Because of the weak economy and high unemployment rates homelessness is on the rise at an alarming rate. Homelessness is worse in some areas of the United States compared to other areas because of incomes that are drastically falling, jobs that are no longer very secure which offer fewer benefits to the worker and their family members. The United States is experiencing the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Necessary wages made by the hour only improved by one-sixth of the rate from 2007 for employees in production work. Workers in the workforce were given a cut in hours and lowered weekly earnings. As the growth of wages goes down and the consumption growth increases it makes the economic recovery farther out …show more content…
Even with the hike of minimum wage to $7.25, workers were still $3,000 under the poverty level. An average family of four would be $6,000 under the poverty line. There is a popular belief that most minimum wage workers are teenagers. The truth is that 79% of minimum wage workers are 20 or older.
All over the homestead, tens of thousands of inactive and jobless young people that have college experience and or work history are having troubles finding affordable housing in the middle of this recession. This has made workers between 18 and 24 the group with the greatest unemployment rate of all adults. The young adults who are able to move back home with their parents are called the “boomerang set,” and considered the lucky ones. For some that is not an option. Their families are also being hit hard by the economy. Without an anchored home address there is a transit group that must resort to couch surfing or are forced to find private locations to sleep and live so they can stay out of the public eye. The homeless young people stay under the radar of the public because many people in the public, who are not forced to live as these transit groups do, can be very judgmental towards the young homeless adults and for most, the stigma is too much for them to handle. Poverty gurus say the homeless young adult’s population is growing largely due to the increase in unemployment rate and that a lot more graduating high school
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
Here in Tahoe, we are lucky enough to experience a great quality of life, and only a few have to face the horrible life of poverty and homelessness. However, nationwide, even right outside the basin, homelessness is a growing epidemic across the country. There are many ways one can become homeless; for the most part poverty. There are also different concentrations of homeless in different types of terrain, such as urban or suburban areas. Last, there is the ever- growing homeless population, and how much money it costs us for others to live in poverty. These are the questions we ask ourselves about homelessness, and the only way we can help is to know the facts about this lingering
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
Each country in the world is faced with various social issues that attract the interests of society and the government. Homelessness is an enormous issue that America has been dealing with for years. There are millions of people, including children, families, veterans, and the elderly who go day to day without food, water or any form of shelter. Mentally ill people also have a rough time out on the streets due to their state of confusion, which makes it dangerous for them, as well as others to be on the streets. Many of these people have had no choice but to become homeless. Economic problems such as being laid off work, or the rise in the cost of housing have lead people to live on the streets.
Homelessness became a huge problem in everywhere especially in the USA. Most people heard homeless people, and they saw homeless people in the streets, markets, or bridges. Most people never try to understand why there is much homelessness. Most people do not know any facts about them seem the truth of homelessness, the state of homelessness in the United States, and the effect on people from homelessness.
Social problems are those that raise a questionable suspense to issues that impact societies congruent to cultural normalization. The social issue researched will be homelessness and the impact along society. Homelessness is a social concern that raises issues for government officials, communities, and people along the community in so many ways. Every town or city is impacted by this liaison. In 2012 The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) calculated an estimate of at least 700,000 people enlisted as homeless in America. This has been an issue for centuries and is an everlasting effect that I feel will never change. What has to be accomplished, or better yet interpreted is, how communities can work together or come up
Homelessness in America has gone un-noticed for so long. For America to be the “land of opportunity” there is a large amount of people who have been deprived of what they were promised. There is so much this country offers, but at the same time there are so many qualifications. Not everyone can meet these standards that are sometimes required. This results in homelessness and poverty. Homelessness has become a hidden aspect in life. The government wants people to continue seeing America’s beauty. In order for that to be successful they would have to get rid of the flaws.
One of the most prominent social issues is that of the homeless population. According to Korge & Furst, 24 percent of the homeless population are severely mentally ill, 20 percent are physically disabled, 19 percent are employed, 14 percent are victims of domestic violence, 14 percent are veterans, while 3 percent are HIV positive (Chp. 2.4, 2012). Although there are numerous programs and policies to eradicate homelessness, we still see that the numbers continue to rise. Essentially, social theories such as conflict, functionalist, and symbolic interactionist theories have been fundamental methods used to study and examine social issues like homelessness. Therefore, expanding on innovative methods and policies for the vulnerable
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.
Ever drove or walked pass a homeless shelter and wondered how so many people got there? According to the American Aid Foundation, “Seven out of 10 Americans are one paycheck away from being homeless.” Getting a paycheck every two weeks does not mean a person cannot become homeless. Many would think only drug abuse and being poor are the reasons for homeless. There are many other ways to become homeless and for some people it becomes permanent. Many people that are homeless are single with kind, had/have welfare and do not have much work experience. The children are so youth that they develop emotional and mental problems. Drug and alcohol abuse become greater once people become homeless. With the proper assistance, all of that could be
According to Streetwise of Street News Services (2010), the first reported instances of homelessness dates as far back as 1640, in some of the larger cities in the original 13 colonies. At this time, there were wars being fought between settlers and Native Americans, and people were left with no shelter in both sides (Street News Service, 2010). Later, the industrial revolution caused more homelessness, industrial accidents left many former hard-working families with a dead provider, or with severe disabilities, and then the economy entered a recession in the same time period (Street News Service, 2010). Wars always left a large number of veterans homeless. Later, in 1927, there was an astronomical flood along the Mississippi River,
There are 7.125 billion people in the world. 3.25 million of those people live in the United States and 564,708 of those people are homeless. They live on the streets and disturb the peace by asking for food or money as people rush through the city. A simple solution to the homeless problem in America is to make them live in landfills. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. has 3,091 active landfills and over 10,000 old municipal landfills and this would be more than enough space for the homeless, but will there be enough trash for them? The average human throws away 4.5 pounds of trash every day. Each human will produce enough garbage for every homeless person.
According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness (2016), in January 2015 there were approximately 564,708 individuals living in emergency shelters or outdoors. With the baby boomer population aging, the rate of homelessness among this population has also increased.
Walking down the streets of many metropolitan areas, a person is often faced with an often ignored problem: homelessness. Homelessness in America could be considered a major issue considering that over six hundred thousand people are homeless at any one time. Of those homeless, 46% were individuals not regularly occurring homelessness, 37% were individuals with chronic homelessness, and about 16% were families (National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2013).
Nationwide, some 9.6 million families spend half of their income on housing, putting them at high risk of becoming homeless. Overall, homelessness in America is becoming a rather large problem. People cannot afford housing due to high prices and low-paying jobs, and natural disasters have destroyed homes and left families without shelter for months, even years. Others are left homeless due to mental illness, disabilities, or drug abuse.