man, Fagan reminds the readers about the typical image of the homeless men they would see on the streets (335). But besides the dirty and shabby appearances, nobody knows what these men have been enduring every day, how many diseases they have been suffering from, or the fact that almost every one of them grew up poor or abused and never had a chance to live a normal life (Fagan 334-336). As for Mike, "his mother died a month after giving birth to him, and [he lived with a drunk father. When he turned
Our text illustrates that there are various populations within the homeless community. These people are homeless for different reasons, whether its voluntary or involuntarily. Runaways and Victims of
“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
Andy Mulligan's ‘Trash’ deals with challenging issues, including children living in third world countries and poverty. Mulligan uses language techniques as well as rich characters and setting descriptions to help educate readers about poverty. Language techniques, such as sensory language and imagery language, and setting descriptions were used to make the reader feel the impact of these situations. Mulligan also uses rich characters in the novel to assist in informing the reader about poverty and issues in third world countries.
The Box Man is an essay written by Barbara Ascher that addresses and criticizes how American society does not give homeless people the respect they deserve. In the essay, Ascher describes a night of the life of an average homeless man. Ascher accomplishes this by using her character the Box Man to represent the homeless people of America and to display how society sees the homeless. Barbara Ascher’s The Box Man utilizes thoughtfully chosen diction, precise negative and positive imagery, and effectively placed tone shifts to argue that the homeless, represented by the Box Man, are worthy of respect.
Homelessness in America has existed for some time now, but has grown and changed majorly over the years since the 1980’s. According to Mary Hombs, “the prevailing stereotype of a homeless person was that of a middle-aged white urban male alcoholic” (6). But now there is no stereotype because homelessness could happen to anyone at any moment, so that is why it important to be aware. Millions of people in this country do not have a place to live including whole families, children, veterans, and even the mentally ill. Going day after day without food or shelter. Throughout this paper the main focus will be answering the questions: What is homelessness?; What are the main causes of homelessness?: Who is the homeless?; and How do the people of this country assist the homeless?
Seeing homelessness develop is a process that the older generation can say they have been apart of. The young generation, on the other hand, cannot say they have seen the development of homelessness. People who are thirty years old or younger have grown up believing that homelessness was always part of the landscape. The younger generation has come to believe that there have always been homeless people sitting on park benches. When an individual is asked what they see most in a large city like Chicago or New York, ‘homeless people’ is a common response. According to the United States Census Bureau, 320.8 million individuals currently live in the United States of America. Imagine the proportion of individuals that do not own a car or even a house to live in. The National Law Center on Homelessness and poverty did studied to conclude that in America more than 3.5 million people experience homelessness each year. Those concerned with the issue of homelessness are curious as to what events had to have happened that lead to the individuals living on the streets. The reasons are different for each and every person. Some of the more major issues that contribute to this are lack of affordable housing, declining welfare assistance, and most importantly, mental illness. Resolving the issue of homelessness is very possible with new ways of housing and treatment for the mentally ill. The relation between the homeless and the mental illness has risen, and the United States as a whole
The image of homelessness has changed since the Great Depression, when many homeless people were elderly and white. Today a growing number of women and families, including young children, are homeless because of insufficient housing and resources (Bassuk & Rosenberg, 1988). As the number of homeless people has continued to rise over the past decade, homelessness has become a central feature of life in America.
Homelessness has been an increasingly difficult problem to solve within America. Though it affects many, nearly one-fourth of homeless people are veterans, most of which have served in Vietnam or have had an honorable discharge. “Dumpster Diving,” by Lars Eichner is a nonfiction short story about how society is quick to judge people based on their possessions. Eichner narrates this short story as a homeless man forced to survive by living off of the discarded materials of the people whom are more privileged than him. His tone throughout the story is sarcastic and condescending toward the educated audience he is projecting to, often lying and making fun of them. Eichner urges the audience to gain more respect for
The purpose of this paper is to bring acknowledgement to the homeless population in Philadelphia. Research will be provided from scholarly journals as well as published, credible websites. We will explore the overall statistics in the United States but will have a focus on the city of Philadelphia. The homeless population is large and its evident there is an issue with housing and mental illnesses. While there are programs to assist, the homeless population outnumbers the resources available here in Philadelphia. This paper will explore the different types of people impacted such as families, youth, veterans and the elderly. This paper will explain and acknowledge that Philadelphia doesn’t provide enough support to assist the homeless. This paper will focus on the resources and support of local services and but also bring attention to the lack thereof.
Being a former member of the Ohio House of Representatives, Matt Lynch discusses the prevalent issue of homelessness in his article. He introduces his work by developing a person with the name of Greg, who has an office job and stays at a homeless shelter. Lynch further discusses the motley of reasons why homeless people become homeless. He compares the shelter to a hospital waiting room where occupants are entertained, which span from playing cards with other residents to watching television. Thereafter, he describes bills and government programs
During the 1980’s the number of "homeless" people, those without a house in which to reside, increased at an alarming rate. Many analysts have given much time and thought as to the reasons that this phenomenon occurred. They cite economic instability and government policies with facts and figures to support their work. Beyond the research and cold statistics that explain this event, are the victims, and those that worked to help relieve their hardship. An interview with Philip Guerrieri gives us insight into the personal lives of these individuals whom he calls "houseless," and the realities of staying alive, both physically and spiritually, on the streets.
The issue of chronic homelessness is not just a political or academic debate but has become evident from men and women living without homes in the streets of America. Homeless men and women
According to Lee Tunstall, homelessness is a social problem that “has been growing since the 1970’s” (2009, para.1) and has caught the attention of both the Canadian government and the general public (Tunstall, 2009) . Predominantly, the homeless are individuals or families with no permanent residence who also lack the resources or abilities necessary to arrange for their own adequate housing and living (Stearman, 2010). This matter affects a diverse demographic of the Canadian public. In 2003, the Toronto report card on housing and homelessness reported that out of 32,000 people who used homeless shelters, 15% were families, 22% were youths between the ages of fifteen and twenty-four, 18% were single women and 48% were single men (2003).
Furthermore, Lynch’s column details the reasons why homeless individuals become homeless, while Quindlen’s only discusses why some homeless people refuse to reside a shelter. Both arguments hold their own level of importance; however, exploring the grounds of which homelessness is placed upon an individual far exceeds the other.
The lack of dignity that these individuals feel is a direct effect of society’s disrespect for the lower class. The stereotypes of the homeless conceived by upper social classes, cause the lower class to lose any respectable role they may have in society. A homeless man in Oberlin, Ohio says, “Many of us historically invisible people, in our quest for visibility, have chosen to take the routes of organization and alliance building. Often we tend to find that our muted voices have more resonance, bass, and credibility within these snugly, institutionally sanctioned cubby holes” (Laymon). After failing to get sufficient help through