The Social Issues of Homelessness Essay examples

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

Homelessness can happen to anyone, you can be the richest person in the world today and lose it all tomorrow and be out in the streets without knowing what to do. According to Greg Owen and Michelle Decker Gerrad, one of the reasons people are homeless in Minnesota is due to recession. They stated, “In the year 2000, when the U.S. economy was at a high point, nearly a quarter of all adults who were homeless in our state had full-time jobs. The 2012 survey shows us that only 8 percent of those who are homeless today have full-time jobs” this survey shows that not all homeless people are poor it’s just they cannot find affordable housing because of the economy. This is where the government comes in and a social worker needs to work with each

Having seen the diverse homeless popultion in Bristol, further research showed how it has taken a toll in many peoples lives. Homelessness can be defined as having no sancury or safe haven as well as no permanent address. Although homelessness is viewed by many as the result of personal failings, it is actually caused by an interplay between a persons individual circumstance and surrounding factors out of their direct control. This essay will focus on the structural and personal causes of homelessness, and then assess the staggering effects it can have on individuals. ‘In England, more than 14,000 households headed by young people were accepted as homeless and in priority need during 2013/14 (Shelter England'.

However, this rapid growth in population led to rising costs in housing making it harder for even full time workers to afford a home and the homeless population started to rise (Echenberg,2012). Labor markets have also shifted from wanting unskilled workers to wanting skilled workers due to training costs. This economic restructuring has had two effects; those who cannot meet the skill demands in the work force may be unemployed and it has increased the wage gap between skilled and non-skilled workers which can cause poverty at the lower income end of the spectrum.

In America, the number of homeless individuals has increased significantly and it continues to increase with no solution. It is important to understand that the problem of homeless has almost always existed, even though the masses have not had to suffer from it all at one time. Some people may not fully understand what exactly homelessness means, or may believe it is a normal way of life. Journalist Vijay Mago informs, “Homelessness is a complex social problem with a variety of underlying economic and social factors such as poverty, lack of affordable housing, uncertain physical and mental health, addictions, and community and family breakdown.” (Mago , 2013) To be completely homeless mean to not have access to a housing roof. Depending on

Unfortunately, the issue of homeless has such a vast extent of causes, which is why it is becoming a legitimate issue. In New York City, the spike in homelessness has started since the Great Depression. Many Americans during this time period who have invested everything have lost everything. Many families faced financial crisis and could do nothing to pay for housing. Even after economic prosperity was regained in the 1940s, the damage had already been done. Ralph da Costa Nunez, the president of the Institute for Children, Poverty, and Homelessness has said “While the nation's economy entered a period of prosperity, New York's homeless problem showed no signs of ebbing” (David R). Ever since this conflict, homelessness has been taken to new heights and today, the number of homeless people are increasing. One of the most common reasons for homelessness is the financial pressure put upon families because of overwhelming prices. The issue is caused because “rising rents have put many ‘affordable’ apartments beyond the financial reach of low-income

Homelessness continues to be a prevalent social issue that continues to affect the lives of many citizens and that social workers continue to advocate for change. During the past couple of years, homelessness has increased eminently, particularly in New York City. Our society has failed to come up with an effective plan to resolve this issue. I believe that our society’s negative views toward homeless people have played a significant role in the way policymakers, funders and other organizations have addressed this issue, this is the main reason why current solutions haven’t shown any significant improvement. In order to end homelessness, we need to start focusing on looking the underlying issues connected to homelessness rather than blaming the

There are many reasons as to why homelessness exists. Job loss, divorce, mental illness, natural disasters, and poverty are all factors as. to why people are living on the streets. Although there are several explanations for the increase in homelessness, one is due to rent increasing. According to the Department of Commerce, monthly rent has increased $111 from 2012 to 2015. In order to pay for rent, one needs to have a steady income. As rent continues to increase, individuals or families cannot afford to stay in their house. This becomes especially hard if there is a family with several members to it. Mental illness and substance abuse are also large contributors to the rise of homelessness. Weinberger from Standford University states that about one third of the homeless population have severe mental disorders These people are generally incapable of finding a job for themselves which forces them into homelessness. Many psychiatric hospitals have closed over the years because of lack of funding, making it more difficult for patients to receive treatment. Without seeking the necessary help, it is almost impossible for one to become motivated and determined to find a job.

Many families and children have experienced trauma prior to becoming homeless. Parents are losing their jobs or having exhausted their unemployment benefits, and the cost of living is raising. In 2009, when the recession hit the United States, unemployment was at its highest in 26 years and one of the highest ever recorded, dating back

Homelessness in American is a national epidemic in today’s society. While people suffer, there is not much that can be done to help them. Due to many different people and lifestyles, there are several different reasons on why a person may be homeless. Many factors of homelessness are contributed by the government and its refusal to provide any type of social and economic support as a form of prevention. There is an extensive list of causes of homelessness that can be broken down into three main sections. Social causes of homelessness can be drug dependency, alcoholism, mental illness, and domestic abuse. Economic causes are poverty, debt, illness, and divorce. Lastly, physical causes of homelessness are natural disasters and disability. Despite the person’s reasons for being homeless,

Homelessness is the situation where individuals lack safe and adequate housing resulting in sleeping in the streets, their cars, and family or friends homes or in shelters. According to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), a homeless person is an individual who does not a have a permanent residence place, but rather has a temporary nighttime residence which is not designed for the accommodation of human beings (National Health Care for the Homeless Council, n.d.) Such nighttime residences include abandoned buildings, camping grounds, car parks and bus stations among others. Other agencies define homelessness as a situation whereby an individual lacks the necessary resources or networks to obtain permanent residence. Although there are different ways in which people experience homelessness, all types of homelessness are characterized by poverty and lack of permanent and stable housing. Homelessness can be short-term, long-term or even chronic. Regardless of the type of homelessness, the underlying intervention to end the issue of homelessness is to have measures or strategies that provide permanent and affordable housing to the homeless (National Alliance to End Homelessnes, 2015). The following essay is a proposal on how best to help the homeless in the community. The essay will begin with a brief analysis or statistics of the problem in the US. The essay will also outline the main reasons attributed to homelessness.

Many people in the United States are forced to the streets because of poverty and not having money to afford things. People who are poor are rarely able to afford food, housing, education, healthcare, childcare, etc. Some people who are homeless have jobs, but they don’t get paid enough to afford the necessities and they don’t get the benefits they need. The real value of minimum wage in 2004 was 26% less than the minimum wage value was in 1979. That means that minimum wage even though it was higher in 2004 than in 1979, the prices of things were raised drastically making it almost impossible for people who get paid the minimum to be able to live the American Dream.With that said, wages declining has put housing out of reach for many people. In 2017, the average apartment is a one or two bedroom

Poverty and homelessness are linked together. People who are poor have no money to pay for housing, childcare, health care, food and education. Difficult choices must be made when money low and the family needs some of these necessities. It is often housing that is dropped because of the cost of living in a home is very expensive. Being poor means there is a chance you are an accident or paycheck away from living in the streets. “In 2007, 12.5% of the U.S. population, or 37,300,000 million people, lived in poverty. The official poverty rate in 2007 was not statistically different than 2006.” (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2007) “Children are overrepresented, composing 35.7% of people in poverty while only being 24.8% of the total population.” (National Coalition for the Homeless, 2009) Two main factors that will help for increasing poverty are gradually destroy employment opportunities for big segments of workforces and the declining value and public assistance availability.

Homelessness occurs in a wide range of states, cities, counties, roads, streets, and areas around the U.S. This issue has been a huge phenomenon across the globe, which includes the United States of America. The government hasn’t done much for this problem. If the federal government were to actually do something about it, it would be decreasing not increasing. Homelessness in the United States has extremely increased within the past 10 years. The community has helped partially. The community takes part in homelessness. When citizens and people see homelessness it also affects them in a negative way. According to author Mervyn Susser in “editorials and annotations” When homelessness first surfaced in public awareness in the early 1980s, it was viewed as a tragic but temporary aberration affecting particularly vulnerable segments of the population. This states that homelessness was viewed by the community and highly affected them. The community saw it as a tragic.