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Causes and impacts of homelessness
Should the government take care of homeless people
Causes and impacts of homelessness
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Homelessness in America has always been an issue. There have been plans to help solve this issue in San Antonio, Texas, but it does cost local taxpayers millions. It is a tricky situation to solve because some people are innocent and have no other solution to help solve their necessitous situation. Although many people who are impoverished may not be bad, we should eradicate the chronically homeless because many of them are without a roof for their decisions or blameful addictions they can not control and is costing San Antonio’s taxpayers millions. It is true that some individuals are homeless not because of bad habits one might have, but because of financial reasons. A lot of society that is part of this problem is because they simply do not make enough at their low …show more content…
Mike Dick, a homeless man from San Francisco, has been living on the street for years. He was photographed and followed around by Kevin Fagan, a writer and photographer, who wrote an article on Dick for the San Francisco Chronicle. Fagan followed Dick around and learned his story. In his article, Homeless, Mike Dick was 51, Looked 66, He worsens the situation by mentioning after Dick was “scooped off the streets by city homelessness counselors and given a roof” (Fagan 335), he passed away from being sick after only being there for 15 months. Admittedly, impoverished people are not getting the help they need right away and by the time they do receive help it is too late because they die of a disease they contacted while they were out on the street for years. In Our tired, Our poor, Our kids, by Anna Quindlen, a novelist from New York City, talked about three mothers who are trying their best to help get out of the shelter and improve their children 's lives. Sharanda is a mother of five who is currently undergoing drug treatments and is living in a shelter. She decided it was best to get clean so her children and herself can have a better life and someday move out of the shelter. Rosie and
There are an estimated 2,981 homeless people in San Antonio each day. Out of these, 1,243 were unsheltered and a staggering 31% of those are people with families. In addition, the average age of a homeless child in San Antonio is 6 years old. An overall picture shows that homelessness has dropped nearly four percent from 2012 to 2013. Further, an average of 610,042 people are homeless across the United States on any given night. “Of that number, 36 percent – 222,197 people – were in families, representing a drop of 7 percent for that group” (Chappell, 2013, p. #). More than a third of these people were not found in shelters, abandoned buildings, cars, or under bridges. Although, there has been a small decline in homelessness, it’s still necessary to drastically change these statistics by solving the causes of homelessness. Sleeping in vacant buildings and under bridges is unacceptable. These statistics are very alarming and a solution needs to be found.
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.
The impoverished and the homeless live in another world compared to those of us that are fortunate enough to have stable living conditions. Families are struggling to survive with the little government assistance they receive. The quality and space in a shelter or even government provided living is atrocious and, to be frank, borderline unlivable. Quindlen describes a family of six cramped into a single bedroom, an inexcusable and terrible way to live and yet better than nothing at all (332). Children of families that have to live in situations like this grow up not knowing stability or security.
This fact shows that many people who do become homeless become that way because of unavoidable situations. These are the people that have jobs but just can’t find jobs that pay enough. There are many other reasons as to why people become homeless. The break up of a marriage or relationship, the loss of a job, addiction to drugs or alcohol, or a mental illness are all reasons why many people become homeless (The Passage). Many of these causes can not be prevented.
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 has different meanings to different people; someone who has never been homeless might think homelessness is a person who lives on the street, in a tent or in a box. Many people don’t realize that there are a number of homeless people, who couch surf with friends, family or the ones who live in motels which are unaccountable in the numbers of homeless people. People including families with children, seniors, single parents, youths and those that are single are living in accommodations that are below standards and consider themselves as homeless.
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.
California’s economy drops more and more every year, which causes there to be a rise in the homeless population. Homeless are impossible to avoid, especially in California, they have become people we see every day on the streets. Many factors increase the homeless population in California every year. Some of these factors include unemployment, mental illness/drug abuse, and prisoner release. With the homeless population rising there could be a huge health alert rising as well. As a community, we can decrease the population of homelessness.
There are two types of homelessness, chronic and situational. A chronically homeless person is someone who has been homeless for over a long period of time. Stereotypically speaking, chronically homeless people usually are drug addicts or they have some type of mental health issue. The actual case in that theory is that: a vast majority of the chronically homeless suffer from serious mental illnesses (like schizophrenia), severe substance addiction, or a physical disability. People with mental health illnesses cannot help being homeless. Most lose their jobs due to their illness, causing them to not be able to work or to get a job, eventually leading them to not be financially capable to take care of themselves. This contributes to their
Homelessness is a social issue that has been overlooked for too long. It can be observed in many states worldwide. The rising population of homeless people affects those characterized as homeless, their families subjected to the lifestyle, and the communities where homelessness exists. There are many solutions but only a few will be discussed. Improving existing shelters and building new shelters are general solutions. More in depth solutions within the shelters include programs that assist the homeless with opportunities for re-entry into the community. I would first like to discuss reasons why this issue should be looked into and conclude with recommendations.
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
...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.
Approximately 6,686 people are considered homeless in the San Francisco area as of 2015. This year Super Bowl 50 is being held in San Francisco, California. According to the article, “ San Francisco nudges homeless away from Super Bowl fan village”, by Alison Vekshin, San Francisco has the eighth highest homelessness rate in America and they are being questioned about their motives to relocate and put homeless in shelters. In this article it is explained that 13 million dollars of the 50 million dollars raised to pay for the Super Bowl have been donated to charities in San Francisco that try to alleviate poverty.
There are many causes and effects of homelessness and it continues to be a problem in virtually all societies known to man. Regardless of what the causes of someone becoming homeless are, all homeless people will eventually suffer from some or all of the effects of being homeless, rather it be malnutrition, mental illnesses, abuse, drug addictions, or even death.
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.