Concept of Community - Essay Example

There are some similarities between the two concepts of community and aggregate. Both are populations of people who are associated with each other and share some characteristics. However, there are also differences between the two concepts. The largest difference is in the interaction between the two. An aggregate of people are a population who share a common interest, where those in a community do not necessarily share common interests, it is likely to be other factors which unite them. Both those in an aggregate and those in a community share common problems and often common goals.

The difference between the two concepts is that those in aggregate do not act together to realize these goals or solve their problems whereas those in a community do interact and work together in this pursuit (Undergraduate Curriculum Handbook, 2003).Homeless peopleAn example of aggregate within the community is homeless clients (Clark, 2002). There are many homeless people across America and there are many subdivisions within the aggregate. The aggregate could be considered in terms of various subgroups such as homeless children, homeless women, homeless immigrants, and so forth.

However, they are usually considered overall under the aggregate of homeless people due to the common problems and goals which are generally shared by all (Kusmer, 2003). There is no official federal definition of homelessness, which makes it difficult to calculate the extent of the problem in the US. However, the general definition is usually taken to mean any individual who lacks a fixed and night-time residence or whose primary residence is a supervised public or private shelter. Current data suggests that there are anywhere between 600,000 and 2.

5 million homeless in the US depending upon the definition which is taken. Therefore it can be seen that this aggregate is a significant proportion of the population (McCarty, 2005). The number of homeless people varies from area to area across America, with the highest concentrations being in urban areas. This is usually a result of the moves from industrialized to post-industrialized cities, where many manual workers lost their jobs in the mid to late 20th Century (Kusmer, 2003). The problems are shared among the members of the aggregate, with problems including lack of shelter, lack of money, and lack of food.

The aggregate is particularly vulnerable in terms of healthcare due to the lack of healthy lifestyle factors and lack of access to health care. The goals among homeless people are also shared, with the goal being to gain housing and access to other services that they do not currently have. However, they are not considered a community as they do not usually work together to achieve these goals. Homeless people address their goals individually, with the help of external agencies (McCarty, 2005).