Dealing With Homelessness

“One diverse population that has continued to increase over the quarter of a century is composed of people who are homeless” (Baggerly & Zalaquett, 2006, p.155). Homelessness has become a growing problem in society because more and more people are finding themselves to be homeless and not knowing where to turn. Many people do not

Homelessness is an issue in American society today that affects anywhere from 800,000 to 3.5 million people. There are a substantial amount of people that are without shelter, food, or employment, and there are numerous other people affected by poverty and homelessness. People living in nearly every city in the United States are affected by homelessness due to the large amounts of homeless individuals living on the streets and begging for money, food, and other necessities. The issue of homelessness has been a constant problem since the conquering of the New World, and soup kitchens and homeless shelters have not been able to fully end homelessness. Especially today, with a lack of affordable housing and high unemployment rates, homelessness is prevalent.

Homelessness is an aspect of society, which most people chose not to acknowledge. With the increasing amount of issues the United States faces, homelessness tends to be forgotten when the time comes for the government to establish what issues they should assist. Due to the substantial amount of issues the government concerns itself with, homelessness does not receive the necessary attention required and is improperly handled. In today’s society poverty-stricken individuals or families is too much of a common occurrence to be treated as lightly as it is. Additional government intervention is necessary in order to supply the needed resources, which can prevent the further spread of homelessness. The United States government is obligated to protect its citizens and should care about the constant growth of homelessness. Through economic policies and community advertisements, the government can control the issue of individuals who are facing poverty.

Homelessness in America has existed for some time now, but has grown and changed majorly over the years since the 1980’s. According to Mary Hombs, “the prevailing stereotype of a homeless person was that of a middle-aged white urban male alcoholic” (6). But now there is no stereotype because homelessness could happen to anyone at any moment, so that is why it important to be aware. Millions of people in this country do not have a place to live including whole families, children, veterans, and even the mentally ill. Going day after day without food or shelter. Throughout this paper the main focus will be answering the questions: What is homelessness?; What are the main causes of homelessness?: Who is the homeless?; and How do the people of this country assist the homeless?

One of the simplest pieces of knowledge we acquire in elementary school (for future growth and development) are the three basic needs a living organism requires for living: food, water, and shelter. However, not everyone has access to all of these essentials. Homeless people are faced with awful conditions and suffer more due to poor weather conditions, diseases, and lack of safety. There hasn’t been much progress on this issue, and if this continues, the number of homeless people will only increase. In a few states the topic is being named as a “statewide emergency”, but unfortunately this problem is national. Instead of focusing on state programs, local programs and non-profit organizations to fix the housing issue, we must all contribute to ending this epidemic. The National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) released an article stating, “In January 2015, 564,708 people were homeless on a given night in the United States” (Snapshot of Homelessness). We must develop a solution to end long term homelessness immediately. The best way of solving this issue is to provide stable long-term housing, which is a term used to describe the home’s environment and financial status.

Have you ever wondered how people start to become homeless? Often, people all around the world become homeless by poverty,housing,etc. This is because poverty is a common thread surrounded by everyone who experiences homelessness. People that are homeless don't have any food or water, instead they live on the streets with less clothing and the eager to have food and water. In 2010 14.3% nationwide people are living through poverty. In 2009 43.6 million people are homeless up from 39.8 million in 2008. This research paper is going to explain the history of homeless, some effects that cause homelessness, and some solutions that can prevent homelessness from happening and what we can do to help homeless people.

Everywhere you turn in the United States people are sitting on the corners of streets asking for assistance or digging in trash cans for meals. The epidemic of homelessness in the United States has reached an all-time high since the 1990’s. Unfortunately, the adage of people chose to be homeless was not accounting for families that live paycheck to paycheck and lose their job and therefore their housing because it is unavoidable. Alternatively, many individuals that are homeless have some type of mental illness or substance abuse problem thus creating a barrier to maintaining housing. Many of these individuals are incapable to preserve stable employment and have limited support to get off the streets. However, there are several programs that the federal government fund to assist with combating the problem of homelessness in America.

Homelessness is a critical issue that requires everyone’s attention. Hundreds of thousands of homeless people live on the streets as their shelter. Historically, homelessness has always been a problem in society. Homeless people were known as “the wondering poor”, “sturdy beggars”, and as “vagrants,” but it was not until the late 18th century that homelessness because noticeable to society. Homeless person is anyone who lacks adequate shelter, resources, and community ties. People who are homeless can be categorized as chronic deinstitutionalized or temporary

An issue that that I find most important to me, that covers the local, national and global level is homelessness. On the local level there are currently hundreds of homeless people living in South Bend Indiana. Beyond that there are thousands more homeless in other cities in Indiana. When you take into consideration the nation, there are close to a million or so homeless people living in the United States of America. On the global level, there are millions more homeless. To tell you the truth, it is near impossible to know that true numbers because not everyone seeks shelter or help.

As many as 3.5 million Americans are considered homeless each year. Often, people believe that homelessness is a complication only caused by the poor choices of a single person when they are typically the result of multiple uncontrollable factors. For some, the line between being homeless and not can be very thin, with several obstacles preventing stability. These individuals and families commonly come from more deprived areas. Those who are homeless can be very different to each other in how and why they came to be in their situation, but they all have in common their desire to find a way back to a normal and healthy lifestyle. Homelessness is an issue created by poor physical and mental health, a lack of money, and relationship complications.

What do people think of homelessness? People think that they are people who can’t get a job and are too lazy to work.Seeing people on the streets, some yelling at others, some sleeping on the ground with no roof over their head,digging in the recycle to get as many bottles they can for money.Imagine living on the streets with not much food to spare or and love to spread,just concrete maybe a cardboard and a small blanket is all homeless will have. We can do so much more to help them. We can give them food drives, make apartments for them, get the education they need and so much more! It would be like having a baby born and teaching its way to a good life. Homelessness is a big global problem and we can solve it just by donating,caring, volunteering,and helping the whole world become a better place and having fantastic lives. This paper will discuss about homelessness, it will be discovered in it’s history,effects, and solutions.

The risk of individual who may currently have a home, but are at the brink of homelessness is high. It is often easier to ignore people who are homeless or even ignore that homelessness exists in our society because it is easier for society to blame the individual rather than society itself. It is important to advocate for those who are not able speak up for themselves. The article by the National Homeless Coalition (2009) states that there is a decline in public assistance for individuals who are homeless; therefore it is integral that we as a society seek assistance for these individuals and help promote awareness of the rise in homelessness.

According to suitcaseclinic.org, 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 has been declared unsafe or even unstable. According to Habitat.org, this issue affects between 1.6 million to close to 3 million people within the United States ("World Habitat”). The issue is growing throughout the world, yet what is the root cause? Numerous people wonder how they can help. Most tend to believe that the solution is as simple as just giving them money to use for daily living. Even though their root cause for their issue isn’t money. It is the fact that they don’t grasp how to use their money properly/ responsibly. The homeless can’t be helped with just cash, they need the proper support systems along with education to become successful.

Homelessness has always been a problem in major cities across the United States and even the world. This problem also affects out local community and even all of us individually. (Daily) A majority of the American people lives paycheck to paycheck, and according to statistics, we are only one or two paychecks away from becoming homeless. While there are many reasons a person or family can become homeless, a majority of those problems come from a lack of income. The job market of today is quickly dwindling and shows no signs of improvement. This market mixed with new government policies is becoming an issue for struggling American’s on the poverty line. Homelessness is becoming a vast problem

Patient is a 47- year old female with history of hepatitis C and alcohol related cirrhosis, cellulitis of left leg, non-pressure chronic ulcer, pain in right knee, thrombocytopenia, Leukocytosis, history of MRSA infection, and opioid dependence. Due to several lower limb problems, patient is not able to walk/stand for longer periods of time. She is currently on 8 medications. Social services were contacted to help the patient deal with homelessness. Patient is signed up with several different community programs that help with homelessness, however, it is not helping. Patient continues to miss appointments.