“3.5 million people will experience homelessness in a given year,”(Los Angeles Homeless Services). This shocking number is one of the sad truths in today’s society. Homelessness is caused by a wide range of things including financial issues. The life of a homeless person is hard and comes with set-backs and the constant need to overcome them. Homeless people go through many challenges in surviving without a home. They can suffer from health issues, hunger, and poor emotional well-being. Homeless people suffer from health issues in surviving without a home. When the weather is cold, they are in risk of hypothermia. “In Des Moines, as the National Coalition for the homeless pointed out, temperatures have to drop all the way to 20 degrees, …show more content…
and in Baltimore it needs to hit 13 degrees with wind chill before winter shelter procedures are put in effect,” (Students Against Hunger).
Hypothermia is a cause for concern when temperatures are in the 32 degrees to 50 degrees range. Since winter shelters are only available once temperatures drop way under, those without homes have to suffer in the cold winter weather. This shows how homeless people must be strong enough to endure the harsh weather and only those with stronger immune systems will be able to survive. The cold winter weather affects everyone and only the fittest survive. “While some called her a thorn in their side, others called her their friend and a ‘special soul.’ At the end of December, she died from exposure on a bench outside of a coffee shop,” (Lives of the Homeless). The harsh conditions made it hard for this lady to survive. She, like many others, had a life and a story to tell but the weather was unsuitable to be homeless in. Many like her die because of the weather. The …show more content…
weather itself affects people’s ability to fight off viruses. “Being cold, and especially shivering, depresses the immune system because your body’s resources go towards raising your temperature rather than warding off germs,” (Winter Health Survival Guide). This shows how being in cold winter weather makes you more prone to diseases and getting sick. Your body’s immune system isn’t as strong as usual, resulting in those with stronger immunity to be able to stay healthier than those without one. Those who are homeless don’t always have a stable supply of food and have to fight to eat three meals a day. Food pantries only supply homeless people with limited amounts of food. “In 95 percent of the cities surveyed, food pantries cut the amount of food each person received and soup kitchens reduced meal sizes. In almost all the cities, pantries capped people's monthly visits as well,” (Hunger and Homelessness). As it was, the food pantry only provided food monthly and by limiting the food further, the homeless people aren’t being given enough food to live upon. They must now have other means of finding their food and must be tactical. Not every man is able to find their meals using strategy, meaning only the fittest can survive. According to Tamara Wanner, a person homeless in her youth, people make more money panhandling depending on factors such as age and attractiveness, “As a rather attractive 16-year old female who was pretty smart on strategy, I could make $500+ per spanking night without breaking a single law down in California (high tourist, wealthy area).” Those who are able to make others sympathize and feel sorry for them are able to fare better off. In this light, if you can strategize well, then you can earn more money panhandling and use it to fill your hunger. Not everyone is able to use their wit for survival and it shows how only people who can adjust quickly can survive. Lack of food can lead to many problems. “…Physical symptoms of hunger such as gastrointestinal distress; dizziness; headaches; hypersensitivity to noise, light, and cold; reduced strength; and poor motor control,” (Hunger and Food Insecurity). When you are hungry, you are less efficient and more lethargic in your actions. This leads to a lack of happiness and eventually, a serious health problem that makes people have to fight to live. Once taken over the symptoms of hunger, a person would have the internal struggle of fighting for their own survival and perhaps fighting themselves for their own will to go on. Living without a place of security can lead to a poor emotional well-being.
“Surveys of people experiencing homelessness show that about 25% of the homeless population suffers from some form of mental illness... ,” (Homelessness in America). The homeless peoples’ mental illness can be thought as a result of their loneliness, past experiences, or unhappiness. There may be something haunting he/she that makes them have to struggle with their thoughts and endure the emotional stress. A homeless girl named Rebecca tells her story. “I slash myself to turn emotional pain into controllable physical pain. It's not usually to kill myself, just to help cope with the pain of the past,” (Rebecca’s Story). Rebecca is an example of a young girl who was being abused by her parents and eventually kicked out of the house. She dealt with her troubles by giving herself physical pain and coping with the past. She later on meets volunteers who cared about her and was one of those who
survived. People who survive must be able to endure their pain and know that things happen for a reason. Due to poor emotional well-being in homeless people, suicide is a problem. “Suicide among homeless people, both adults and young people, is a known health problem, with 22-46 percent having attempted suicide and up to 61 percent having had suicidal thoughts,” (Homelessness Resource Center). When there is a feeling of being unwanted or useless and overall emotional turmoil, suicide is a threat. Those who have suicidal thoughts think that it would be easier to be dead and constantly think about death. This emotional turmoil means that if a part of them still wants to live, they have to fight their thoughts and think about the happier thoughts in life. Those who can overcome their thoughts with the strength to carry on would be described as “the fittest.” In their survival, homeless people suffer from poor emotional well-being, lack of food and health issues. Homeless people often are prone to depression and suicidal thoughts and need to be strong to overcome them. They don’t always have guaranteed meal and have to fight for their needs. As a result of the conditions they live in, they may suffer from several health issues which leave the fittest to survival. Homeless people fight for their lives!
With nearly 3.18 million people in the United States, there are 610.042 individuals who are homeless which calculates to about nearly one in five individuals (U.S. Census Bureau, 2014 and HUD/US, 2013). At any time situations can change that can render an individual’s homeless. There are no qualities that exempt individuals from the chances of becoming homeless. However, there are certain predispositions and characteristics that can predict the likelihood of becoming homeless. Homelessness can be contributed to a number of situations such as occupational stress, financial stress, mental health issues, substance use, gender, age, race, disabilities, incarceration, chronic illness, and family stress.
Over half a million people are homeless in the United States. A quarter of these homeless people are under the age of eighteen, or also known as children. 50 percent of the homeless that are over eighteen years, are fifty and older with health and injury prone problems. One in five homeless people suffers from untreated severe mental illness, and half of these people self medicate themselves. Eight percent of the homeless population are veterans, and forty-five percent of that number is blacks or Hispanics. Most people think that being homeless means begging for money on the streets with a sign, or sleeping on the sidewalk with your dog or cat and maybe even a bag to store some things in; but what does “being homeless” actually mean? Homelessness in the United States and is a bigger problem than most people think.
Troisi, C., & Grier, G. (2013, 19). Houston Coalition for the Homeless. Homeless in Houston: It’s Cold Out There. Retrieved March 19, 2014, from http://www.homelesshouston.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/2013-PIT-Lunch-Learn.pdf
Homelessness has plays a huge part on a person’s physical and emotional health. Some of the homeless people might suffer from a cold and they can’t get rid of it because they can’t afford medicine. They can suffer from vitamin deficiencies. Get exposed to unsanitary living conditions, which can lead to leg ulcers and infections. They can illnesses like HIV/AIDS, and diabetes. They can develop drug and alcohol dependency. Homeless people realizes the he/she won’t have a home, is hard to believe. Reality makes homeless people less able to act when they suffer from psychologically as a
Homelessness is a huge problem throughout the United States. It is difficult to see how many people are homeless in communities across the nation. In Fort Morgan alone we have an unseen homeless population. Homeless people go without help because they are judged and looked down on regardless of their story. They go without their stories being told and being judged on a daily basis. Many times, the truth is, homeless people are not what people’s perceptions of them are.
Homelessness has been a world wide epidemic for a vast amount of time. With the rising numbers of people on the street every day, more people are affected by the lifestyle that leads to one being homeless. It has become a severely major issue in today’s society, one that has proven difficult to put an end too. Homelessness is caused by a varying degree of factors ranging from drug addictions and mental illness, to abuse. The homeless lifestyle is subjected too the lives of many, from children to adults, due to increased threats of danger, violence and crime. Living in such an advanced time, with an excess of resources, we should be able to provide the right solution for ending the world wide epidemic that is homelessness.
Did you know, In January 2014, there were 578,424 people experiencing homelessness? ( (National Alliance to End Homelessness) Homelessness is a big attribute to society, to eliminate the issue, of homeless people, there are many different problem solving techniques in which government and society can do to make a change to homelessness, despite the negative attributes. According to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, “There are four federally defined categories under which individuals and families may qualify as homeless: 1) literally homeless; 2) imminent risk of homelessness; 3) homeless under other Federal statues; and 4) fleeing/attempting to flee domestic violence” (Castro).
Hopelessness. Disease. Fear, imagine a life with interruptions that some people face every single day. Are they depressed? These are some of the negative effects that people who don 't have houses face. Being outside all day on the streets is affected the homeless by involving them in many issues, which makes them hopeless. It makes them less interested in being active in their lives by working and having families. However, for some homeless who have been on the streets for a long time in Portland, it causes them to get into trouble issues such as crime involvement, health issues, and difficulties in reintegrating into a new life.
Homelessness is an event where a person does not have permanent housing, meaning, that they are either sleeping outside, in a shelter, or in a housing program. A statistic states that report “On a single night in January 2015, 564,708 people were experiencing homelessness — meaning they were sleeping outside or in an emergency shelter or transitional housing program” (Batko). Half a million people in the United States had no place to call their home. Of these half a million people, 300,000 were families and 200,000 were individuals (Baram). This can happen due to many reasons. According to an article, the causes of homelessness are mental illnesses, losses of jobs, poverty, high housing prices, domestic violence, and substance abuse (“Homelessness
Homelessness is steadily becoming a crisis both here at home and in the world at large. It’s estimated that within well developed countries, homelessness is believed to have affected around 1% of city-centered populations. Homelessness doesn’t only affect the homeless themselves. The cost that this epidemic is putting on society is putting a large strain on judicial, social and healthcare resources. All this is further exacerbated by the fact that homeless populations are six to seven times more likely to suffer from alcoholic and drug addiction leading to even more strain on the healthcare system.
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.)
Imagine spending each night out on the streets and waking up to a blathering commotion on rough, lumpy concrete. Your thoughts leading you to your own theory of as the only chances of survival are begging and relying on people for food or change and searching for anything edible in the nearest garbage cans. Homelessness is one of the most difficult journeys you might get in life. Whether you’re a child or an adult, there is a chance that you can encounter these horrendous conditions, but these circumstances do not just come out of nowhere. There are many factors that lead to becoming homeless. However, solutions are out there in the world. Solutions that may end homelessness. We should all work together to end homelessness everywhere throughout the world. This essay will discuss the homelessness’ backstory, its impacts to people’s lives, and the answers that can fix it.
Homelessness exists when people lack safe, stable and appropriate places to live. Sheltered and unsheltered people are homeless. People living doubled up or in overcrowded living situations or motels because of inadequate economic resources are included in this definition, as are those living in tents or other temporary enclosures. Individuals without homes often lack access to health care treatment (Kushel et al., 2001). Chronic health problems and inaccessibility to medical and dental care can increase school absences and limit employment opportunities. People without homes have higher rates of hospitalizations for physical illnesses, mental illness and substance abuse than other populations (Kushel et al., 2001; Salit, Kuhn, Hartz, Vu, &
More than 3.5 million people are homeless every night, and 1.35 million, almost half, are children. This is something that could possibly change with more awareness and education. Homelessness is a problem in society today that many communities suffer with. Homelessness is a condition where people lack access to housing. It is caused by several factors such as mental illness, drug abuse, physical or sexual abuse, or simply not having enough money. There are three trends that are mainly responsible for the rise in homelessness over the past 25 years: a growing shortage of affordable rental housing, a coinciding increase in poverty and an increase in mental illness.
Millions of people go without a proper place to sleep or food to eat every night. A homeless person is an individual without permanent housing who may live on the streets; stay in a shelter, mission, single room occupancy facilities, abandoned building or vehicle, or any other unstable or non permanent situation (section 330 of Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.,254b). On one night in January of 2015, it was reported that 564,708 people were experiencing homelessness in the United States ( The State of Homelessness in America, 2016). Homelessness in the United States increased in the early 1980’s. Between 1980 and 1983, 140 billion in domestic spending was cut. HUD (Housing and Urban Development), unemployment,disability, food stamps, and