Homeless Are Heartbreaking or Hyperbolic?
Is homelessness really as big of a problem as what your hear about? The National Student Campaign Against Hunger & Homelessness (NSCAHH) would explain in Homelessness Is a Widespread Problem how it has become a widespread problem in the United States of America. They believe it’s not only a huge issue, but the rate of homelessness is rapidly growing, according to the 2004 Survey of Hunger and Homelessness. Mike Rosen, a radio talk show host, argues in The Problem of Homelessness is Exaggerated that the topic of homelessness is over exaggerated than what it really is. He examined the same survey and presented the idea that they had several miscalculations and just made it seem like a big problem in
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The NSCAHH’s main claim is that homelessness is expanding and spreading. More people are becoming homeless, so there aren’t enough homeless shelters for every homeless person. They explain how food pantries and services that feed the homeless are more common in communities than what they were in the 1980s, which is when they claimed was the largest increase in the number of homeless. Except, they begin to move the focus about the hunger and poverty percentages in America by stating, “In the year 2002 to 2003 the number of people living in poverty grew from 1.3 billion to 35.9 billion,” and “the number of people living in food-insecure households rose for the third year in a row to 36.3 million Americans, including more than 13 million children.” Throughout the article, they continue to have part of the focus on hunger when it should be completely on homelessness. Rosen argues, saying homeless activist lie about the number, and tend to just pull them out of thin air to make is seem more extreme. He claims their definition of homelessness is too broad and doesn’t pinpoint the true amount of people living on streets or under bridges. He explains how the people who do are usually mental patients, drunks, drug addicts, hobos, and runaway kids, who all need effective remedies and systems to solve their problems. The activists just say things to create something to be politically talked about. The NSCAHH …show more content…
After making a point in an argument, it needs to be followed up with support and evidence. The NSCAHH claims there are food increases in shelter request. They followed up with the statement that a high percentage of agencies reported this. They never give more details about what agencies discovered this, lacking the persuasiveness. They also explain how poverty has increased from 31.1 million to 35.9 million from 2000 to 2003. Again, they get off topic of the number of homeless and shifts the focus to hunger and poverty in America which isn’t followed by any additional information. Rosen claimed that activists stretch the truth and make it seem more severe than it really is. He includes a specific time when Mitch Snyder, an American Advocate for the homeless, claimed there are 1.2 million homeless in the U.S., and then later claimed it was actually 3 million(Snyder). He even follows it up with research that Snyder confessed he was just satisfying the media’s lust for hunger. His other point was that after studying the survey, the actual number of homeless is incorrect and supports this claim by explaining that the homeless tend to go to multiple places for help, so they actually are counted more than once and people who move back in with their parents or double up with friends are counted as well. Although Rosen has fewer points than the NSCAHH, he has stronger support
When the census is taken, the distributors often go to homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and disaster emergency shelters and evaluate the number of people there for a maximum of 3 days. This is undercover by the use of a convenience sample, it does not allow for a better representation of the homeless. Since homeless shelters only let people stay for an allotted amount of time, this would not give the Census Bureau accurate information on the actual number of homeless in America that are not represented under the poverty line. We can fix this problem by petitioning the government to renovate run-down and abandoned buildings such as hotels, motels, apartment buildings, and businesses to make valid homes for the transient and homeless population.
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:
At any given time, approximately 600,000 homeless survive at the front door of America. They are sleeping in parks, living in cardboard boxes, sitting on street corners, and resting under bridges. Terrible hunger gnaws at their stomachs as they search for food. Society labels the homeless as useless and worthless, but they are not. They are children, grandmothers, grandfathers, mothers, and fathers that need a place to sleep, eat, and live. What does society do to help? Nothing. Society hurries home from work, shopping, and leisure, worrying about who will win the next football game. Society is not worried about where their next meal will come from, where they will sleep, or where they will be tomorrow. Although it is difficult for society not to feel discomfort at seeing homeless people, it is the homeless who pay for the way people feel about them. Alienation of the homeless in America is a direct result of injustice, health issues, and societal attitudes; however, solutions are available to society as they are obligated to all of their citizenry, including the homeless.
“Homeless is more than being without a home. It is tied into education needs, food, security; health issues both mental and physical, employment issues, etc. Don’t forget the whole picture.” (“Boxed In” 2005 pg. 108)
In the word homeless there are two root words, home and less. Home is what most people would define as the place where they live, or grew up. Less, simply means not as much as. When you combine the two together homeless equals someone who grew up in a home that was held to less standards than what they would normally be held up to. For example, someone who is homeless could live in a box, it sounds terrible but unfortunately it is a part of our reality. Not everyone can afford to live in a house, pay mortgage, and all the other expenses that come with the responsibility of owning a house, or home. Today homelessness still has an affect on many people.
every aspect and institution in a society work as one to create a function; these institutions are said to be
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...
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
This paper will explain approaches to resolve the social issue of homelessness in the state of Delaware. It will also explain a few reasons why homelessness should be addressed the correct way to potentially end it. I will describe the correlations of homelessness and health, the crimes involving and against the homeless, and lastly the families subjected to homelessness. A few solutions will be recommended in this paper also to optimistically achieve the goal of assisting the homeless and improving the assistance already given.
...is to understand the factors that lead people into homelessness, that keep them homeless, and how they can recover from homelessness. Advocates for the homeless have proposed policies range from taking preventative measures, such as making housing and health care affordable, to policies that deal with individuals that are already homeless, such as rapid rehousing and redefining what it means to be homeless. Although many of the experts disagree on how the homeless epidemic should be handled, many acknowledge that the federal government plays an inexpendable role in helping the homeless. Homelessness is, obviously, a complex issue, but like all difficult issues it must be undertaken. It has become clear that homelessness is not something that will eradicate itself given time, homelessness will continue to grow and evolve unless an outside force stops it in its tracks.
Countless throughout the streets of Jackson, MS there are homeless people asking for food, money, etc. and some people aid them and others walk away. However, does anyone ever see the other side of the equation? Driving down Gallatin St. one night I saw firsthand the “other side”. Because of this, the issue that my research will cover is homelessness. Homelessness is defined as a state in which individuals lack a fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence. Poverty, lack of affordable housing, declining wages, lost jobs, the economy, foreclosure, decreased assistance programs, domestic violence, substance abuse, mental illness, single parenthood, etc. are some of the causes of homelessness in America. Some of the proposed solutions are: affordable housing and homeless prevention programs. However, there needs to be less energy focused on providing temporary housing for those who are homeless, and more focus on providing permanent, affordable housing. Homelessness is an issue that should concern all of us. With a decrease in this situation it would clear up the amount of people walking around on the streets and everyone would feel more comfortable traveling at night. If someone is homeless, it is a common belief that they are more inclined to criminal activity; therefore less homelessness could equal less crime. Homelessness is not discriminatory and can happen to anyone at any time.
Media can be bias, so that is why you have to do more than one search and know what is the bias. This website “End Homelessness” has a bias by selection of source. In the article it says “ While circumstances and vary,” the website does not talk about the other problems that can cause homelessness. The article says, “It is the scarcity of affordable housing in the United States, particularly in more urban areas where homelessness is more prevalent, that is behind their inability to acquire or maintain housing.” It only focuses on not having an affordable home. The website also mentions the types of groups that can become homeless and why. The groups are families, youth, veterans, and chronic homelessness. According to the website the reason why all these groups can become homeless are because of financial crisis, family conflicts, physical problems or mental illness. Basically, we all can become homeless, but not just because we cannot afford a home. Most problems that can lead to homelessness can happen to anyone even the richest person. Homelessness is not just about not having money, but it is also not having any support from family or friends. Even homelessness is expensive. While searching on major news sources like Fox News and MSNBC, only one or no information was found about homelessness. Instead the cites brought up other topics that had nothing to do with my searched. It seems like
Many homeless people do not have access to healthcare and they go many years without seeing a doctor. According to Fitzpatrick, “there is a clear and defined need for healthcare for homeless people and their families.” She is right, it todays society homelessness is just ignored by many people and has became a serious problem. Most of society does not know about the organizations that help the homeless. For example, Fitapatrick believes in a organization called The Opening Doors Project it is a group of nurses and other health professionals that look at substance abuse within the homeless community. Due to not seeing a doctor and the common knowledge of homeless people abusing drugs and alcohol, “homeless people can have complex and multiple health problems” (Who quoted it). Not everyone agrees with Fitzpatrick, “I am convinced that handouts are basically wrongheaded,” says Sherman. She believes giving anything to the homeless will not help change the homeless persons situation (Sherman). Sherman's advice does not make sence, ignoring the problem will not help either and without proper medical care there is no way to improve homeless health which will cause many people to die a unessary death. According to Hopper, “generative forces behind widespread homelessness runs deep and their correction will req...
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.