The Homeless of Society: Causes and Solutions - Essay Example

The Homeless of Society: Causes and Solutions The underlying reasons for homelessness emanate fromnumerous social and economic sources such as poverty caused by unemployment or poor paying jobs, a deficit of affordable housing and the lack of services for those who suffer from domestic violence, mental illness and substance abuse. It is these and other factors that contribute to homelessness, a condition that is seldom a choice for people who must live outside the comfort and security of a home environment. The Federal definition for homelessness is “an individual who lacks a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence; and an individual who has a primary nighttime residence that is – a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations … an institution that provides a temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized or a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings” (Federal, 2009). In other words, a homeless person is someone who does not have a regular, personal, secure place to sleep at night on a regular basis. This definition would also include people who live in their cars as this is not a ‘fixed’ location nor is it a place ‘designed for … regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.’ This discussion will examine the homelessness issue including why and what type of people become homeless. It will also review agencies and programs offering assistance to individuals and families living on the street. Thanks to recent public awareness campaigns by private and government agencies such as the National Coalition for the Homeless and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development respectively, long-standing societal stereotypes of the homeless are gradually evaporating. Images of creatively clothed white-bearded old men leaning against an alley wall clutching a bottle wrapped in a brown paper bag have morphed into a family living in their car or a single mother and her children living in a shelter. This changing image of the homeless hasn’t come fast enough, though, to increase the level of awareness among the general population, creating a situation in which many of the nation’s homeless children go without necessary services and are forced to repeat the cycle into their own adulthood (Martijn & Sharpe, 2006). It is a matter of fact that the estimated half a million children that, at any one time, is homeless in America and their mothers represent the fastest growing element of the homeless population with returning veterans following closely behind (Why, 2009). According to current research conducted within homeless shelters, single males comprise forty-five percent of the population using these services while single females make up only fifteen percent of the estimated two million homeless in America. This leaves an additional forty percent of the homeless population to be comprised of families with children and a third of these are identified as single parents with children (Why, 2009). As this illustrates, it is a gross misconception that most homeless persons actually prefer that horrific lifestyle once they’ve had a chance to become adjusted to it. Studies show that ninety-four percent of those without a home certainly would not choose to live this way another day if they had an alternative. Another common fallacy regarding the homeless is that they made poor decisions in their past and thus are culpable for their own fate – the idea that they deserve what they get. In addition to the large percentage of children that are homeless, many others are victims of their circumstances as well. One of the biggest problems with this kind of assumption is that it also infects those who find themselves homeless even when they know they have done nothing wrong. They become trapped in an endless cycle of suffering and self-recriminating blame from which there is often no real hope of escape. Some veterans returning home from the wars in the Middle East suffer from mental and physical disabilities resulting from combat and cannot maintain a ‘normal’ existence yet their condition is not widely recognized or adequately addressed by the Veteran’s Administration or their hospitals, so these individuals end up falling through the cracks and onto the street (Fisher et al, 2008). Others were abused as children or raised in homelessness and thus have no idea as to how to escape the conditions life has given them. Still others are somewhat culpable as they fell victims to the addiction of drugs and alcohol which decimated their working and family life to the point that they were no longer able to maintain a ‘normal’ life. Some people now living on the streets have become ‘unemployable’ for various reasons, including uninsured illness, or can find only menial jobs after being laid-off from a high paying position and find they are no longer capable of making ends meet. In the end, it must be determined that all homeless are victims in the sense that they do not have a place to call home (Donohoe, 2004). Examining the numbers, it is clear that women are a particularly vulnerable part of the homeless population as the reasons they are homeless can vary greatly from men’s reasons for homelessness. Twenty-five percent of homeless women are in this demeaning and dangerous situation because they are escaping violence in the home. Predictably, this is not the case for men as only an insignificant percentage cite family violence as the main reason for their homeless condition. Unemployment is men’s most often answered response as to why they became homeless and only the second most returned answer for women. “Although there is a 13.4 percent difference between males and females, unemployment is also an important reason of homelessness for women.  More than one tenth of homeless women leave home because of employment” (“Women and Men”, 2001). Once one moves beyond the differences between homelessness as the result of family violence as opposed to homelessness as a result of job loss, the differences between the stated causes for homelessness are statistically equal for men and women. A similar segment of both genders cited drug and alcohol abuse, prolonged illnesses or disabilities and reaching the limits of federal assistance as the reasons for their homelessness to the same degree. Recent studies and public exposure have helped displace popular gender misconceptions regarding the main cause for homelessness. One of the most prevalent was that a higher percentage of men were homeless as a result of alcohol and/or drug abuse (Greenberg, 2008). Studies have shown that the two genders become homeless for essentially the same reasons and to a similar extent once the extra cross women must bear, domestic violence, is taken out of the equation; however, finding a solution to this issue would remove approximately a quarter of the number of women who find themselves living on the streets as a safer alternative to remaining at home. Health issues, both physical and psychological, often negatively affect a homeless person’s re-entry into society. Health care services for the homeless are intrinsically inadequate (Burt, 2006). Persons without homes seldom possess credit cards or even have bank accounts. They carry cash in a harsh environment where violence is common and where no secure place exists where they might save their money toward achieving escape. The affects of this financial segregation are not only socially disgraceful for the homeless person, but the powerlessness that people feel when they cannot open a bank account acts as not only a psychological, but physical barrier as well to securing employment or any other type of normalcy in their lives (Burt, 2007). The homeless are especially susceptible to the medical conditions. “Children and adults who are homeless have higher rates of medical problems. In one report, 26 percent of adults had acute medical problems, such as pneumonia and tuberculosis, and 46 percent suffered chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer (Burt et al, 1999). Those that are homeless have numerous, multifaceted needs, particularly if they have been forced to sleep outside during their ordeal. Readjustment back into ‘normal’ society following time spent in the armed services or prison is more difficult for some than others. A seemingly overlooked segment is recently released prisoners that become homeless because of fewer employment opportunities than the mainstream population enjoys therefore many have difficulty assimilating back into societal norms (Greenberg, 2008). A simple solution would be to allow ex-prisoners to hold almost any license not directly involving the welfare of others and allow them to be afforded similar employment discrimination rights with some obvious occupational exceptions. They have paid their debt to society but the limits put on them by the justice system ultimately become a hindrance to society when they cannot become part of it again. An ex-felon generally returns to their criminal ways when they can’t secure employment and/or a license for practically any vocation including hair stylist. The number and extent of the problems homeless persons endure only compound over time. It is financially advantageous for the public and politicians to solve the problem. Helping to take someone off the streets and place them back into mainstream society allows them to contribute to the economy rather than continuing to rely on public assistance (Greenberg, 2008). Though there are examples of agencies that offer innovative services and have greatly improved the lives of the homeless, the problem surpasses what resources the private sector and government combined are presently directing towards it and this imbalance is growing along with the homeless population. In spite of the many problems faced by the homeless community and the failure of social welfare departments to fully and adequately address the problem, there are a number of services offered designed to help the situation. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) offers four programs to help the homeless. Emergency Shelter Grants provides support services and shelter for homeless persons. It also provides monetary assistance intended to prevent a family from losing their home in the first place including short-term utility bills, rent and mortgage payment assistance for those in imminent danger of losing their house. The Continuum of Care program helps communities to reduce its homeless population by offering a wide range of options including permanent, transitory or emergency housing to those in need. “HUD believes the best approach for alleviating homelessness is through a community-based process that provides a comprehensive response to the different needs of homeless persons” (“Resource Guide”, 2007). HUD also operates the Single Room Occupancy and The Shelter Plus Care programs which provide additional services. The Family & Youth Services Bureau of the Administration for Children and Families operates the Basic Center Program which helps communities fund shelters and free meal centers while establishing programs that serve the needs of homeless, exploited and missing children. The Transitional Living and Street Outreach programs targets youths age 16 to 21, the ‘at-risk’ group for homelessness. Other federal benefit programs include “Supplemental Security Income, Social Security Disability Insurance, Veteran’s Affairs Compensation, Veterans Affairs Health Care, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Food Stamps, Medicaid, Medicare, One-Stop Career Center System and State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)” (“Resource Guide”, 2007). The federal government mandates that homeless children be allowed entry and will be appropriately accommodated by public schools, no matter the circumstance. The resolve of the public and therefore politicians to abolish homelessness will determine how many men, women and children, most blameless victims of circumstance will continue to suffer the wretched and humiliating condition of homelessness. Of course, enacting legislation alone will not lessen the number of homeless. Adequate resources must be allocated to produce additional affordable housing units by creating, restructuring or improving collaborative efforts between homelessness agency services in the public and private sectors. If these agencies are able to effectively prevent the instances of homelessness prior to the actual event as well as adapt to various challenges facing those currently without a permanent residence, such as the Continuum of Care program, the goal of abolishing homelessness will be closer to becoming a reality. It has been said that to judge a civilization, a culture, simply look at the way it treats its most vulnerable citizens. A substantial amount of veterans and children are homeless in America today and will tomorrow into the foreseeable future. Combine this with the unenviable distinction of being the only industrialized nation without universal health care coverage and the report card can be filled out. America, the nation, the culture and the society fails the subject of compassion. The richest country the world has ever known refuses to take care of its own. A humiliating and depraved circumstance. References Burt, R. Martha; Pearson, Carol & Montgomery, Elizabeth Ann. (2006). “Homelessness: Prevention, Strategies and Effectiveness.” New York: Nova Science Publishers. Burt, R. Martha; Pearson, Carol & Montgomery, Elizabeth Ann. (2007). “Community-Wide Strategies for Preventing Homelessness: Recent Evidence.” The Journal of Primary Prevention. 28.2: 265-279. Burt, M.R. et al. (1999). “Homelessness: Programs and the People They Serve.” Retrieved May 6, 2011from Donohoe, Martin. (2004). “Homelessness in the United States: History, Epidemiology, Health Issues, Women, and Public Policy.” Medscape Ob/Gyn & Women’s Health. Medscape Today. Retrieved May 6, 2011from . “Federal Definition of Homeless”. (2009). Homes & Communities. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Retrieved May 6, 2011from . “Federal Homelessness Resource Guide.” (2007). Washington D.C.: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Retrieved May 6, 2011from < http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/region5/docs/homelessness.pdf > Fisher, S. N.; Shinn, M.; Shrout, P. & Tsemberis, S. (2008) “Homelessness, Mental Illness, and Criminal Activity: Examining Patterns Over Time.” American Journal of Community Psychology. 42.3-4 251-265. Greenberg, G. A. & Rosenheck, R. A. (2008). “Homelessness in the State and Federal Prison Population”. Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health. 18.2: 88-103. Marsh, Alex & Kennett, Patricia. (1999). “Exploring the New Terrain.” Homelessness: Exploring the New Terrain. Eds. Patricia Kennett & Alex Marsh. Bristol, U.K: The Policy Press.1-16. Martijn, C. & Sharpe, L. (2006). “Pathways to Youth Homelessness.” Social Science & Medicine. 62.1: 1-12. Oliveira, O’Sullivan, Joanne & Burke, J. Pamela. (2009). “Lost in the Shuffle: Culture of Homeless Adolescents.” Pediatric Nursing. 35.3: 154.161. “Why are People Homeless” (2009). National Coalition for the Homeless. Retrieved May 6, 2011from Read More