The Pros And Cons Of Homelessness

There is no true consensus on what it means to be homeless. The strictest definitions are very literal, limiting it to the condition of not having guaranteed shelter on any given night. Broader definitions include those who live in inadequate housing, such as temporary shelters. Ultimately, it is the second definition that has come to characterize American homelessness.

Modern homelessness in the United States is conventionally thought of as arising in the 1980s, a period of dramatic demographic transformation in the homeless population. Traditionally dominated by single men, the homeless population was augmented by an increase in homeless families. This phenomenon can be attributed to a few major structural changes in American society. The first is economic restructuring which influenced the decline of the middle class and growing socioeconomic inequality. Consequently, more people turned to welfare in order make ends meet. Unfortunately, the welfare system had essentially eliminated funding for subsidized housing and adopted increasingly

Thus some programmes, from the federal to local level, began to focus on longer-term strategies for combating homelessness. The research that informs policy decisions is characterized by groups who focus on service needs and groups who focus on how to supply those services. Because the needs of homeless populations are highly variability, the system of traditional services is frequently ill-equipped to meet those needs. The services themselves are provided by an amalgamation of public, nonprofit, and private organizations. Multiple studies have indicated that the existing structure of services is underutilized. This underutilization could be attributed to the types of services being offered, the physical location of facilities and programmes, or a combination