The Game Of A Houston Astros Baseball Game

Homelessness has been a prevalent and contentious topic since its public emergence in the 1980’s. In fact, according to the most recent estimates, on any given night in the United States, there are roughly 645,000 people residing in homeless shelters or unsheltered street locations (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2011). And based on a local study done by the Mental Health Unit at the Houston Police Department in 2011, Houston has the largest homeless population in Texas and the eighth largest in the United States. While many great efforts have been put forth to aid the homeless population in Houston, “the public health epidemiology task of quantifying and tracking child and family homelessness over time has been complicated…by increasing rates of…shortages [in] affordable housing” (Grant et al., 2013), and restrictions on temporary encampments (Loftus-Ferren, 2013). In order to successfully reduce, prevent and combat homelessness, more policies must be put in place to create sustainable, affordable housing for homeless families and to modify current laws that harm homeless individuals.

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.

Austin is a large, yet still expanding metropolis from the great state of Texas; as many statistics show, with big cities come a considerable following of the homeless population. One of the first things that many people from tourists to new residents notice when entering Austin from I-35 is the homeless camp under the bridge. It’s certainly an eye catching scene, yet almost everyone forgets about it once it’s out of their peripheral vision. I, for one, felt dejected seeing such a somber scenery, yet when upon driving to a new vicinity, I’d forgotten all about it. Maybe it was my own way of coping with the fact that there were people who were and still are in need of help and I couldn’t offer anything substantial to them. Either way, as I’ve learned we can’t help those who doesn’t want to be helped. In this research I’m delving into the causes of homelessness, the reason why it’s so pervasive in large cities such as Austin, and how the gentrification happening in the city isn’t helping.

“It is a beautiful thing when folks in poverty are no longer just a missions project but become genuine friends and family with whom we laugh, cry, dream and struggle.”

“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

Walking down the streets of many urban areas, a person is often faced with a seemingly ignored problem: homelessness. As often as the phenomenon homelessness occurs, most people ignore it as if it is acceptable. Although there are some people who try to give donations and shelters, the government has not figured out anything that will bring a lasting solution to homelessness.

Homelessness is a serious issue that is looked down upon within my community. Many homeless die when it’s too hot, too cold, or too wet. The New Orleans Mission sees this a huge issue and argue that homeless people are real people who need real resources, like shelter, food, and clothes. In addition, they have found that, without supportive services, housing is often not enough to end homelessness. From helping homeless youth, to providing assistance in obtaining disability benefits, to providing transportation, to offering intensive job training assistance to homeless veterans. The New Orleans Mission operate a number of innovative

Homelessness exists as a prominent issue that plagues society in various ways. It brings about hardship and controversy as individuals struggle to survive on a daily basis. Additionally, this complication tears families apart and ostracizes individuals from a society where they once belonged. A specific problem regarding homelessness consists of lack of interest from bystanders; some of these spectators refuse to even acknowledge homeless individuals sitting at their feet. As homeless people live their lives on street-corners, the more fortunate members of society choose to engulf themselves in their personal problems alone. Displayed by their clothing and accessories, most of these individuals possess the ability to help in some way;

There are an estimated 2,981 homeless people in San Antonio each day. Out of these, 1,243 were unsheltered and a staggering 31% of those are people with families. In addition, the average age of a homeless child in San Antonio is 6 years old. An overall picture shows that homelessness has dropped nearly four percent from 2012 to 2013. Further, an average of 610,042 people are homeless across the United States on any given night. “Of that number, 36 percent – 222,197 people – were in families, representing a drop of 7 percent for that group” (Chappell, 2013, p. #). More than a third of these people were not found in shelters, abandoned buildings, cars, or under bridges. Although, there has been a small decline in homelessness,

American people want to be greater, richer, and more powerful than everyone else. When one sees a homeless person sitting on the street, he may ask you for money to buy food. As ignorant as most Americans are today, we question will they really spend that money on food, but some of us are generous enough to give a donation anyway. Others would tell them to get a job. As I walk down Grace Street to get to class some days, I get asked by multiple homeless people if I could “help them out.” In Richmond, VA, Phil Riggan, did an interview with several of homeless people. He found out that they are just like the rest of us. Homeless people aren’t usually viewed as people; they’re commonly just known as “homeless”. They are viewed as “worthless, nuisances, waste of space, crazy, drug addicts, drunkards, criminals, liars, bums, and burdens of society” (Riggan 6). Phil’s study was to “prevent, reduce and end homelessness by facilitating creative solutions through the collaboration, coordination and cooperation of regional resources and services” (Riggan 8). Homeless people are still human. As we all need shelter, food, and emotional support, so do they. The Homeless Homes Project was started by Gregory Kloehn, an artist, that turned trash into mobile homes. The Homeless Homes Project was to diminish money’s use in building homes for the homeless population. The

Homelessness is an epidemic social problem that faces several individuals and families across the United States, especially in Detroit, Michigan. You may have seen a person or family sleeping on a park bench, under bridges and other public areas. Perhaps you have seen them holding up a sign on a street corner asking for money because of the hunger pains. At some point, we all had taken a look at the person holding up their sign thinking it’s not my problem. Why should I help? They’re probably lying or scamming just to make money to buy drugs and alcohol. However, there is a small part of us who may want to give money, buy some food or we may to choose to ignore the problem. Who are we to decide who’s

The reality of homeless people in the South Bronx district of Hunts Point is still on the rise today. Everywhere a bystander goes whether in the parks, streets, trains, buses, unoccupied lots, under bridge landscapes, and cities they are likely to see a homeless person struggling to survive. The Hunts Point neighborhood deserves to be an affordable, safe, comfortable place to live in, and not to be forgotten, and not to be left in the streets with uncertainty. In today’s society, a lot of people tune out the homelessness situation that is surrounding them because they are so driven by work and money to make a livelihood, but at the same time, they can be placed in this situation and loss of a home and assets. For example, psychologist Abraham

All over America, there are people wandering the streets without a home. These individuals are seen as a crowd, a separate collective existence. They are called the homeless, as if that defines who they are, but we too often neglect to add the unspoken word in that title; people. It seems today that the more fortunate citizens of America who have a roof over their heads have forgotten their innate responsibility to watch over those in this world whom are incapable of caring for them-selves. The fact is, that there are millions of homeless in America today. Many of these people had no choice but to become homeless. Economic problems such as being laid off work, or the rise in the cost of housing had lead people to

The motion picture Taylor’s Campaign, demonstrated how the homeless were constantly moving from place to place because they are kicked out of their location. They end up getting tickets for invading side walks or possessing shopping carts. They are unable to afford to pay for those tickets that they end up going to jail. Some are fine with that because at least they are no longer sleeping on the streets. There are more homeless than homeless shelters can home. Those that have no home can be put on a wait list, but in the meanwhile they have to continue to live in the streets. They cannot get a job because they have no address to put on their job application. Since they have no job they have to have some sort of income to survive, but what they do is not enough to keep them off the streets. Since, they look like homeless, they are treated with disrespect. People do not pay attention to them because others do not benefit. They have to make some sort of income to survive, but what they do is not enough to keep them off the streets or to eat. They cannot receive food because the government no longer funds outdoor distributions of meals. They blame it on how it can spread diseases when it is not an extreme issue like starvation. The homeless are treated with disrespect because of what they represent. They are associated with crime, in which crime rate is low. They see themselves as a family and feel they can only rely on each other because they only understand what is going. They seem to have no one else because their marriages have failed, mental health problems, or have abused alcohol or drugs. It makes it difficult to reintegrate society when their personal issues make it an obstacle every time. They are a community that sticks together because of the support they provide for one

Every year approximately 2.3 to 3.5 million people go homeless in the United States of America. Twelve million adults in the US were homeless in the year 2001, or are still currently without a permanent home (“Homelessness in the U.S.”). How does this happen in “the land of opportunity?” We think of ourselves as one of the greatest nations in the world, yet citizens are living a life of poverty, often without food, clothing, and shelter. When most people think of fighting homelessness, they think of providing medical assistance, showers, and counseling services for those who suffer mental illness, trauma, and substance abuse. Although these necessities are imperative in helping a significant