Substance abuse is a wide-reaching issue affecting millions of people worldwide. It is an issue particularly troublesome for members of an oppressed class, in this case homeless women, as examined by the authors (Wenzel et al, 2009) in the article. Nearly 50% of homeless women reported drug use, and 32% of them reported binge drinking in Los Angeles, compared to 16% and 17% for drug use and binge drinking among women occupying a low-income house (p. 16). When examining the nature of the substance abuse among homeless women, the authors (2009) approach the matter using the ecological perspective. This method allows them to examine the substance abusers within their own social context. They specifically target the homeless women’s social networks, defined in the article as naturally occurring groups within which members may influence each other’s behavior through social comparison, social sanction and rewards, and information exchange (p. 17). The authors cite the important connection between social networks and substance abuse, and give an example where association with employed persons seems to be a protective factor against drug use, among African-Americans in Baltimore (p. 17). This concept can work both ways however, as a negative association—such as an abusive sexual partner—can be a risk factor, encouraging further drug and alcohol use (p. 17). It is with this ecological context-based approach that the authors conduct their study. The program consisted of 445 randomly selected homeless women (p. 17). The women were considered eligible if they were at least 18, had sex with a male partner in the last six months, spoke and understood English, and did not have significant cognitive impairments (p. 17). The women... ... middle of paper ... ...ers came from the women and not the alters themselves. This could be a problem because the responses could possibly be biased towards the expectations of the respondent (p. 22). Even with the study’s shortcomings, it illuminates an important need to not only focus on the individual when dealing with substance abuse, but to take a more holistic approach and deal with many different factors. The environment around the individual plays an important role in whether he—or in this case, she—will abuse substances. While the study specifically focuses on the effects of a woman’s social network, it notes the importance of positive ancillary support such as stable housing and enhanced employment opportunities (p. 21). These supportive factors increase the odds of forging stronger positive and healthier relationships, and thus reducing the probability of substance abuse.
In Righteous Dopefiend, Bourgois and Schonberg delve into the lives of homeless drug addicts on Edgewater Boulevard in San Francisco. They highlight the moral ambiguity of the gray zone in which these individuals exist and the institutional forces that create and perpetuate their condition. The authors liken the experience of the daily lives of the Edgewater homeless to living in an everyday “state of emergency” (2009:21). Throughout the course of their work, they expose the conditions of extreme poverty that the homeless experience, the institutional indifference towards their suffering and the consequences of their crippling addictions. Bourgois and Schonberg describe the Edgewater homeless as a ‘community of addicted bodies’ driven by a communal need to avoid the agony of heroin withdrawal symptoms and held together through a “moral economy of sharing”. (2009: 6) The “webs of mutual obligation” that form as a result of their participation in this system are key to the survival of the Edgewater homeless as they attempt to live under conditions of desperate poverty and police repression.
According to a 1997 report of the National Coalition for the Homeless, “nearly one-fifth of all homeless people are employed in full or part-time jobs”. In the book Nickel and Dimed, On Not Getting by in America, by Barbara Ehrenreich, the author goes undercover in order to investigate and experience first-hand how life is for America’s “working poor”. The “working poor” are defined as individuals who have a full-time job, sometimes more than one, but still cannot afford the basics of shelter, food and adequate healthcare. As one can imagine, this led to many public health concerns. In each of the three locations visited, Ehrenreich realizes that for many, “getting by” in America can sometimes be a daunting task.
Boughton, Barbara. "Substance Abuse Rife Among Homeless With Mental Illness." Medscape Medical News. Medscape, 04 Nov. 2011. Web. 02 Dec. 2013.
Tunstall, L. (2009). Homelessness: an overview. EBSCO Publishing Service Selection Page. Retrieved February 5, 2011, from http://web.ebscohost.com/pov/detail?hid=119&sid=d5f751fa-0d0d-4ed1-8deb-483e701af50c%40sessionmgr111&vid=3&bdata=Jmxhbmc9ZW4tY2Emc2l0ZT1wb3YtY2Fu#db=p3h&AN=28674966
Although most people know what homelessness is and it occurs in most societies, it is important to define because the forces of displacement vary greatly, along with the arrangement and meaning of the resulting transient state. The Stewart B McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 defined a homeless person as “an individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence or a person who resides in a shelter, welfare hotel, transitional program or place not ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation, such as streets, cars, movie theaters, abandoned buildings, etc.” Resent surveys conducted in the U.S. have confirmed that the homeless population in America is extremely diverse and includes representatives from all segments of society, including: the old and young, men and women, single people and families, city dwellers and rural residents, whites and people of color, employed and unemployed, able workers and people with serious health problems. The diversity among people that are homeless reflects how difficult it is to generalize the causes of homelessness and the needs of homeless people. Robert Rosenheck M.D., the author of Special Populations of Homeless Americans, explains the importance of studying homelessness based on subgroups, “each subgroup [of homeless people] has unique service needs and identifying these needs is critical for program planning and design.” Despite these diversities, homelessness is a devastating situation for all that experience it. Not only have homeless people lost their dwelling, but they have also lost their safety, privacy, control, and domestic comfort.
Many believe that a common thread among the homeless is a lack of permanent and stable housing. But beyond that, the factors leading to homelessness and the services that are needed are unique according to the individual. To put them into one general category ? the homeless- suggests that people are homeless for similar reasons and therefore a single solution is the answer. Every homeless person shares the basic needs of affordable housing, adequate incomes and attainable healthcare. But a wide range of other unmet needs cause some people to become or remain homeless which include drug treatment, employment training, transportation, childcare and mental health services (Center 8.)
Looking at the environmental components in relation to the homeless and their mental health, this author found socioeconomic adversity, lack of health insurance and health care, lack of food, clothing, and shelter as the predominant variables. Zlotnick, Zerger, and Wolfe stated that “Limits on shelter stays during the daytime and competing needs to seek food and employment also in...
More often than not, the homeless are viewed as weak and helpless. They are seen in movies as street beggars, and are vehicles of pity and remorse to touch the hearts of the viewers. Moreover, the media trains its audiences to believe that homelessness comes from the fault of the person. They are “bums, alcoholics, and drug addicts, caught in a hopeless downward spiral because of their individual pathological behavior” (427). In reality, it is the perpetuating cycle of wealth that keeps them in at a standstill in their struggles. The media only condones this very same cycle because it trains the masses to believe that people are poor due to their bad decisions. This overall census that the poor are addicts and alcoholics only makes it easier to drag their image further through the mud, going as far as calling them “crazy.” This is highlighted in shows such as Cops, or Law & Order. With the idea that these people are bad news it is easy to “buy into the dominant ideology construction that views poverty as a problem of individuals” (428). Although some of the issues of the poor are highlighted through episodic framing, for the most part the lower class is a faceless group who bring no real value to the
Homelessness is one of the biggest issues society (Unites States) faces today. Homelessness is caused by lack of affordable housing, economic situations and decline in federal funding for low income families and the mentally ill. A homeless person is defined as an individual who lacks housing (without regard to whether the individual is a member of a family) including an individual whose primary residence during the night is a supervised public or private (shelters) facility that provides temporary living accommodations and an individual who is a resident in transitional housing. This definition of housing is used by the U.S Department of Healt...
Substance disorders affects all social, educational, cultural, and age groups. Substance abuse research often focusses on the abuser and the family as a whole but not how it affects their spouse. United States misuse is linked to approximately 590,000 deaths and is responsible for injury or illness to almost 40 million individuals every year. (Cox, R., Ketner, J. & Blow, A. 2013). The consequences resulted from this disorder, are not only related to the substance abusers, but also have a great influence on their behavior and other layers of their life, especially their wives (Salehyan, Bigdeli, & Hashemian 2011). When the husband or boyfriend has an addiction the wife takes on responsibilities of her spouse which causes an increase in stress. Marriage is generally described as a protective factor against substance use. The concept of codependency was developed to explain what happens to the spouse of a substance abuser.
In recent years drugs have taken over many communities in the country. Drug use was common practice with many people in the country, more specifically with homeless or displaced people. Dwayne a recent vietnam vet, came back to the United States injured and disabled. He quickly fell through the cracks as resorted to drugs for relief. During a drug bust Dwayne assaulted an officer and was found with a couple of grams of crack and arrested him. As a result of due process, he was quickly arranged and granted bail. Given Dwaynes financial situation he could not to afford a lawyer and was able to get lawyer that took him as pro-bono, he was also unable to post bail and had to stay in jail. The District attorney came to Dwayne with a plea bargain,
We never really think about it but in the homeless population women and men face challenges everyday. Especially homeless women who have special needs that they have to tend too. Sometimes these women young and old, have to carry a variety of toiletries and extra clothing because sometimes there is not always access to a bathroom, especially during their period. As of 2015, 565,000 out of the homeless population 40% of women will suffer from a loss of necessities and everyone should have a small amount of supplies to last them from a week to a month. These women take many risks by using ripped pieces of cloth or toilet paper instead of sanitary napkins or tampons, risking infection because the cost is not in their budgets, and that’s if they
Fitzpatrick, Joanne. “ONI Opening Doors Project—Improving Health for Homeless People and Families.” Community Practitioner 85.2 (2012): 19+. Academic OneFile. Web. 17 Oct. 2013.
Several health problems influence the well-being and the health in our community, for instance, substance abuse. Substance abuse has become a serious social and public health issue affecting millions of people in our societies. The health problem affects not only the individuals' health and well-being, but also that of their families, and the community as a whole. Substance abuse has a wide range powerful long and short-term effect on the addicts and those around them. Krasikova, Lester, & Harms note that drug addiction is associated with various health and social problems, which include high blood pressure, stroke, mental illnesses, different types of cancers, sexual assault, unwanted pregnancies, and even rape (2015). Therefore,
This concludes with the healing process for the homeless individual. A person would enroll into counseling or rehabilitation program to talk about their problems or to detox themselves from the drug or alcohol use. Along with the counseling and therapy programs, they might be involved in a peer support group. In this group they would meet with other individuals who were once homeless, abused, or addicts. Sharing these stories would help boost their self-esteem and to better understand their previous or current situation. Other will choose to seek guidance or even attend a religious group to help themselves and to start the healing process. While some won’t complete the programs and return to the streets, some would hope that the healing process could finally make them free from poverty.