Student 's Perceptions Of Homeless Persons Essay

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

stink. We give abuse rather than compassion, beatings rather than sympathy and avoiding eye contacts rather than addressing an issue with more vigorous action. It is clear that change must come from within ourselves but the real question is, Are we willing to

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

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.

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

The issue of homelessness has been called as one that is "highly ambiguous and intangible" (Neale, 1997, p.7). Wright defines the homeless a "diverse, heterogeneous lot. No single catch phrase or easy myth can possibly describe them all" (p.46)

In their study, Perspectives of Employed People Experiencing Homelessness of Self and Being Homeless: Challenging Socially Constructed Perceptions and Stereotypes, Michael Shier, Marion Jones, and John Graham introduce their study with this sentence, “Negative public perspectives and stereotypes of homelessness is a significant issue that needs to be addressed to help eliminate the stigma attached to people who are homeless and to the shelters

Homeless families with children represent the fastest growing segment of the homeless population; in fact, they constitute about 40 percent of all people who are homeless (Stronge 7). In addition, the most recent estimate of homeless children and youngsters by the United States Department of Education is 744,000 (Stronge 7). These statistics are indeed quite frightening, and they go to show that children constitute a large part of the homeless dilemma. The part of that dilemma that seems most taxing is that of educating such homeless children. How can these kids become active members of society if they are unable to receive a proper public education, the same education that is provided for so many other kids under the Constitution?

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.

Many people have preconceived ideas or thoughts about the homeless population. Some of these thoughts are the individuals are lazy, unmotivated, drug addicts, ill, dirty, and mentally unstable. Then bring in the aging population and the perceptions of incompetence, incontinent, and incapable all of which have been documented beliefs among service professionals such as doctors, nurses, social workers, and mental health professional (Kane, Green, & Jacobs, 2013). Until these perceptions

When a person hears or think about the word “homeless”, they may picture an older person who is lazy or cannot get a job. It is typical for a person to stereotype others, especially a person

As New Yorkers, we have seen the all too familiar sight of homelessness and those who are affected by it on a daily basis. We see homeless people sleeping on the subway cars, on park benches, on dirty pavements, begging for food and money, pushing carts with garbage, dragging around the little they have everywhere they go. They are the panhandlers, the mentally ill, the uneducated and unmotivated who fell through the cracks, the substance abusers, society's filth, and the bottom of the barrel. This is our perception of the homeless. Notice how none of these ideologies are positive. It’s time we change our perception. We need to learn to see the people who are living under these conditions as people first and not judge or ignore them because of their appearances. In order to do this we have to decrease the stigma associated with being homeless and become more compassionate towards those who experience homelessness.

The community group that I decided to immerse myself in was the homeless population. I have never really interacted with many homeless people and I shamefully admit that I have stereotyped many of them over the years. Driving past someone on the side of the road who is holding a sign begging for money, I have always heard that they probably just want the money for drugs or they are just too lazy to get a job. These are things that may be true, but the reality is that more often than not, it is not the case. Coming to college, I had never been in any situation to be with

I felt full of excitement and anticipation as we left the hotel and stepped into the scorching desert heat. The temperature was at least forty degrees centigrade and it was so humid I was sweating within a few minutes. We made our way through the bustling crowds of people and got into a taxi, which was thankfully air-conditioned. Making our escape from the roasting sun and our way to the city centre. After a while the silhouettes of towering buildings came into view. I immediately started thinking about what it would be like, as I had heard many things and wanted to see for myself.