Of the myriad of social issues I have encountered, the one I choose is homelessness. This is such a prevalent issue in this country these days and there seems to be no end in sight. Two very common research methods used to study this phenomenon are participant observation, and case studies. Participant Observation.
Participant observation or fieldwork is defined as “research in which the researcher participates in a research setting while observing what is happening in that setting” (Henslin, 2013, p. 27). This can be done at homeless shelters, soup kitchens, food pantries, and other such places where the homeless population go for assistance. Such places offer the researcher an opportunity to observe the interactions of homeless individuals and groups.
Case Studies.
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With participant observation, one can learn the social dynamics that develop in the homeless population to help and find solutions to any of the underlying issues that accompany living on the streets. On the other hand, this form of research may not gleam any light on the actual causes of homelessness.
With utilizing case studies, one can learn more about the situation from an individual level. Researchers can learn not only about the current situation, but also about the possible causes. In addition, but reviewing numerous case studies and comparing the data retrieved from these studies, one can find patterns that may gleam even more light on said issue.
I would like to add that another common research method used when collecting data on the homeless population is surveys. This is done here in Los Angeles once a year in the form of a Homeless Censes, where researchers gather information directly from the individuals experiencing life on the streets. This is one of the most effective ways for us to get a general idea of the demographics affected by
One subject that simply can not be ignored no matter where you find yourself in Anaheim. The homeless population in Anaheim is rapidly growing and there seems to be no end to this conundrum. Sadly, these poor individuals can be found anywhere some small amount of shelter is. Thus, you can constantly find them lingering around parks or on the sides of freeways waiting to beg the next passerby for enough money to make it through the day. In Anaheim they can usually found at the various parks we have around the city. The heart of a person is only so delicate to feel remorse or sadness whilst the less fortunate of society wanders within their eyes. But surprisingly enough when the time comes down to it you often hear the phrase,
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. These are the questions we ask ourselves about homelessness, and the only way we can help is to know the facts about this lingering subject.
This paper has given the reader a brief overview of homelessness in Australia, in particular, youth homelessness. Social research methods have also been explored, looking at the definition of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods, and the purpose for each. It has been concluded that in order to examine young people’s experiences of homelessness, researchers should focus on qualitative methods of data collection.
Homeless people come from many different backgrounds. Gender is the first demographic to consider. According to many different studies, most of single homeless adults are men who “make up slightly more than 51 percent of the total homeless population, while single women comprised about 17 percent” (McNamara 1027). However, in homeless families, single female parents make up approximately 90% (Markos and Lima). Second demographic to consider is age. Everyone including children can become homeless because of different cases. From the National Coalition for the Homeless, “children under the age of 18 accounted for 39% of the homeless population, 25% of homeless were ages 25 to 34; the same study found percentages of homeless persons aged 55 to 64 at 6%” (qtd. National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, 2004). By a study in 2002 from t...
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
Although most people know what homelessness is and it occurs in most societies, it is important to define because the forces of displacement vary greatly, along with the arrangement and meaning of the resulting transient state. The Stewart B McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 defined a homeless person as “an individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence or a person who resides in a shelter, welfare hotel, transitional program or place not ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation, such as streets, cars, movie theaters, abandoned buildings, etc.” Resent surveys conducted in the U.S. have confirmed that the homeless population in America is extremely diverse and includes representatives from all segments of society, including: the old and young, men and women, single people and families, city dwellers and rural residents, whites and people of color, employed and unemployed, able workers and people with serious health problems. The diversity among people that are homeless reflects how difficult it is to generalize the causes of homelessness and the needs of homeless people. Robert Rosenheck M.D., the author of Special Populations of Homeless Americans, explains the importance of studying homelessness based on subgroups, “each subgroup [of homeless people] has unique service needs and identifying these needs is critical for program planning and design.” Despite these diversities, homelessness is a devastating situation for all that experience it. Not only have homeless people lost their dwelling, but they have also lost their safety, privacy, control, and domestic comfort.
After watching the video “Sociological Perspective Project: Homelessness,” and read the article “Community Level Characteristics Associated with Variation in Rates of Homelessness among Families and Single Adults I started to think about this more and started to read more on the topic and have I concluded , America could support its citizens better than it currently does by eliminating the progressive tax system, in which as wealth increases so does their income tax and implement tax incentives to encourage job creation. Loop holes should be eliminated in such systems as taxes, as well as welfare in order to prevent people from playing the system. The system should not be set up in such a way that filing for unemployment can be and often times is more profitable that holding a minimum wage job, which defeats the entire purpose of the welfare system. By adding these tax incentives to big business, it would encourage them to create new jobs, decreasing the number of people on welfare. While welfare should not be entirely disbanded, it should be made more restrictive and it, along...
Homeless situations are a concern because there are a number of homeless children in the United States and continues to rise (McDaniel, 2012). Homeless people struggle to survive because they live in housing that is not livable or does not have a home and therefore, they live in cardboard boxes, in the alley, or wherever they can find shelter. In reality, this affects the ability for a
...y by both assessing the subjects physical and mental state as well as by observing their hygiene, attitudes, and other attributes associated with the homeless (Rubin and Babbie, 2013).
Toro, Dr. Paul.. Wayne State University Research Group on Homelessness and Poverty. 2002. Retrieved December 3, 2007 from http:// cotsdetroit.org/cots/aboutus.stats.wml?section=aboutus
The National Alliance to End Homelessness identified under 600,000 people who are homeless in the nation, in the past year. “This translates to a national rate of homelessness of fewer than 18 homeless persons out of every 10,000 persons in the general public on a single night “(National Alliance,
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.
Generally, homelessness in America is a result of unaffordable housing, family fragmentation, domestic violence, mental illness, health problems, addictions, unemployment, or a combination of several of these issues1 (Hersberger, 2001, p. 119). Research has concluded that homeless “people in their everyday lives are assessing their information needs in... ... middle of paper ... ....
...ualitative data, which will be collected and analyzed. Questions will be prepared for teachers, administrators and possibly homeless children or students that have been homeless. The best type of qualitative strategy to be used in this study will be grounded theory and or ethnography. The second phase of the study will consist of collected data from previous studies.
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.)