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Social impacts of homelessness
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What Could Charity do for America? have you ever seen a commercial asking for donations for a foreign cause? Almost all the charities that you will see will be for overseas America has issues just like other countries, just America 's issues are cover up by the more fortunate. There are hundreds of charities around the world for many different things. There is charities for kids, dogs, cats, birds, snakes, fish, disease,and pretty well anything you can think of, but most of these charities focus on foreign issues. in the case of most charities, 25% of the donation money doesn’t make it to the cause, it goes to the volunteers or ads, this is even with non profit organizations. Americans donate a minimum of 16 billion dollars per year to …show more content…
In america 3.5 million people are homeless, living under overpasses, in parks or even on a bus stop bench. there are many things that can make people homeless in America. With low wage jobs and high cost of living not everyone can make it. 1 out of every 7 americans could be at risk of hunger, and have to choose between shelter or food because they can’t afford both. 25 % of all homeless people have a mental illness, this means they are not fit to live independently, and instead of getting help from the government, they wander the streets and a lot of the time find closure in using illicit drugs or becoming alcoholics. 68% of people suffering from homelessness is addicted to drugs and/or alcohol.the leading causes of homelessness in america is Political, mental and economical reasons.WIth the economy down many Americans are unemployed and can barely sustain a life, and with all the layoffs and job cuts many families are put under terrible circumstances. Even people with good jobs can find themselves in debt from high mortgages, in recent years the rate of foreclosure rose 32%, and studies show that 10% of people looking for shelter in homeless shelters are doing so because of foreclosure. Homelessness is a cycle, once they get that low it is very hard to get themselves back …show more content…
Most charities focus on issues overseas, but there 's issues right here in America that desperately need to be solved. Charity focus could help get less fortunate kids get a good education, and then help get them through college and start a good life and set them up for success. it could also get the homeless citizens into shelter or possibly even employ them and help get their life back on track, rehabilitation programs could also help them clean up their act. Veterans and elders could get the help they need to get insurance, and medical attention with a charity focus, they deserve to be treated equally. A little goes a long way for the less fortunate, what might be pocket money for you, could feed a homeless person that night, so they at least don 't have to be both hungry and cold. If Americans would focus on themselves for awhile a lot of issues could be extinguished in a short amount of time, and don’t underestimate the difference a local effort can do. The World can’t be changed in a short amount of time, but if America could find the money and time to focus on the issues at home, then they could put the focus back overseas to help them with their efforts. Little by little America can work out the kinks and keep heading towards national security on finances and also be able to insure that all of the citizens can make it by too.The world has a bright future, but before the
Charity is an excellent way for peoples immediate needs to be met. There is a disadvantage to this there is only so much money and resources to be given to the cause. For example, when resources were being sent to help the disaster in Haiti, there was attention drawn to the problem sent money and resources were sent to help but it only fixed a small problem not the overall problem of underprivileged country. Social change can help fix major problems in the world. To make an immense change takes a lot of effort and resources but can be done. Sometimes the people who are trying to change the social issue don’t completely understand the people they are trying to help. For instance, PETA was going to low-income communities and were offering to pay for the water and heating bills in exchange for making them to covert to vegan, but being a vegan is an expensive lifestyle. Trying to help low-income individuals by forcing them to conform to PETA’s belief system isn’t social change in the eyes of the individuals but PETA believes they are helping
The biggest reason people are homeless is simply because of poverty. They just can't afford to have a place to live and food in their mouths. As of 2000, 11.3% of the US population lived in poverty.(1) The number of people in extreme poverty has been increasing since 1999, accounting for 39% of people in poverty, and making less than half the amount of income a person considered in poverty makes.(3) With this amount of people living in poverty, it's no wonder why there are so many homeless today. The reason people are in poverty is because of inflation since the 70's, and the loss of affordable housing projects.(4) This accounts for almost all homeless, but there are also other factors that can contribute as well. There are many people with addiction problems that make them homeless. It's not because they are addicted to drugs, because many people live quite well with an addiction problem, but they could be in a hard point financially, and could be driven to the streets because of money issues. The hard part for them is getting off the streets once they're on them. Since so much of their money goes to drugs, most drug addicts can't overcome being homeless once they have been for more than 6 months.(1) Mental illness is also a big issue causing homelessness. Approximately 22% of single white male homeless people are suffering from a severe mental illness.(1) The main reason is because Millions of mental patients were dis-institutionalized in the 50's and 60's, and affordable housing wasn't an issue until the 80's, when many of them were reaching 50 and couldn't work and afford housing. L...
Conversely, in the case of preventing the death of a child in a third world country by donating to a charity, you are more likely prolonging a life for a short period of time rather than truly saving it. Donating money that will be put towards, for example, a malaria net, may prevent someone from passing away due to one illness but it will not give them an education and it will not save them from famine or distress. The donation will only save people in great poverty from one of their many struggles. In the biography “Mountains Beyond Mountains,” Tracy Kidder discusses Paul Farmer’s establishment of the nonprofit, Partners in Health, that obtains donations to its charitable cause from large companies and organizations. These companies and organizations are well-established foundations that can give an amount of money great enough to potentially make a difference and save lives through health care. Nonetheless, even with these great amounts of money, one of Farmer’s patients, John, gets all the medical help possible yet dies anyway. This saddening story exemplifies the point that when donating you cannot guarantee that a life will be saved. The best medical care possible could not save John, so even the best help we can give through charity may not save the people in need. There are many struggles in third-world countries
Homelessness is a problem that happens in many different countries around the world. Definitions of homelessness are defined in different meanings by different people. However, the Stewart B. McKinney Act defines a homeless person as “ one who lacks a fixed permanent nighttime residence or whose nighttime residence is a temporary shelter, welfare hotel, or any public or private place not designed as sleeping accommodations for human beings” (McNamara 1025). It is impossible to find out exactly the number of homeless; however, the researchers can do a study to estimate that number. Based on different statistics from different researchers, the homeless population in America has been increasing as “an alarming rate” (Markos and Lima). Therefore, even though America is one of the most powerful countries in the world, homelessness, which has many common causes, has always been a big problem in society.
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
Homelessness is a real serious health issue all over the world that must be addressed. A lot of people in a public frequently misunderstand the cause of homelessness. Remarks regarding homeless people such as “they need to just get a job” or “go to school” are normally used liberally by members of society because they neglect to look at the complete issue. Homelessness does not discriminate. Individuals that have previously experience or may experience being homeless can be from different regions, have different cultural backgrounds, ages, and could be of any gender. Minorities seem to be mostly affected by homelessness. A study done in 2012 found that the homeless population is consisted of 39% non-Hispanic Whites, 42% African-Americans, 13% Hispanic, 4% Native-American, and 2% Asian (Now on PBS, 2012). The End Homelessness website provides the following statistics:
Homelessness poses a serious threat in all countries as people are exposed in an unsafe environment and try to live on change. “Do you have any spare change?” No I don’t have spare change, get a job you animal. We see people all over the streets holding signs and bringing their children to ask for change but during that whole time they could be doing something productive, like getting a job. Homelessness is a problem everywhere and its worse in other countries but here in America we have it rough. We have the means to fix homelessness with giving jobs to them in the fields of science and energy.
Most people feel that they should help the needy in some way or another. The problem is how to help them. This problem generally arises when there is a person sitting on the side of the road in battered clothes with a cardboard sign asking for some form of help, almost always in the form of money. Yet something makes the giver uneasy. What will they do with this money? Do they need this money? Will it really help them? The truth of the matter is, it won't. However, there are things that can be done to help the needy. Giving money to a reliable foundation will help the helpless, something that transferring money from a pocket to a man's tin can will never do.
Homelessness is a vast predicament in America and around the world. It is severely overlooked as people don’t really think of homelessness as real world problem. However, there have been ways that people have tried to fix the problem. They have come up with homeless shelters, emergency shelters, food banks and soup kitchens. These solutions have limitations though, which will hopefully come to an end.
Homelessness can happen to anyone unexpectedly. Many poor people are at the risk of homelessness. The cost of living and trying to find affordable housing can be very difficult. Many who are homeless are in poverty, have a mental illness, or addictions. Homelessness happens from personal, as well as structural factors. Many aren’t able to make enough for rent, as well as, utilities, food, and other expenses each month. More than 6 million Americans pay more than half of their income towards rent (Reamer, 1989). The trend is once someone becomes homeless, it is likely they will be homeless repeatedly. To end homelessness, affordable housing will have to be created because it is peoples largest single expenditure (Anderson, 2013).
Homeless individuals are known for taking hand outs and they prefer to plead for money rather than to go work for it. People assume most of the the money that is given to homeless people they spend it on drugs and alcohol because of the fact that many homeless people have drug and alcohol addictions. It is not uncommon to come across homeless youth and older homeless population that are known to abuse substances like drugs and alcohol. Because of the fact that homeless people have substance abuse problems, they tend face illnesses and infections. Many hard working Americans ask themselves “why don’t homeless people just get jobs?” The assumption is they are just lazy and unmotivated. Homeless people choose to live the life they live. Everyone goes through problems but not all people take the path homeless people do. The problems homeless people face is not an excuse for them to be helped and maintained by other hard working people. Although homelessness might be a choice to some, no one knows the hardships these people have gone through. Some assume these people are just lazy but in reality a lot of these homeless people have jobs of their own, they just can’t afford housing and a decent life. Everyone has their own opinion on homeless people, but that does not change the fact that one should still serve the homeless. Not because homeless people need help but because we are
We don’t necessarily have to donate money, but we can donate our time, and efforts to help those, and it will mean just as much. With volunteering at local organizations such as Salvation Army, the local women’s battered shelter, and the Look-Up Center. Salvation Army partners up with a organization called “Project Night Night” which helps the homeless children, and provides them with a blanket, stuffed animal and a book. “25,000 care packages the non-profit doles out each year aims to ease the psychological trauma homeless children suffer, while also promoting reading, and family bonding” (Goldburg par
Gates’s idea regarding philanthropy due to the fact that upon setting up his foundation in 2000, he already was aware of the widespread criticism of existing programs to help the less fortunate. Moreover, successful programs, such as the Green Revolution, were overshadowed by growing awareness of their negative side effects on the environment and local cultures. Mr. Gates had growing awareness of such limits sparking new ideas on how businesses could approach poor countries. However, there is little evidence of benefit from the $2.3 trillion given in foreign aid over the past five decades. For example, all the aid given to Africa over the years has failed to stimulate economic growth on the continent. One might argue that there are just as many needy individuals in America, why not try to critically think of way to innovate to embody the struggling Americans, rather than poor countries around the
Many people find themselves in a predicament when they are living with a partner and the two decide to go their separate ways. Some people may not be able afford the cost of living on just their income alone, so when two people terminate a relationship where one depends on the other, both are often left homeless for a period of time. Unemployment is another major cause of people becoming homeless. When people lose their jobs and fail to find another within a reasonable amount of time, they will not be able to pay their rent or mortgage on time or even at all, causing them to look else where for shelter. Many people are not fortunate enough to have a family member that is willing, or capable, of taking them in and supporting them. The main cause of homelessness comes from people being evicted from their place of residence either by their parents, friends, or land lord. Parents will often kick their kids out of the house because they can not financially support them anymore, or they are just simply tired of their kids bumming off of them when they are perfectly capable of supporting themselves or at least contributing to the cost of living expenses. So many people are forced to live on the streets because of something as little as a relationship problem. All homeles...
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.