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Sociological perspective on youth homelessness
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Sociological perspective on youth homelessness
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Growing up, I was very fortunate to have hard-working, loving, and supporting parents who provided my sister and I with a good life. A good life to me means having a roof over our head, meals everyday, an allowance for our basic needs, and family trips every so often. Last year on November 1, 2014 my mother Sandra and I decided to go to Los Angeles, CA to get some shopping done and have a nice meal at one of our favorite restaurants. Once we arrived to Los Angeles, we witnessed so many homeless people on the streets who are living in their tents and asking people for change at all times. This struck me because often times one does not realize how fortunate they are until they witness others who are struggling on a day-to-day basis begging
The impoverished and the homeless live in another world compared to those of us that are fortunate enough to have stable living conditions. Families are struggling to survive with the little government assistance they receive. The quality and space in a shelter or even government provided living is atrocious and, to be frank, borderline unlivable. Quindlen describes a family of six cramped into a single bedroom, an inexcusable and terrible way to live and yet better than nothing at all (332). Children of families that have to live in situations like this grow up not knowing stability or security.
I wonder if I should I start calling Las Vegas, Nevada home now. I’ve traveled back and forth from California to Las Vegas since I was a child. I can remember at the age of thirteen my family and I would take family weekend trips very often. By the age of seventeen I was forced to move to Vegas for 6 months right before my senior year of high school started. Since it was my last year of high school my parents decided to let me go back to California for the last three months and graduate with my friends. Since I wasn’t eighteen yet, I forced to go back to Las Vegas right the day after graduation.
Have you ever thought about the possibilities of becoming homeless? I think about that almost every day; I try to comprehend and picture in my head the life as someone that lives on or off the streets of New York. New York isn’t one of the cleanest places in the United States, but it sure has one of the highest percentage rates in the U.S. for homeless people. In the 21st century, people raised in the U.S. are not taught about the struggles of homelessness and what they have to go through to survive; most people don’t plan on becoming homeless and became homeless due to the fluctuation in the market and various other problems. Also not only the homeless, but people in depth (people struggling to pay bills or drug addicts) and other people suffering also has to survive.
As my family piled into our car for our four-hour drive, I sincerely hoped my brothers wouldn’t ruin the best chance that we’ve had in a long time. They were already arguing about who got what video game, and were not making my mom and dad feel any better about going. We were going to Illinois, to Chicago, to be even more specific. Chicago was the city I’d been dreaming about visiting for a long time. (Well, that and New York.) I could not believe that my parents were getting out of their comfort zone and taking us to a big city.
Homeless individuals are known for taking hand outs and they prefer to plead for money rather than to go work for it. People assume most of the the money that is given to homeless people they spend it on drugs and alcohol because of the fact that many homeless people have drug and alcohol addictions. It is not uncommon to come across homeless youth and older homeless population that are known to abuse substances like drugs and alcohol. Because of the fact that homeless people have substance abuse problems, they tend face illnesses and infections. Many hard working Americans ask themselves “why don’t homeless people just get jobs?” The assumption is they are just lazy and unmotivated. Homeless people choose to live the life they live. Everyone goes through problems but not all people take the path homeless people do. The problems homeless people face is not an excuse for them to be helped and maintained by other hard working people. Although homelessness might be a choice to some, no one knows the hardships these people have gone through. Some assume these people are just lazy but in reality a lot of these homeless people have jobs of their own, they just can’t afford housing and a decent life. Everyone has their own opinion on homeless people, but that does not change the fact that one should still serve the homeless. Not because homeless people need help but because we are
.... The homeless community is a growing problem that only worsens with time. If we don’t make an effort now, to help the most vulnerable among us, then we are only contributing to this problem. With our unsure economy, nothing is guaranteed, so just be considerate for others who are in an inferior situation, because who knows when you might need a hand.
At any given time, approximately 600,000 homeless survive at the front door of America. They are sleeping in parks, living in cardboard boxes, sitting on street corners, and resting under bridges. Terrible hunger gnaws at their stomachs as they search for food. Society labels the homeless as useless and worthless, but they are not. They are children, grandmothers, grandfathers, mothers, and fathers that need a place to sleep, eat, and live. What does society do to help? Nothing. Society hurries home from work, shopping, and leisure, worrying about who will win the next football game. Society is not worried about where their next meal will come from, where they will sleep, or where they will be tomorrow. Although it is difficult for society not to feel discomfort at seeing homeless people, it is the homeless who pay for the way people feel about them. Alienation of the homeless in America is a direct result of injustice, health issues, and societal attitudes; however, solutions are available to society as they are obligated to all of their citizenry, including the homeless.
...ome, or they lost their employment, or they fell ill, perhaps a combination of all three that led to a life of homelessness. In the state the world is in today, it is necessary that people should not be quick to judge, but quick to lend a helping hand. The government and volunteer agencies do a lot to help but not all are so fortunate. In one way or another everyone is struggling financially, and if it is not resolved soon, more people than ever might be heading down the path of homelessness. In the meantime it is indispensable to support charities in donations or volunteer some time for the shelters dedicated to those without a home. People should place themselves in the position of a homeless, and see how appreciative one would be for shelter, warm covers and a hot meal in a time of need. For in the long run, the words of the many must echo the words of the few.
So I went to Las Vegas with my toddler Spanish and came back a boy! There was not many Spanish speaking people when I went. I was a bit of a creeper listening to random conversations wearing my cheap sunglasses. I would try my best to find the verb, subject, and object they were talking about. Basic words like sed, hambre, mira, mi, tu were common. Sometimes I would recognize the verb but could not figure out the verb ending kind of like trabajarldfkjsdpsb. I was asked a few times if I spoke Spanish and I always replied with “Hablo un poco”. They would then send a flurry of words in my direction as I stood hopeless trying to understand. Occationally I would muster up the courage to order in Spanish or to say anything in Espanol. It was incredibly
Imagine eating Christmas dinner underneath a bridge on the cold dirt because you and your family were evicted from your home. Just trying to find a single meal is what thousands of people, who live on the street, go through each day. They have been kicked out of their houses and apartments because they can't afford rent due to their low paying jobs.
On a normal of our everyday life, we find ourselves going to work or heading somewhere to meet up with a friend. While on the way there we pass someone that we don’t know sitting down on the ground alongside with him is a cart from a store filled with old clothes that either found or got from someone, some trash, maybe something small to eat to help with his hungry stomach growling throughout the day. You wonder how he got themselves into a position like that? Yet sometimes we know how he got there, although, we don’t always know someone else’s story. You leave some money by his foot to help get himself somewhere for a short time. Homelessness has increased over the years, from 1990s up until now. I believe that we can help these get back into a better environment for their life with the help of local shelters, food banks, donations from churches and schools, and many more things we can do in Licking County.
I currently live in Englewood, which is a suburb of Dayton, Ohio. I have lived here most of my life, and I absolutely wouldn’t trade it for anything!
I myself, a concerned citizen have seen and have had experience with homelessness. Unlike many I stopped and I will remember the day forever. It changed my outlook on the issue of homelessness. It was late at night, I was working at Dairy Queen at the time and I went out for a smoke break, out of nowhere an older woman came across the parking lot and asked me for a cigarette. I lit another cigarette and gave it to her. As she sat? down beside me in silence and the feeling I had sitting there beside her tugged at my heart. She wore clothes that were more rags
Have you ever felt like a person reminds you of another? Some people are so important in your life that even though they might not be with you anymore you have them always present in your mind and heart. I realized this on a trip I made to Las Vegas while I was at Los Angeles. People would think the hotels full of fluorescent lights, the spectacular and noisy parties every night, or all the movement of the city would be what I remember most, but they wasn’t.
You don’t expect to wake up and find yourself without a home. For hundreds of thousands of people across the United States it is a reality. Many families in the Omaha, Nebraska metropolitan areas are just as susceptible. I have found that people view the homeless as a scar on society. However, the people that lend a hand are often like the nurses on a battlefield; they find the positive when everything around them is anything but positive. I knew I wasn’t that type of person, but I wanted to do something to help.