What´s Occupational Therapy?

Our text illustrates that there are various populations within the homeless community. These people are homeless for different reasons, whether its voluntary or involuntarily. Runaways and Victims of

This research project studied the broad subject of homelessness from a distinctive perspective. Homeless individuals have different needs, and different human services organizations offer many homeless service programs to individuals, from temporary shelter to transitional housing, and training and health programs among others. Nonetheless, the most important service needed for homeless individuals should be the one that leads to permanent housing solutions. However, findings from this research study suggested that not all homeless service programs are as effective in alleviating homelessness in the community, as most have been led to believe in the past. Therefore, the required question had to be, how effective are homeless service programs in alleviating homelessness in the City of Springfield MA? Finding an answer to that question was the primary reason for this research. This research study sought to know more about the effectiveness of two distinctive service programs, which although similar in services offered, both operate with completely different funding and visions on how to solve the

Being homeless presents many challenges for youth that they normally live day to day, unable to develop plans for forming a productive life structure. Since many homeless youth don’t have money so they start begging or selling drugs or start prostituting to earn money to cover their basic needs. The basic problem of homelessness is the human need for personal shelter,

Homelessness is a major problem in the United States. An incredibly vulnerable group is the homeless youth due to their young age and lack of education. According to Edidin, Ganim, Hunter, & Karnik (2012) on any particular night in the United States there are ~2 million homeless youth living on the streets, in shelters, or in other temporary accommodation. Youth become homeless for multiple reasons whether it be because they have aged out of foster care, ran from home, were kicked out of their home, or because they have become homeless along with their family members. Within the umbrella categorization of homeless youth there are high at risk subgroups, common misconceptions, and a serious concern of lack of support and medical services.

Fifteen items were listed and the survey asked how much the social worker, on a scale from one to five, saw the given item as a barrier. The fifteen items included but are not limited to: transience, identification, attendance, communication, personal resources, school administration, community resources, and embarrassment. Other information was gathered such as the level of licensure held, the location the social worker works at, the number of years they have practiced, and their level of awareness about homelessness. The results show that each of the fifteen items was seen as a barrier when dealing with homeless children by the participants of the study. The most widely seen barrier was transience, meaning the students have had to frequently move around a lot, which has hindered their ability to learn. Transience leads to low attendance and is correlated with poor academic performance. (Canfield, 2014) School administration was the closest to being perceived as a facilitator and not a barrier, but was still viewed as a barrier by the

The name of the society changed in 1923, due to hospitals wanting a national directory of qualified occupational therapists. There now was a minimal standard of training that had to be met before an individual was put in the directory (AOTA, 2009). The name was changed to the American Occupational Therapy Association. The American Medical Association worked with the American Occupational Therapy Association starting in 1933 on getting improved education programs for occupational therapists (AOTA, 2009).

Many youth who have or are still living on the streets have faced sexual or physical abuse from an adult at some point in their lives and the data states that 61% of all youth face this (McKay, E, (2009). Seeing the Possibilities. The Need for a Mental health Focus Amongst Street-Involved Youth: Recognizing and Supporting Resilience. Toronto: Wellesley Institute.). Approximately 1,500 – 2,000 homeless youth make up the total amount of homeless people sleeping on the streets every night in Toronto; this number is considerably large and it continues to grow because the issue of youth homelessness or homelessness in general is not thought of as a priority by various levels of government and therefore

Throughout the United States, there are a large number of individuals that goes unnoticed. Hidden in right plain sight, but are overlooked. They can be our friends, family, classmates, or the person standing right next you to at this moment. There are young individuals who are facing the tremendous challenge of being homeless. They are overlooked by many in society. However, there have been countless individuals, groups, organizations dedicated to ending youth homelessness. However, they are confronted with challenges due to the lack of interest. The lack of interest found within society can contribute to barriers to ending youth homelessness.

The problems of homelessness and mental illness are inextricably intertwined. One way that mental illness impacts people's lives is that it oftentimes renders them unable to carry out the functions of daily life, such as keeping a job, paying their bills, and managing a household. In addition to disrupting the events of daily life, mental illness "may also prevent people from forming and maintaining stable relationships or cause people to misinterpret others' guidance and react irrationally" (National Coalition for the Homeless, 2009). What this means is that a population that is already vulnerable because of an inability to consistently manage self-care lacks the same safety net as much of the rest of society.

A Pathways Project study found that two out of three homeless people in the country suffer from a form of chronic mental illness for which they need treatment (Wells, 2009). Secondly, socioeconomic adversity includes shortages such as low education, job loss, and eviction (Bradford, 2009). Lastly, traumatic experiences such as domestic violence causing psychological trauma are a predisposition to homelessness (Bradford, 2009).

Traditional methods of providing homeless services to the dually diagnosed homeless require individuals to abstain from substance abuse (Henwood, Padgett, & Tiderington, 2014, p. 80). This approach, referred to as treatment first (TF), fails to address issues associated with chronically homeless adults who had become habituated to this lifestyle (Henwood, Padgett, & Tiderington, 2014, p. 81). The rigidness of this approach, which includes abstinence and behaviour modification such as “curfews, daily supervision, mandatory attendance at day treatment, no visitors,

The Problems and causes of homelessness are closely intertwined, with many of the problems of homelessness also sharing common source with the causes of homelessness. Narrative comments are included. There are three central themes that are highlighted in the cases. Mental health plays a large role in the cause and problem of homelessness as displayed by Stephanie’s experience as “her parents asked her to leave home. Stephanie had suffered from anxieties and bipolar”. Abusive relationships are also experienced frequently amongst the participants illustrated by Lauren and her children as it is noted “her husband was manipulative and abusive to her and the children”. Exposure to drugs is another theme of homelessness demonstrated by Elle’s

Interventions on all levels are important in the prevention and the assistance in helping at-risk youth. The Macro level of intervention is imperative on a larger spectrum of creating positive change and the development of larger systems to indirectly help those young adults who are struggling. This level of intervention is key in developing policy change, and helping communities to development initiatives with the expectation of reducing youth suffering homelessness, drug use, physical and sexual abuse, crime and other troubling conditions they may face as they transition to adulthood. Through research and the collection of analysis from both the state and national levels, we can develop an enhanced understanding of this vulnerable population and develop the programs and strategies necessary. Many social workers work closely with community members in this research and the development of interventions to address the large-scale problems faced by today’s at-risk youth.

For several years, researchers group together to find the right direction in analyzing how homeless people can acquire a better framework in a direction of regaining their dignity and integrity. Researchers were able to create an assessment tools that eventually produce a meaningful result. This paper will discuss the different tools that can assess the homeless people in developing the necessary guide to overcome their present difficulties, mentally and physically.

Individuals who are homeless or at risk for becoming homeless may experience various occupational issues, such as the following examples, but are not limited to these: difficulties maintaining a job, transportation, and emotional or regulation skills. According to the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) (2008), work is an area of occupation and defined as “activities needed for engaging in remunerative employment or volunteer activities.” Individuals that are homeless have difficulty in obtaining a job due to a deficiency in certain skills sets. Other problems regarding work opportunity is the lack of trust employers may have regarding individuals who are homeless. Society often views people who are homeless lower than themselves and often disregard their talents and