ARGUMENTATION-PERSUAISON ESSAY “HOMELESS IN AMERICA” CHRIS RIECH SOUTH UNIVERSITY ONLINE “HOMELESS IN AMERICA” The reason people are homeless in America today is due to the lack of support from out government. Economic problems such as being laid off work or the rise in the cost of housing have lead people to live on the streets. They have no family to help them and they are left with no other choice. People with mental illnesses and addictions also become homeless quite often. A lack of affordable housing has contributed to homelessness.
Homeless people are poor people. They are similar to us, but they no longer have work, no a place to call a home and no future for themselves and for their children. Defining the homelessness is somewhat difficult. The article “Who is Homeless in America?” defines: “Homelessness is attributable to a dwindling supply of affordable housing, an increasing number of people living below the poverty line”. (qtd.
Vulnerable Population University of Phoenix Health Assessment and Promotion for Vulnerable Population NUR 440 Abstract According to Fitzpatrick-Lewis, Ganann, and Krishnaratne (2011) “Being homeless negatively impacts health as people who are homeless or marginally housed have less access to healthcare and poorer health outcomes than those living in stable condition” (p. 2). In America, people are becoming homeless for a variety of reasons. Some homeless people have addiction problems, some are illiterate, mentally ill, and they are veterans as well. On the other hand, others have experienced a string of bad luck and joblessness. At the end of the day, having no roof over their head is a hard reality that homeless people faced.
They face foreclosures and job losses due to the deepening recession. The impact of homelessness begins well before a child is born. The overwhelming majority of homeless parents are single women, many of whom were homeless themselves as children. Homeless women face many obstacles to healthy pregnancies, such as chemical abuse, chronic and acute health problems, and lack of prenatal care. Children born into homelessness are more likely to have low birth weights and are at greater risk of death.
As a result, some live in unsafe and unsanitary conditions that are badly in need of repair. There is a huge population in San Francisco that live below the poverty line. Homelessness describes a situation in which people lack a fixed dwelling place. A homeless individual is a person without a fixed and regular nighttime residence. Shelter is one of the most basic needs, yet many people lack this necessity.
Clearly homelessness is a problem in America. The statistics show more and more people are sleeping in shelters or on the streets. Is homelessness a problem or the effect of another problem? Some might argue that there will always be homeless people because it is the result of the human condition and biases we have in our society. On the other hand, some would disagree and argue that the cause of homelessness is because the economy is bad.
Another big cause of homelessness is people not having health care. They could have a job, but not given the benefit of free health care, so therefore if a poor family or individual were to be seriously ill they would not have enough money to pay for their health as well as to have a home. A high percentage of homeless people also are known to have a mental illness which could make it difficult to even impossible for them to get a job. As many as 3.5 million people in the United States has been reported of experiencing homelessness in a given year, even though most were temporarily. Some statistics of reported homeless Americans show 40% are families with children—the fastest growing segment, 41% are single males, 14% are single females, 5% are minors unaccompanied by adults, 49%
According to a study by the U.S. Department of housing and Urban Development (HUD), there were 671,888 homeless people in the United States as of January 2007, including sheltered and unsheltered population. HUD defines homelessness as lacking a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. The number of homeless fluctuates with the health of the economy (2011). Homelessness raises the susceptibility to disaster events. Some of the barriers that may prevent these groups from obtaining needed services are: The lack of health insurance, a home, financial problem, mental illness and physical inability to do for themselves.
It is argued that people may not have the capacity to cope both mentally and financially without a job or a source of income. According to research conducted by Crisis, in 2008 10.4 million people were living in poverty in the UK. Poverty stops people in a homeless situation from moving on with their lives. Without overcoming financial barriers people are unable to secure even basic permanent accommodation and may find themselves trapped in their homelessness
Foreclosures have hit an all time high, and unfortunately some people were allowed to finance beyond their means and now have become homeless too. According to The National Coalition for the Homeless, “Housing assistance can make the difference between stable housing, precarious housing, or no housing at all. However, the demand for assisted housing clearly exceeds the supply: only about one-third of poor renter households receive a housing subsidy from the federal, state, or a local government. The limited level of housing assistance Campbell - 2 means that most poor families and individuals seeking housing assistance are placed on long waiting lists.” Not being able to afford housing does not mean that they are completely without a source of income. Many people that become homeless have jobs;