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Causes and effects of homelessness
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My name is Victoria Kerr and I live in Fort Smith Arkansas. I live close to downtown and I know that is where most of the population of homeless is. When driving down 6th Street, going towards Garrison, I see them around there. I know that there is a Salvation Red Cross down there as well. There are also a number of Shelters that house them too. When it comes to the homeless in Fort Smith Arkansas, there can be anywhere from Seventy to Eighty men, women and even families going without shelter. When doing research on the homeless in Fort Smith Arkansas, I found that there are a number of reasons why people are homeless or without shelter here. The reasons could be that they suffer form an illness or they lost their job, they could be suffering
The real question about homeless people on Missoula’s streets is this: do the homeless really want the help? Missoula has five housing options for homeless people to have their own place and transition into society. In addition to those five options, homeless have the option to stay at the Poverello center for a certain amount of time. The Poverello has 70 beds and will house 100 people every night. (Poverello Center Annual Report 2012, 2012) The city of Missoula has stated in their “10 year plan to end homelessness” that Missoula has 1242 homeless individuals and 603 homeless families. (Reaching Home: Missoula's 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness, 2012) Of the 1242 homeless individuals and 603 families only 100 of them will receive shelter for a night. This leaves the 603 families on the streets as well as 1142 individuals on streets.
It’s not always the tumbleweed towns that are portrayed on tv. While driving down Main Street you can see many homeless men and women from our own community. These people have very little with them, some have a backpack others have a cart that they keep their belongings in but not very many have coats and even less have warm coats that will last them through the winter. Weatherford has halfway homes and help centers for these men, women and sometimes children but many people are to prideful to go into them. In 2014 there were 19,177 homeless people in Texas, which means about 7 out of every 10,000 don’t have a place to live. Fortunately this number has decreased from 2013 where 12 out of every 10,000 people were
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, it’s still necessary to drastically change these statistics by solving the causes of homelessness. Sleeping in vacant buildings and under bridges is unacceptable. These statistics are very alarming and a solution needs to be found.
Homeless in Hawai’i As you drive through popular areas of ‘Oahu such as Kaka’ako, you will notice the vast amount of homeless communities set up in parks and along the sidewalks. There are many areas on this island that have a homeless issue, causing many to agree that “Hawaii has the highest homeless per capita rate in the nation” (Ako, Loraine.) As small as the Hawaiian islands are, this statement reigns true. Even with all of the islands combined, it still would be considered the smallest state. With a population of 1.4 million individuals, it has been discovered that 7% of the population is homeless.
“We have come dangerously close to accepting the homeless situation as a problem that we just can't solve.” - Linda Lingle. According to Linda Lingle homelessness is becoming an issue that has been a problem that is at this point unobtainable. The main causes of homelessness among Americans is the result of unemployment, low wages and unaffordable housing; the reality is that people are forced to survive in harsh environments and many are subject to alcohol and substance abuse.
Homelessness in the United States has been an important subject that the government needs to turn its attention to. There has been announced in the news that the number of the homeless people in many major cities in the United States has been increasing enormously. According to United States Interagency Council on Homelessness reported that there was an estimation of 83,170 individuals have experienced chronic homelessness on the streets of the United States’ streets and shelters on only a single night of January 2015, which is a small decrease of only 1% from the previous year (People Experiencing Chronic Homelessness, n.d.). The United States must consider this subject that most of the people underestimate it and not pay attention
According to Streetwise of Street News Services (2010), the first reported instances of homelessness dates as far back as 1640, in some of the larger cities in the original 13 colonies. At this time, there were wars being fought between settlers and Native Americans, and people were left with no shelter in both sides (Street News Service, 2010). Later, the industrial revolution caused more homelessness, industrial accidents left many former hard-working families with a dead provider, or with severe disabilities, and then the economy entered a recession in the same time period (Street News Service, 2010). Wars always left a large number of veterans homeless. Later, in 1927, there was an astronomical flood along the Mississippi River, across multiple state, leaving about 1.3 million people without a home (Street News Service, 2010). Natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco, the Asian tsunami in 2004, and the earthquake early this year in Japan are still a major cause of homelessness.
Take a drive down town and the problem will be apparent, take a look to the left and there one stands, take a look to the right and there’s another. Homelessness is a term used to define a person who does not have a home to go to at the end of the day. Homelessness does not discriminate against age, sex or gender. What is startling to many people is that reasons why so many people succumb to homeless ness in their life; people assume that when someone is homeless it’s because of bad choices that that individual made in their life, which might be true but not for all, “approximately 1 and 5 Phoenix residents live below the poverty line” and that in itself has a lot to do with the current
In fiscal year 2006, the HUD, Department of Housing and Urban Development, was presented a budget by the Bush Administration consisting of $528.5 billion for homeless programs (Romeo 1). The problem of homelessness and extreme poverty is not a new occurrence; but in past years more extreme measures have been taken to combat the issue as more people become homeless. Expensive social programs and housing developments for the homeless have been created to help battle the increasing issue. Homelessness is an expensive problem that will never end; furthermore, the condition of homeless people in America is affected by the type of education they receive, the state of the economy, and the amount of funds that are available to house and feed them.
Countless throughout the streets of Jackson, MS there are homeless people asking for food, money, etc. and some people aid them and others walk away. However, does anyone ever see the other side of the equation? Driving down Gallatin St. one night I saw firsthand the “other side”. Because of this, the issue that my research will cover is homelessness. Homelessness is defined as a state in which individuals lack a fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence. Poverty, lack of affordable housing, declining wages, lost jobs, the economy, foreclosure, decreased assistance programs, domestic violence, substance abuse, mental illness, single parenthood, etc. are some of the causes of homelessness in America. Some of the proposed solutions are: affordable housing and homeless prevention programs. However, there needs to be less energy focused on providing temporary housing for those who are homeless, and more focus on providing permanent, affordable housing. Homelessness is an issue that should concern all of us. With a decrease in this situation it would clear up the amount of people walking around on the streets and everyone would feel more comfortable traveling at night. If someone is homeless, it is a common belief that they are more inclined to criminal activity; therefore less homelessness could equal less crime. Homelessness is not discriminatory and can happen to anyone at any time.
Homelessness is not something that was created over night; it has existed for a long time; often we choose not to see the homeless, or bother with them, so we look the other way. Homelessness is not prejudice toward race, creed, or religion--it has no boundaries; all homeless people should not be stereotyped as being drug abusers or the mentally ill that have been released from mental hospitals. Homelessness is not a disease that a person can catch from bodily contact, but it certainly has afflicted many Americans. We need to find the cause of homelessness before we can find a solution. More money for more programs is the typical response, but we should look at what has already been instituted and reevaluate them.
Homelessness plagues many people throughout the US as well as the world. For those living in poverty or close to it, a tiny, minute factor is all that is needed to push one out of his house and onto the streets and into the elements of the world. On the other hand, some of the people that are homeless have experienced a tragic event that left them unable to continue living in their current house and out on the street. Whatever reason someone is homeless, they dictate their own lives after that.
Homelessness is a problem virtually every society suffers from. There are many things that cause people to become homeless, such as unemployment, relationship problems, and being evicted from ones domicile either by a landlord, friend or even a family member. However, with every cause there must be an effect. Some of the effects of one becoming homeless, besides the obvious change of lifestyle, are various health problems which often times may lead to death.
Homelessness is everywhere, it is not a new trend and is a growing problem. Many people ask themselves should I help the homeless or not; it is easier to just ignore the problem than to give a helping hand. Every person needs help at one point or another in their life and homeless people should be no different. Assisting the homeless with healthcare, housing, and childcare are ways people are able to and should help the homeless.
This great nation of awesome power and abundant resources is losing the battle against homelessness. The casualties can be seen on the street corners of every city in American holding an ?I will work for food? sign. Homeless shelters and rescue missions are at full capacity. There is no room at the inn for the nation?s indigent. Anyone who has studied this issue understands that homelessness is a complex problem. Communities continue to struggle with this socio-economic problem while attempting to understand its causes and implement solutions. The public and private sectors of this country are making a difference in the lives of the homeless by addressing the issues of housing, poverty and education.