Homelessness the Problems of America Homelessness has always been a problem in major cities across the United States and even the world. This problem also affects out local community and even all of us individually. (Daily) A majority of the American people lives paycheck to paycheck, and according to statistics, we are only one or two paychecks away from becoming homeless. While there are many reasons a person or family can become homeless, a majority of those problems come from a lack of income. The job market of today is quickly dwindling and shows no signs of improvement. This market mixed with new government policies is becoming an issue for struggling American’s on the poverty line. Homelessness is becoming a vast problem …show more content…
Some veterans suffer from a mental illness known as PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) when they do not seek medical help they have a higher risk of becoming homeless then those that seek medical advice. This disorder was caused by something that the military veteran experienced while in active duty during war.
While the idea’s that have come forth to try to solve the problem of homelessness, many people have come up with great solutions that are currently helping these individuals. The programs that are in place provide shelters for people who have been kicked to the streets and have no place to stay. These shelters provide food, clothing, water, and best of all a place to sleep. However, these shelters require the individuals staying there to seek a job during the day. The biggest problems these shelters have come from the rules that apply to those staying. The current rules allow homeless people to take advantage of the program by allowing them to stay there for up to 6 months, and then they must move to another shelter or live on the streets. The problem presented with this rule is in most cities they have more than one shelter, which allows people to abuse the system and live under the care of taxpayers indefinitely. However, most people understand that there could potentially be more than one reason why a person would need to return to a homeless shelter within 6 months to a year, but not spend almost their entire life using
Homelessness is an issue in American society today that affects anywhere from 800,000 to 3.5 million people. There are a substantial amount of people that are without shelter, food, or employment, and there are numerous other people affected by poverty and homelessness. People living in nearly every city in the United States are affected by homelessness due to the large amounts of homeless individuals living on the streets and begging for money, food, and other necessities. The issue of homelessness has been a constant problem since the conquering of the New World, and soup kitchens and homeless shelters have not been able to fully end homelessness. Especially today, with a lack of affordable housing and high unemployment rates, homelessness is prevalent.
“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
Homelessness affects upwards of 3.5 million Americans annually and has been a historical problem since the 1700’s (Cronley, 2010). People who are homeless do not always choose the situation they find themselves in, but to be more precise, are the victims of a social system that neglects to help them with they first become at-risk of becoming homeless (Edison-Brown). According to the Joint Studies for Housing Studies (2017), almost thirty-nine million American households are living in homes that they have difficulty meeting the required funds to pay for monthly. To illustrate, a person who has a rental home, on average, needs to earn $21.21 per hour to afford a two-bedroom home in the United States (Family Promise, 2016). The poverty line for a family of four is at $24,300, and for someone to achieve that line, they need to be earning at least $11.70 per hour
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
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?
Veterans suffer from mental health problems which often lead to homelessness. PTSD, other mental disorders, and trauma contribute to the high percentage of homelessness. These factors may affect social and professional behavior among veterans.
In this paper, I will focus on the topic of why veterans are coming back homeless. Veterans are seen as a savior of the country they are risking their lives for every day, so why is it that they are coming back from tours and service and ultimately ending up homeless? Since 2009 the United States stated that in five years they would end veteran homeless, but the United States is still facing veteran homelessness in the year 2017. Though the homeless rates of veterans have gone down since then, why are veterans still facing homelessness if so many resources are supposed to be available for them. Is there more than meets the eye when it comes to homelessness especially with veterans, yes. Many things can attribute to this continuing issue such as lack of assistances provided, mental illnesses, PTSD, lack or loss of support from being deployed, the use of drugs and alcohol as coping strategies, and the economics.
People drive or walk past a homeless person almost every day without thinking twice about the plight of that person or they may even unconsciously turn their heads the other way in disgust. Homelessness simply put, means without a home - therefore homelessness is an equal opportunity state that can happen to anyone. Even though we have seen some economic prosperity over the years, statistics show that the number of homeless remains very high. With this in mind, communities need to come together at the state, city, and individual level to come up with solutions to mitigate the spreading of this problem.
“On a single night in January 2015, there were 564,708 people experiencing homelessness in the United States. Sixty-nine percent of those who were homeless were in sheltered locations and 31 percent were found in unsheltered locations” (Facts). People living in poverty are most likely have a high risk becoming homeless. Many other reasons why becoming homeless is due to economic conditions such as unemployment and increasing housing costs (Why). In addition, with all the new economic rules they are at higher risk of losing what they have already. In certain areas, homeless people are families, single mothers, and children are a major issue in homelessness. However, the number of homeless is families who has children had increased more over the past decade or so. It is the fastest growing division of the homeless population. The problem of homelessness in America is growing drastically. It is an issue that can strike at anyone in each moment and least expect when the situation occurs. Therefore, this should be addressed as a major crisis than an inconvenient issue. The National Alliance to End Homelessness and the Government should come together to create a solution to end all homelessness around America for once and for all.
Without the mean to afford a stable way of life, people are sleeping in parks on benches, underneath bridges, in the wood under make shift shelters and on the streets. Some are fortunate enough to find a shelter, however, meal times and an entry and exit time frames are in place to prevent over population of these temporary quarters. A cardboard box may be seen with the use of newspaper to give them some means of warmth. The homeless further chose to live the woods with other who are unrelated and form family bond type settings. Others make the chose to be homeless and then there is remaining America’s who do not have a choice. Numerous homeless people do not want to live homeless or in poverty. Our government should provide a service to make the homeless whole. We do not now the situation they are in. Homelessness is sad to see in my opinion and I feel future generations will view this horrible situation in a different manner as viewed in the current society. Homelessness is a subject that has many different views, and opinions. It is a subject that gets little attention and funding to bring a different light on this
Homelessness has become a serious problem in today’s society. Despite the organizations that help multitudes of homeless people, homelessness is continually increasing. In recent years, America’s culture has been changing due to economic, political, and social issues. These issues have caused a lot of stress on America resulting in abject poverty in several cities. Poverty is not nationwide, but if dealt with lightly, the affects can be catastrophic. Homelessness is increasing more than ever, and research proves that changing culture contributes to rising amount of homelessness.
As many as 3.5 million Americans are considered homeless each year. Often, people believe that homelessness is a complication only caused by the poor choices of a single person when they are typically the result of multiple uncontrollable factors. For some, the line between being homeless and not can be very thin, with several obstacles preventing stability. These individuals and families commonly come from more deprived areas. Those who are homeless can be very different to each other in how and why they came to be in their situation, but they all have in common their desire to find a way back to a normal and healthy lifestyle. Homelessness is an issue created by poor physical and mental health, a lack of money, and relationship complications.
Many reasons for worsening situation of homelessness in the country have been reported but none has gathered as much support as poverty. Poverty alone accounts for major increase in homeless households while other possible reasons include loss of job, eroding job opportunities, lack of public assistance and lack of affordable housing facilities. Despite these being powerful reasons, they are all linked to one major reason i.e. poverty.
Throughout the entire history of human civilization, the prevalence of homelessness has been a challenge to every nation. It might be depressing to learn that no countries today have eradicated homelessness, but the human race is never stopped from trying harder than before to tackle this prolonged issue. As the two leading economic powers, America and China have to face the challenge of reducing homelessness. According to a report written by Nation Coalition for the Homeless, “a study done by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty which states that approximately 3.5 million people, 1.35 million of them children, are likely to experience homelessness in a given year” in America alone (National Coalition for the Homeless, July
Homelessness is one of the oldest problems in the world, In the United States, where one of the world 's highest GDPs, one night in January 2013, more than 610,000 people are homeless and almost a quarter are children under the age of 18. One way to solve the more innovative is to build permanent housing, people can stay free of charge. If there is not a safe place, the medical cap will provide free housing for anyone who must stay in the emergency center for more than 10 days. The logic behind permanent housing also has financial implications because it is more cost-effective than traditional homeless sanctuaries. In a medical hat, if someone lives on the street, the