Summary: The Social Problem Of Homelessness

Abstract

Homelessness is one of our nation’s most misunderstood social problems. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness in January 2017, there were 553.742 homeless on any given night in the United States. It affects all walks of life to include families with children, single individuals, which includes teenagers, and veterans. People that have mental illness, drug or alcohol problems or have left a life of violence within the home, housing shortages, and housing prices higher than one can afford. Homelessness does not discriminate. It happens to all whether they are black, white, or Hispanic. We will look deeper into how drugs, alcohol, and lack of finances affect homelessness. How has society including the government played a part in the increase in homelessness over the last 30 plus years? Is there a

possible solution that would benefit a number of homeless as well as the rest of American society?

Homelessness A Social Problem: American Psychological Association, 2009 Presidential Task Force on Psychology’s Contribution to End Homelessness defined homelessness to exist when people lack safe, stable and appropriate places to live.

The typical homeless person is often viewed as an individual with severe emotional problems, however, this is not true for the majority of people that are without a home. Homelessness has risen among populations that include veterans, families with young children and young teens. More families experience homelessness in the United States than in any other industrialized nation (The Bassuk Center on Homeless and Vulnerable Children & Youth). People living in poverty do not have the resources and support to become educated and move up and out of poverty. Racial divides occur in areas of healthcare, education, and access to equal paying jobs. The 1850’s show the first documented homelessness amongst youth when many were forced to leave their homes by their providers as they could no longer care for them. Since the 1970’s affordable housing has become scarce and for many in poverty financially

impossible.
The National Alliance to End Homelessness states that 88 percent among youth, single adults, and single-parent families reported domestic violence as the main cause of their homelessness. Youth that is unaccompanied often suffer from mental illness (depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD) as well as substance abuse problems.
In 2008 the economic crisis affected millions of American lives with skyrocketing foreclosures and severe job loss. It was more difficult, particularly for those in low-income communities. Once a person becomes homeless it becomes more difficult to find adequate housing. With no home is no address. Employers are less likely to hire you without an address. Without a job means that you have no money for food or other necessities and more unlikely to find a safe and stable home.
Alcohol and drug abuse are among the top factors of homelessness. Alcoholism has been around since the twentieth century. But the impact of substance abuse is what altered the lives of the poor. In the 1980’s, the arrival of crack provided poor people with an inexpensive alternative to alcohol. Estimates show that in 1991 approximately 30% of all homeless adults used crack. Heavy drug and crack use will turn an employed, productive person into someone that uses any means necessary to obtain funds to purchase their next high. This individual becomes unable to maintain employment or support themselves in any legal form. They get into trouble with the law, lose friends and family, and wind up living on the street.