Southside Community Center Literature Review

There are more than 500,000 homeless individuals all over the United States who are either living inside shelter homes or along the streets according to a survey conducted by the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Various surveys are being conducted so that the current problems being experienced by these homeless people can be properly addressed and the necessary solutions can be provided. Among the information gathered are as follows:

Homeless children is more of a problem than people realize. Children who are homeless have a greater chance of having heath problems than the other children since they do not have access to medical and dental care. "Children who lack a stable home are vulnerable to a number of adverse outcomes" (Child). These children are more likely to repeat a school grade, be expelled from school, and even drop out of high school. Most homeless children have experienced violence and they now suffer from anxiety and depression. There are two types of homeless children. One type is called "Family Homeless" which is when a child is separated from their parents and placed into foster care or they are living with some of their family members. The other type is called "Unaccompanied Youth" which is when children are out on their own and have no one with them which includes the runaway youth. It is very hard to count the number of homeless children because their living situation changes frequently.

Reverend Dimmesdale is a beloved Puritan minister who's Hester's paramour and father of Pearl. One of rivaling enemies is Chillingworth, physician and Hester's husband, who suspects Dimmesdale is Pearl's father. He begins to notice Dimmesdale declining health and considers moving in with him to ‘nurse him back to health.’ However, as a means of revenge, he takes the opportunity to implement torture and pain upon him. One night, when Dimmesdale falls asleep, Chillingworth sneaks a glance at his chest and discovers a carving within his chest. He then dances with glee and enjoys the sight of subtle torture Dimmesdale has self-inflicted since the “doctor’s joy from Satan’s was the quality of wonder.” The discovery of Dimmesdale's chest may have

Although homeless families are decreasing slightly in the United States, it is still a high-risk area. A large proportion of these families are made up of single mothers with at least one child. The

The homeless are impacted far more by everyday issues than those who are not. Often times, homeless children can be sick four times as much as middle class children and have superior rates of acute and recurring illnesses. In addition, they experience emotional and behavioral problems can hinder with learning at almost three times the rate of other children. “Homeless children between 6 and 17 years struggle with high rates of mental health problems. For example, 47% have problems

There are varying estimates regarding the number of homeless people in America. According to reports from NLCHP the number of homeless people in America is 3 million which include 1.3 million children. ("Homelessness and Poverty, Overview," 1). As I am living in the state of California so I want you to take notice of the homelessness in this state. Estimates reveal that there are 4,400 to 8,800 homeless people in Foresno County (Della-Piana, 2006). The other areas like San Joaquin County has 2,700 people homeless (Farrow, 2009) and in Sacramento County there are similar number of homeless individuals. The situation has become worse due to financial crisis and financial conditions of foreclosures and layoffs. Other reasons are shortage of cheap housing and increase in inner city drug culture due to which homelessness increased in California's Central Valley.

The common profile of a homeless family is headed by a single mother, in her 20’s with an average of two children, of which one or both are under the age of six. Homeless mothers tend to be poorly educated, unemployed, and lacking the skills necessary to become employed. There is an equal representation of Caucasian (47%) and African American (47%) homeless mothers. These women commonly described their lives as ““… a remarkably constant stream of distressing and spirit-breaking encounters, beginning in early childhood …” including experiencing physical and/or sexual abuse, constant crisis, stress from persistent poverty, violence in the family and community, and isolation. Most of these women grew up homeless and spent their childhood in foster care making them distrustful of the system.

Homelessness is often accompanied by many other problems such as mental disorders, substance abuse issues, isolation from family and friends, and poor general health. Often time’s people that suffer from homelessness experience a lower quality of life than those who have a place to call home.

Those who are homeless, living in poverty with no work, food, or shelter, have to go through many obstacles in their lifestyle. They are more susceptible to suffer from many mental disorders, from Bipolar to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, which are often due to the personal experiences of not only their childhood, but their lifestyle of homelessness. While many choose to live in their own distinctive ways, others are bound to it. Being isolated, with no real love and care from other people, most importantly, your family can cause the reasoning behind the mental disorders people suffer.

The Korean War existed as a bi product to the hegemonic struggle between the contrasting political views of communism and capitalism. The event became the first military conflict of the Cold War between the US and Soviet Union, and it commenced on June 25th, 1950. These powers would continue to battle through the use of surrogate wars and political propaganda. War began to change exponentially with technology, and atomic warfare threatening, and still threatens, the life on earth. War changed to a mutually assured destruction. As a result the Korean War never truly ended, the Cold War carried on, and the 38th parallel still divides the North and South. From an American perspective, the Korean War contributed to the Cold

According to Homeless Link (2010), homeless people are 4 times more likely to suffer from mental health issues, compared to those with stable accommodation (Homeless Link, 2010). Generally, homelessness can be described as a situation where a person is ejected from his or her home due to economic problems or illness. In addition, homelessness can contribute to the cause of most mental health issues which can sometimes result in homeless people with mental health issues facing extreme forms of social exclusion (The Queen’s Nursing Institute, 2012). Nevertheless, Bhugra (2007) argues that most people who had no mental illness develop mental health issues while homeless because of the trauma and experience associated to homelessness, this can be disempowering and can result in severe isolation. Furthermore, Bhugra (2007) concluded that ‘not all individuals with mental illness are homeless and not all homeless individuals are mentally ill’. Shelter (2007) highlighted the possible link between homelessness and mental health which showed the effects homelessness has on the mental health of homeless people with street sleepers and rough sleepers been severely affected (Shelter, 2007).

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 is a continuing growing problem, with more and more not just adults but children forced to live on the streets. Homeless people are humans just like us. Being homeless, you

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.

Children of many ages are affected by these tremendous problems resulting from homelessness that have just become greater as time has passed. Homelessness leaves long lasting scars on these children (Crary 2). “The burden places upon these people can influence every facet of their lives; from contraception to early adulthood” (Hart-Shegos 2). All stages of life are affected by this experience of homelessness and severe problems can be caused in every stage.