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Root causes of homelessness
Root causes of homelessness
Effects of poverty and homelessness
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There are numerous of things that are impossible to believe about people who are in poverty or homeless. Almost a quarter of all individuals do not have electricity. Not many people imagine living on less than ten dollars a day, but eighty percent of people actually does. (Eleven facts about global). Think that is bad? Actually, “one half of the worlds population—more than three billion people — live on less than 2 dollars and fifty cents a day. More than one billion and three hundred million live in extreme poverty— less than a dollar and twenty five cents a day” (Eleven facts about global). A lot of people in the world complain about how much they make but actually they should be proud because over half of the world live off a few dollars …show more content…
So what is homelessness? Does anybody know the accurate meaning of homelessness anymore? Homelessness is defined as a person who “lacks a fixed, regular and adequate night-times residence” (“Facts”). “Homelessness is a temporary condition that people fall into when they cannot afford to pay for a place to live, or when their current home is unsafe or unstable” (“Homelessness defined”). Many determine that people choose or want to be homeless. There are infinite of reason why people become homeless (Bolster). There are three types of homelessness in which people do not know about such as chronic, transitional and episodic. Chronic homelessness are mainly old people and are considered “hard-core unemployed.” They are likely to be entrenched in shelter systems and are more like long term housing instead of an emergency arrangement (“Homelessness in”). Transitional homelessness are traditionally only for one stay or short time. They are typically younger. Episodic homeless people frequently go in and out of homelessness. They usually experience medical, mental health and substance abuse problems or are chronically unemployed (“Homelessness in”). Twenty three percent of homeless people are described as chronically homeless which is a homeless individual with a disabling condition who had been either continually homeless for a year or longer or have had at least four occasions of homelessness in the past three years (“Facts”). This …show more content…
For families, the three most common causes are lack of affordable housing, unemployment and poverty. For single individuals, the three common causes are substance abuse, lack of affordable housing and mental illness (“facts”). “Thirty eight percent report alcohol use problems. Twenty six percent report other drug use problems. Thirty nine percent report some form of mental health problems. Sixty six percent report either substance use and/or mental health problems. Three percent report having HIV/AIDS. Twenty six percent report acute health problems other than HIV/AIDS such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, or sexual transmitted disease. Forty six percent report chronic health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes or cancer” (“Facts”). About one billion and one hundred million people in developing countries have insignificant access to water. Two billion and six hundred million lack fundamental sanitation. About two in three people lacking access to clean water have to survive on less than two dollars a day. One in three live on less than a dollar a day (Snah). This shows there are different causes and people experience problems in their lives. Any one of us can become homeless in a matter of seconds because “one bad circumstance or series of unlucky or unfortunate events can lead to homelessness” (Bolster). Four to five times as many people experience homelessness in one year than in one day. Eight hundred thousand is a lot of
According to the U.S. Conference of Mayors (2008) there are several key factors that cause homelessness and they differ between families and single adults. For families, the causes are lack of affordable housing, poverty, unemployment, low-paying jobs, domestic violence, mental illness and substance abuse. For single adults the causes are substance abuse, lack of affordable housing, mental illness, poverty, unemployment, and low-paying jobs. The top things needed to combat homelessness is more housing for people with disabilities, better paying employment opportunities, and more substance abuse services.
Homelessness is one of the biggest issues society (Unites States) faces today. Homelessness is caused by lack of affordable housing, economic situations and decline in federal funding for low income families and the mentally ill. A homeless person is defined as an individual who lacks housing (without regard to whether the individual is a member of a family) including an individual whose primary residence during the night is a supervised public or private (shelters) facility that provides temporary living accommodations and an individual who is a resident in transitional housing. This definition of housing is used by the U.S Department of Healt...
With nearly 3.18 million people in the United States, there are 610.042 individuals who are homeless which calculates to about nearly one in five individuals (U.S. Census Bureau, 2014 and HUD/US, 2013). At any time situations can change that can render an individual’s homeless. There are no qualities that exempt individuals from the chances of becoming homeless. However, there are certain predispositions and characteristics that can predict the likelihood of becoming homeless. Homelessness can be contributed to a number of situations such as occupational stress, financial stress, mental health issues, substance use, gender, age, race, disabilities, incarceration, chronic illness, and family stress.
Tunstall, L. (2009). Homelessness: an overview. EBSCO Publishing Service Selection Page. Retrieved February 5, 2011, from http://web.ebscohost.com/pov/detail?hid=119&sid=d5f751fa-0d0d-4ed1-8deb-483e701af50c%40sessionmgr111&vid=3&bdata=Jmxhbmc9ZW4tY2Emc2l0ZT1wb3YtY2Fu#db=p3h&AN=28674966
It is estimated that, “each year, more than 3 million people experience homelessness, including 1.3 million children” (NLCHP). Clearly poverty and Homelessness come hand in hand, and the economy downfall has only contributed to this growing crisis. “Homelessness stems from a lack of affordable housing. Increasing rents, destruction of traditional low-income housing, and cuts in federal housing programs threaten affordable housing with extinction” (NLCHP). Most people in poverty have a housing affordability crisis, which means that they pay more than half of their income for rent, so therefore they have to buffer to deal with unforeseen expenses. This indicates a constantly struggle financially therefore anything such as an accident, sick child, or loss of employment could tip you over the edge. Some including factors that contrib...
“We have come dangerously close to accepting the homeless situation as a problem that we just can't solve.” - Linda Lingle. According to Linda Lingle homelessness is becoming an issue that has been a problem that is at this point unobtainable. The main causes of homelessness among Americans is the result of unemployment, low wages and unaffordable housing; the reality is that people are forced to survive in harsh environments and many are subject to alcohol and substance abuse.
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.
Homelessness is defined as a person who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate night time residence, and has a primary night time residence that is:
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.
The causes of homelessness according to Shelter (2013), depends on a number of different personal and social factors and these factors can contribute towards people becoming homeless. These factors may include one or more of the following and starting with the individual factors , this may include drug and alcohol misuse, lack of qualifications, lack of social support, debts and especially mortgage or rent arrears, poor physical and mental health, relationship breakdown, and getting involved in crime at an early age .There is also factors from ones family background which includes family breakdown and disputes, sexual and physical abuse in childhood or adolescence, having parents with drug or alcohol problems, and previous experience of family homelessness with an institutional background including having been in care, the armed force...
The idea of homelessness is not an effortlessly characterized term. While the normal individual comprehends the essential thought of vagrancy, analysts in the sociological field have connected conflicting definitions to the idea of homelessness, justifiably so as the thought includes a measurement more exhaustive than a peculiar meaning of a single person without living arrangement. Homelessness embodies a continuum running from the nonappearance of a changeless safe house to poor living courses of action and lodging conditions. As per Wolch et al. (1988), homelessness is not an unexpected experience rather it is the zenith of a long procedure of investment hardship, disconnection, and social disengagement that has influenced a singular or family. Furthermore, states of vagrancy may come in fluctuating structures, for example, road habitation, makeshift home in safe houses, or help from administration associations, for example, soup kitchens and the Salvation Army. Homeless is characterized as those regularly poor and, once in a while, rationally sick individuals who are unable to uphold a spot to live and, subsequently, regularly may rest in boulevards, parks, and so forth (Kenyon 1991).
Furthermore, Homelessness is also a strong outcome of poverty, in comparison to people that are in poverty, but live in a home. Homeless children do not have access to adequate nutrition and medical care therefore causing even more health problems. Homeless women “experience higher rates of low‐birth‐weight babies, miscarriages, and infant mortality”(Cliffnotes,2015). Homelessness makes it extremely difficult to obtain a job due to the many under developments; mental and social that are obtained due to this life making poverty a never ending cycle, extremely difficult to
For instance, drug addiction is often a contributing factor to why people end up on the streets because it ruins the individual's source of income because rather than spending money on basic necessities to survive, they dwindle their money away on buying drugs therefore, losing their homes and jobs. Presently, the most common factor in homelessness is poverty because there is a lack of jobs in the type of work that an individual may be able to do plus minimum wages at low-paying jobs that these individuals may hold. Homelessness doesn’t just affect individuals, but families as well. According to Peter Katel, Leida Ortiz, was a single mother living in Worcester, Massachusetts with her two children and sister. Ortiz’s father was a factory worker and was diagnosed with stomach cancer, so Leida Ortiz and her children went to live with Leida’s mother to help care for her father. She tried to move back to her sister’s house, but that didn’t work out and decided to live with a roommate. However, that took a drastic turn when her roommate kicked Leida Ortiz and her two children out since she couldn’t pay the $400 in rent each month and deserted to living on the streets out of bags not knowing where they would end up (Katel). Thus, even normal families are victims of homelessness and become victims not by choice but by a chain of events that led to being homeless. According to Peter Katel, “Whatever the case, housing advocates are united in the belief that government action can eliminate homelessness once and for all. Conservatives tend to be more skeptical, though ideology isn't a reliable guide to views on homelessness. One would agree that the American government needs to take immediate action to eliminate homelessness in the United States for the homeless as a
Many people find themselves in a predicament when they are living with a partner and the two decide to go their separate ways. Some people may not be able afford the cost of living on just their income alone, so when two people terminate a relationship where one depends on the other, both are often left homeless for a period of time. Unemployment is another major cause of people becoming homeless. When people lose their jobs and fail to find another within a reasonable amount of time, they will not be able to pay their rent or mortgage on time or even at all, causing them to look else where for shelter. Many people are not fortunate enough to have a family member that is willing, or capable, of taking them in and supporting them. The main cause of homelessness comes from people being evicted from their place of residence either by their parents, friends, or land lord. Parents will often kick their kids out of the house because they can not financially support them anymore, or they are just simply tired of their kids bumming off of them when they are perfectly capable of supporting themselves or at least contributing to the cost of living expenses. So many people are forced to live on the streets because of something as little as a relationship problem. All homeles...
More than 3.5 million people are homeless every night, and 1.35 million, almost half, are children. This is something that could possibly change with more awareness and education. Homelessness is a problem in society today that many communities suffer with. Homelessness is a condition where people lack access to housing. It is caused by several factors such as mental illness, drug abuse, physical or sexual abuse, or simply not having enough money. There are three trends that are mainly responsible for the rise in homelessness over the past 25 years: a growing shortage of affordable rental housing, a coinciding increase in poverty and an increase in mental illness.