The problem I am going to discuss is homelessness in Long Island. What is homelessness and who defines it? Homelessness is a person lacking adequate shelter or otherwise residing below the minimal standard of what is considered a safe dwelling. The federal definition of homeless is an individual who lacks a fixed, regular, or adequate nighttime residence (HUD, 2011). Homelessness is not just a problem in big cities like New York or Los Angeles, but rather it is a global epidemic affecting small towns and suburbs such as Long Island.
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is a United States federal department that administers programs dealing with better housing and urban renewal since 1965. HUD issued a draft to change the definition of homelessness that is described in the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid transition to Housing Act. The definition affects who is eligible for different programs in HUD-funded homeless assistance programs. HUD defines homelessness in four categories to include people living in places not meant for human habitation, people losing their primary residence, families with children or unaccompanied youth who are unstably housed, and people who are fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence and have no other residences (HUD, 2010). Last year HUD conducted a survey, which found that homelessness remained steady at about 1.6 million people but that the percentage of rural or suburban homelessness rose from 23 percent to 32 percent nationwide (HUD,2010). In addition, the 2009 HUD report, which reflects the 12 months ending September 30, 2008, found the number of sheltered homeless families across the U.S. grew from about 473,000 to 517,000. It is estimated that between Nassau and Suf...
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Federal Definition of Homeless, February, 18, 2011 FFFFRID FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2011 AY, FEBRUARY 18, 2011
http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/topics/homelessness/definition
Jeanty, J., (2010) What Are the Leading Causes of Homelessness? Updated: October 27, 2010:
http://www.ehow.com/about_4587661_what-leading-causes-homelessness.html
Polgar, M., (1999) National Coalition for the Homeless. Updated February 1999.
http://www.minddisorders.com/Flu-Inv/Homelessness.html#ixzz1EMnarJZX
Reingold,D. (2006). The Characteristics and Causes of Homelessness among A Risk Families with Children in Twenty American Cites. University of Georgia.
http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/homelessness/improving-data08/apd.htm
www.nassaucountyny.gov/agencies/dss/Housing.htm
www.nsch.org
www.co.suffolk.ny.us/upload/dss/.../overviewofhousingoutline.pdf - Similar
Homelessness is primarily a poverty issue. The persistence of poverty in the United States reflects more than just an aggregation of individual failings. Structural factors, such as the way we understand and define poverty, the inherent features of our economic system that produce income inequality, social inequities and our policy responses to these problems shape current trends. Economic changes have had the strongest association with trends in overall rates, regardless of how poverty is measured. Poverty rate is high amongst minority groups, children and female-headed households (Iceland, 2003). According to professor Iceland’s research, rates of extreme poverty are higher among children and African-Americans and lower for whites, Asians and the elderly. Among families with children, married couples were less likely to be poor (6.9 %) than single parent male (17.5%) and single parent female (35.3%).
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...
Homelessness in America Here in Tahoe, we are lucky enough to experience a great quality of life, and only a few have to face the horrible life of poverty and homelessness. However, nationwide, even right outside the basin, homelessness is a growing epidemic across the country. There are many ways one can become homeless; for the most part poverty. There are also different concentrations of homeless in different types of terrain, such as urban or suburban areas. Last, there is the ever-growing homeless population, and how much money it costs us for others to live in poverty.
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.
It is estimated that, “each year, more than 3 million people experience homelessness, including 1.3 million children” (NLCHP). Clearly poverty and Homelessness come hand in hand, and the economy downfall has only contributed to this growing crisis. “Homelessness stems from a lack of affordable housing. Increasing rents, destruction of traditional low-income housing, and cuts in federal housing programs threaten affordable housing with extinction” (NLCHP). Most people in poverty have a housing affordability crisis, which means that they pay more than half of their income for rent, so therefore they have to buffer to deal with unforeseen expenses. This indicates a constantly struggle financially therefore anything such as an accident, sick child, or loss of employment could tip you over the edge. Some including factors that contrib...
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
Family homelessness is a fairly new social problem in America. Beginning in the early 1980’s, families with children have become the fastest growing segment of the homeless population.
One of the first times the federal government stepped in to help deal with homelessness was during the Great Depression, and did just this when they instituted the Federal Transient Service, which funded work training programs, shelters, health centers, housing, and work camps from 1933 to 1936 (Street News Service, 2010). This program was shut down in 1936 when the Roosevelt administration decided to fund Social Security (Street News Service, 2010). Later, as the National Coalition for the Homeless reports, the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is one of the only major federal legislation in response to homelessness, and it’s been amended four times since its original introduction (National Coalitio...
Homelessness has different meanings to different people; someone who has never been homeless might think homelessness is a person who lives on the street, in a tent or in a box. Many people don’t realize that there are a number of homeless people, who couch surf with friends, family or the ones who live in motels which are unaccountable in the numbers of homeless people. People including families with children, seniors, single parents, youths and those that are single are living in accommodations that are below standards and consider themselves as homeless.
...ty for increasing the likelihood that women will become homeless. Female single parent families rose form 23.7 % of all families in poverty in 1960 to 52.6 % of all families in poverty in the mid 1990's. (Hagen, 1994). As a result of historical growth in women's poverty and female headed family homelessness, it has been increasingly important for research to focus on the unique sets of issues and problems that women's homelessness presents.
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.
"Overview of Homelessness In America." Homelessness In America. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2014. .
There are too many connecting issues that have caused homelessness to escalate from a lifestyle that was really only lived by middle aged individuals with a substance abuse problem, to a condition that is endured everyday by a diverse number of people. The 2013 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress reveals that 36 percent of the homeless population consisted of individuals in families--over half of which were children--17.8 percent was made up by the chronically homeless, and an estimated 10 percent was comprised of veterans.
Overview of Homelessness in America. Homelessness in America. National Student Campaign Against Hunger & Homelessness, n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2014. http://www.studentsagainsthunger.org/page/hhp/overview-homelessness-america.
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.