Vincente Montez
Higginbotham
Marketing and Advertising
9 November 2015
Research & Development for Hope for Homeless
Introduction & Background: “Life, liberty, and property.” The words of John Locke that influenced neglected colonist to revolt against their derelict rulers in a Pursuit of Happiness. Yet, the very nation once inspired by his writing has not committed to these ideas. With such a shockingly large homeless population one should assume these ideas have been abandoned by the society. Commonly homelessness in America is traced back briefly, interpreted as a mostly modern issue. However, difficulties with homelessness can be credited much further to the 1640s. At this time an inability to support oneself was seen as a moral issue, and as due justice for religious shortcomings. These cultural stigmas made a lasting impression in society causing such conditions to be difficult to escape. The existing population of homeless became added to by various factors. One of these being the new and abundant, unregulated pain killer morphine. Shortly after the civil war, a trend emerged among amputees and the addiction was only worsened by mental illnesses such as PTSD. Other factors have worsened America 's homeless problem such as disasters. (Fischer). One large contributor to the issues surrounding homelessness is the chronic homeless. Though this minority only accounts for 15%, of the population, declining 21% since 2010, it’s responsible for more consumption of aid than
“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 has always been a problem for the United States. Since its birth as a nation, there have consistently been individuals who find themselves without a place to live, looking for shelter with family, friends, or simply anywhere they can find it. These individuals have been targeted as candidates for social aid, but this was primarily provided by churches and other care organizations. However, in the past thirty years the homeless population has increased almost exponentially in numbers. While the cause of this is undetermined, it is quite certain that while the
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.
Homelessness has always been a controversial and complicated issue to understand; but, recent natural disasters, an economic recession, and conflicts among various nations have given homelessness a whole new dimension.
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
In the United States the homeless population continues to grow rapidly. Homelessness has been a public health issue for many decades. Often times these individuals feel as though society has turned a blind eye to them. This at risk population is seen by society as lazy or chose to live a life on the streets, but if one would examine this population closely would see that there is more to this at risk population than what society has labeled them as. The forces, which affect homelessness, are multifaceted. Social forces such as family breakdown, addictions, and mental illnesses are in combined with structural forces such as lack of low-cost housing, insufficient health services, and poor economic conditions. Many would
Homelessness in the United States is at an all time high with 500,000 adults in the streets
The United States of America is the place known to many as the land of the free, home of the brave, and the place to start a better life. With any place that has good qualities, some have not so good qualities. The homeless population in the United States is at a staggering high, and many individuals are suffering because many lack employment/financial resources, housing resources, support from family and friends, and others negligence; such as natural disasters or fires. Homeless individuals may have no other choice than to live on the streets, trains, and alley ways to name a few places where homeless people seek shelter. The history of homelessness, social problems, demographics, common clinical
The history of homelessness in America has been documented since 1640. During that time, homelessness was perceived to be a personal, ethical imperfection. Much like the members of today’s society, the first impression of a homeless person is considered to be that they are lazy, drunken, or a bum. On the contrary, homelessness is not always a matter of choice, and vagrants are not deserving of their predicament. The Industrial Revolution, American Civil War, and Great Depression exemplify some
The most recent survey of homeless individuals conducted January 29, 2014 revealed 958 homeless adults with no dependants, 70 of which were completely unsheltered, and an additional 130 homeless adults who also had dependent children with them. 208 of these homeless adults are chronically homeless (HUD’s 2014 Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Programs, Populations, and Subpopulations, 2014).Wayside Christian Mission reaches approximately 7,000 homeless individuals annually (Wayside Christian Mission, 2007). In the Journal of General Internal Medicine, a majority of homeless individuals surveyed stated that they felt discriminated against or that they received lesser care because of their poverty or homelessness (Wen, Hudak, & Hwang, 2007). Homeless and impoverished individuals suffer from high rates of depression, psychiatric illness, alcohol and or substance abuse, HIV/AIDS, TB, Trauma, preterm birth, COPD, low birth weight, musculoskeletal problems, decreased access to care, foot problems, malnutrition, and high Emergency Room utilization (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2014). Not only do homeless persons have a high rate of illness, but they are also less able to appropriately treat health problems. Many homeless individuals have limited access to care, cannot afford medications or nutritious food, and may have difficulty with managing a strict
Homelessness and substance abuse are often two problems that continue to be linked together. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (2011), research conducted in the past five years indicates that about 50% of those who are homeless have co-occurring substance abuse problems. Along with co-occurring substance abuse problems, there continues to be other problems such as treatment access to those who are homeless. In this paper we will explore research on the homeless population in relation to substance abuse, and effective interventions on an individual level.
Homelessness is a major social crisis in the United States of America. From 2014 to 2015, homelessness in America increased by 2 percent. The major sub-populations which comprise homeless people in America are unsheltered persons, families, chronically homeless people, and veterans (National Alliance to End Homelessness 3). In America, 15 percent of homeless people are defined as being chronically homeless, while 2 percent of homeless families are chronically homeless (ibid. 7). A person is defined as chronically homeless by the United States Government if they have been continually homeless for a year or more, or have experienced more than twelve months of homelessness in the last three years (Office
The homeless are under-served vulnerable populace because this population is at an expanded risk for adverse health-related outcomes. These groups of individuals take asylum in the homeless shelter, and others live in surrendered structures, in this manner, reaching homelessness people's turns out to be progressively troublesome increasingly. In fact, homeless has various causes, for example, “deinstitutionalization in the 1960’s… freedom from slavery, westward expansion, lumber and railroad work, the Great Depression, and the aftereffects of the war” (Karkness and DeMarco, 2016, pg. 374). Indeed, even though, this populace is hard to reach, there are numerous things being done to address this issue. For instance, healthcare is
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.
Throughout history there has always been a portion of society living in disadvantaged conditions. With the current high cost of living, global issues, unemployment rate on the rise, and low wages, many Americans are finding themselves homeless. One would think that in this advanced century, there would not be individuals living without the basic necessities such as food, water, and shelter. Unfortunately, there are millions of people with nowhere to sleep. Besides the many problems homeless people face daily, one of the leading problems is health care. Being homeless with limited access to health care or shelter in conjunction with mental illness or exposure to harmful diseases can lead to poor health, or