Stereotypes Of Homeless People Essay

“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

Transition: Now that i've discussed how poverty is constructed, I will share with you how personal problems play a role in homeless.

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

Always, I was told from parents and elders that anyone can achieve their dreams through arduous work and dedication. Surprisingly, I hadn’t pondered this until I observed a shivering homeless person standing at the corner asking for help on one snowy, frosty winter day. This affected my life greatly. On the way, I just started thinking about the life of homeless people and how they are not fortunate enough to get their own place to live, their choice of delicious food to eat and several other amenities that we all enjoy in our everyday lives. An incident, like this, sparked an enthusiastic sense of compassion and empathy in me. Along with my family, I started thinking deeply and my thoughts to help the homeless expanded to other areas and I wanted to start helping the community around me as much as possible.

Many people throughout the world look at homeless people negatively, and that is some thing they do not deserve. People automatically assume homeless people are dirty, uneducated, and dangerous, but this is not always true. Many homeless people are war veterans and need help to get their life back on track, but they are too scared and hated to seek it. The stereotypes associated with homeless people make many people shy away from helping them and that is one of the reasons why they are really suffering. I chose homelessness as my topic because it is an issue that should be addressed and examined more carefully. People treat homeless people unfairly because of the stereotypes associated with them and choose to ignore them instead of helping them.

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?

The National Alliance to End Homelessness, a non-profit organization that voices the issue of homelessness, enlightens, “On a single night in January 2014, 578,424 people were experiencing homelessness – meaning they were sleeping outside or in an emergency shelter or transitional housing program” (The State of Homelessness in America 2015). Staggering statistics similar this inspired Matt Lynch to write his article titled ‘The Homeless Lack a Political Voice, But Not American Ideals’ and it also motivated Anna Quindlen to express her emotions in ‘Homeless.’ Both articles posed by Lynch and Quindlen contain comparative flaws, which range from logical fallacies to the utilization of unfair information. Each writing, however, incorporates multiple pieces of significant information relative to the topic at hand, yet Lynch’s work manages to pull ahead with the addition of minor, yet important, details that Quindlen failed to propose.

A homeless person is an individual without a permanent, stable housing situation who either spends his or her nights on the streets or in temporary facilities, such as shelters and abandoned buildings. Throughout history, society has been “holding the poor, rape or incest victims, minorities, or the handicapped responsible for their misfortunes” (Zur). Society has been blaming the homeless for being in the position they are in. However, upon closer inspection, it must be noted that “children under the age of 18 accounts for 39% of the homeless population…battered women who live in poverty are often forced to choose between abusive relationships and homelessness…[and] 40% of homeless men have served in the armed forces” (Who Is Homeless?). It is clear that those who are homeless are not

Homelessness affects millions of Americans each year, with approximately one third of this population suffering from severe mental disorders. In Las Cruces we have a number of homeless people that have a mental disorder. Las Cruces does not provide the homeless mentally ill with sufficient services. it is necessary to provide them with support, protection, treatment, and rehabilitation.

For my project I have decided to do a painting. My painting represents stereotyping in our society today, and what Shattered has shown us about the homeless people. Stereotypes generally are formed when there is an assumption made and it is passed on through to people. Homeless people are viewed as gross dirty worthless bums living on the street. This is where the hierarchy comes to play there will always be a person that is viewed to be higher than the other. Homeless people would be at the bottom of the social hierarchy there are some assumptions that are set so strongly towards the homeless that the people that are trying to help have started to believe. Homeless people are thought to have been criminals or done something to be put on the

Krystain, I agree everyone can become homeless. It does not have to be a male specifically like you said, it can me anyone. Also, I had a stereotype of homeless individuals who walk and want to be picked up. However, the media has made me think that all people are sketchy and would kill you. Although, this is not true at all because some individuals are genuine. So, therefore, I agree that many individuals see homeless people in a negative

Based on my survey the stereotypes of homeless are based on their gender and education level. According to Oxford Dictionaries, homeless is a person without a home and therefore typically living on the streets (Oxford Dictionary). People that got surveyed around the mall are between the age range of 17 to 69. Women tend to have more sympathy, while men are straight forward towards the topic of homeless.

How do people view homeless people in public places like the park? Do they run away? Do they stare? Do they walk up to them and offer them a hot meal or money? What faces do they give them? Is it a frown or a smile? Unfortunately, there are millions who go without a proper place to sleep every night (1 pg 5). You will find these people sleeping in abandon cars, on the street, on park beaches, and even in hallway buildings. Anywhere they are able to find a place to sleep they will. I decided to do my observation study on how people react when they see homeless people in public places like the park. Why are they looked down on so negatively? These people that we are throwing to the side like yesterday trash is someone’s mother, father, brother, sister, or friend. We are simply ignoring them.

Throughout the United States, homelessness and poverty have become an overwhelming issue. From people losing their jobs to others having to give up their homes, nearly 14.5 percent of Americans experience some type of poverty. This could look like a small percentage to some but in reality, it's more than 45 million people. While this number may be decreasing, the stereotype of those who are in poverty still remains. It is often thought that those in poverty are non-educated addicts and are generally criminal people. This, however, fails to be proven true. In my personal experiences, it was believed that the homeless and impoverished were of a lower social level and it was easy to assume the poor were in their walk of life for more reasons than simply not having money. Drugs, crime, and poverty all seemed to have the same definition.

All I saw were ambulance lights shining in every direction. It was like the world was dark and the only thing lighting it up was blue and red. All the events leading up to that one moment were playing in my head. I tried to process all of it, but it was all too much.