Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
The effect of homelessness
Essay on mental health and homelessness
The effect of homelessness
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: The effect of homelessness
Mindset For The Homeless In the world we live in today, the normality of homelessness is worrying since a problem so serious should not be made common but into something fixable. Homelessness can be described as people who are living in a place that lacks safety and stability. We see this as a major issue in every country because no one nation has been able to completely eradicate homelessness. We can look at the stats about what countries contain the most homeless and the effect that has on the countries economy, but something we all choose to ignore is how homelessness is effecting those mentally. The general population assumes those who are homeless are this way because they chose to make terrible choices, while the largest cause is mental …show more content…
This number fluxuates everyday but the common theme is there will always be those out on the streets. With almost 34 states seeing a decrease in the homeless population there are roughly 17 states that have seen an increase. Those percentages that change are focused on individuals who are or were living in unsheltered locations. These locations include the streets, cars, and abandoned buildings; or simply places that are unsafe for living. From these statistics the people living in unsheltered areas 200,000 of them were families and the remaining were individuals. The fact about this large number of homeless is that about only 18% of the homeless population suffers from chronic homelessness, this means that these individuals or families have been living unsheltered for a longer period than a year. As previously mentioned, the larger group of approximately 82% has been displaced for a year or less, creating the fluxuation in numbers (Lã¶Fstrand). Actions of our country could be to blame for the large amount of the homeless. With our unstable economy and bad job market people lose everything they own including their home. When we as people go under such a traumatic loss it beings to affect our mental health. Those who were thrown into homelessness have the risk of suffering from extreme emotional disorders and other mental
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...
Mental health disorders and substance use disorders are apparent within the population of individuals who are homeless. Mental health disorders and substance use disorders have varying factors that can cause a person to develop each disorder separately. People can often suffer immensely from each one individually. Mental health and substance use disorders can cause significant distress in the lives of those diagnosed. The opposite can also be said that significant distress can cause mental health and substance use disorders. The difference depends on a number of factors such as genetics, environment, resiliency, gender, and age. However, recovery from homelessness, mental health, and substance use disorders is possible if the right resources are available.
Every year, homeless population is increasing. 3.5 million People experience homelessness in a year (“Hunger and Homelessness” 1). Most of the homeless are family and children (“Top Causes of Homelessness in America” 1).In the homeless population, 35% of populations are children and children homelessness is increasing the most. One fourth of the children are under 18.
Many of the homeless population are not homeless by choice, many have lost the only job in the household, many are military veterans that have not assimilated back to civilian life, and some are homeless due to natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina. It can happen to anyone of us. A hurricane, earthquake or wildfire that is out of control can destroy your home within minutes. We must never say never when it comes to the possibility of being homeless, especially when we consider the impact that natural disasters have. Worldwide natural disasters render middle class people near poverty and the poor, homeless.
Those who are homeless, living in poverty with no work, food, or shelter, have to go through many obstacles in their lifestyle. They are more susceptible to suffer from many mental disorders, from Bipolar to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, which are often due to the personal experiences of not only their childhood, but their lifestyle of homelessness. While many choose to live in their own distinctive ways, others are bound to it. Being isolated, with no real love and care from other people, most importantly, your family can cause the reasoning behind the mental disorders people suffer.
Gattis and Larson suggest, “interested parties could benefit from an improved understanding of the mental health needs of homeless adolescents. This knowledge could be used to identify youths at risk of becoming homeless and to provide appropriate services to those currently homeless” (p. 87). In short, education and knowledge regarding the homelessness in itself can do wonders. The homeless face many hardships including depression, anxiety, PTSD, discrimination, and suicidal thoughts. These are just a few things that homeless people face that the general population don’t take into consideration on a first glance or thought. Intervention and world of mouth will also help, because this is a topic society doesn’t necessary publicize, we don’t know much about it. If this is publicized in a positive way, the motivation and self-esteem from homeless people will also rise. The increase of access to insurance would also help prevent this. In order to get treated for any mental illness they have, they need insurance. With active treatment for a mental illness, this will heighten the likelihood of obtaining a reliable job. Which in turn, will essentially help prevent the homeless from being
Many of the homeless are women that have become divorced or have left home because of physical abuse. These women have no education because they have not been given the chance to go and get the education that it takes nowadays to get the job, so they are forced to live on the streets. They have no family to help them, and they are left with no other choice. People with mental illnesses also become homeless quite often. These people are incapable of handling the stress of living on their own.
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...
Although homelessness and mental illness are two separate experiences, they have similar starts. Those that suffer from infantile misfortune are probable to becoming homeless by the time they are adults and could have physical or mental health difficulties (Montgomery et al. S265). Having a history of abuse, being a woman, and long periods of homelessness are big factors in the development of a mental illness (Helfrich et al. 116). The victimization state of mind experienced by many homeless is detrimental in why they cannot cope with their current situation. This also means that they could focus too much on one thing and become hysterical or paranoid. Witnessing a traumatic event is increased by homelessness and is more likely to cause mental disorders (qtd. in Helfrich et al. 116). Illnesses like PTSD are linked directly to the victim seeing a traumatic scene (Helfrich et al...
Homelessness nationwide is on the rise, and the mentally ill play a larger role more than we realize. It is no secret that homelessness can be a controversial issue, however what is clear is that mental illness places people at a ...
The economic component of the homelessness situation can be broken down into two interrelated parts: housing affordability and a low income rate. The economic recession that followed the financial crisis of 2007 left many individuals unemployed during a time that saw a spike in the price of housing. So not only did the cost of living increase, the rate of income also decreased accordingly. Unsurprisingly, during these same years homelessness rose from 24.2 percent in 2007 to 29.4 percent in 2009 (citation).
The many causes of the homelessness issue has arisen from global conflict, unemployment increase, education tuition costs rising, and the increase of poverty. Homelessness is affecting all ages, ethnicities, and religions striking in both urban and rural communities. “Just last year, the national poverty rate rose to include 13.2% of the population. 1 in 7 people were at risk of suffering from hunger in the United States. In addition, 3.5 million people were forced to sleep in parks, under bridges, in shelters or cars.”
Mental illnesses and homelessness are closely related in many ways. Many of the people who are homeless have a mental diseases. Mental illnesses mess with a person's ability to perform normal daily functions to be successful in life. This might result in the ability to not work, provide for his/her family, paying rent, etc. because s/he has a disease that is not being treated, constructing their ability to perform daily functions. In these cases his/her children maybe taken away, the family as a whole or individual would have to sleep on the streets. This is why majority of the homeless makeup are people who suffer from some sort of mental disease.
Homelessness is a critical issue in today’s society. Men, women, and youth are all faced with it daily. The many causes of homelessness can vary according to the circumstances and the surroundings which one finds themselves. Drug use, abuse, unemployment and poverty, all common problems which many people face everyday, are all examples of why homelessness exists. There is an extreme differentiation regarding the causes of homelessness in the developed and developing countries of the world when taking into consideration that they are not in similar positions. Many homeless people are often drug abusers whose addiction has caused them to lose control of their life. Some are victims of mental illness which in many cases often leads to crime or violence. Whether someone is a chronic or transitional...
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.)