Who are the homeless? The Armed Forces represent a large portion of the homeless population in America (roughly 20-25%). Most people don’t consider the factors that contribute to homelessness such as mental illness or armed forces veterans suffering from their own trauma etc. Far too many veterans are homeless in the united state a number that staggers around 130,000 to 200,000 on any given day representing between one fourth and one fifth of all homeless (National Coalition for the Homeless, 2007). Why negative stereotypes have been created for the homeless?
The majority of the people who are homeless admit to not working, but about 20% of homeless people have at least a part time job. More than one third of homeless people are substance abusers, and one fourth are mentally ill. In Harlingen homelessness is a problem because of the lack of jobs available. The cost of living on a
Vulnerable Populations Anamarie Donegan BSHS/302 March 21, 2011 Monique Foster Vulnerable Populations There are many different populations in society today. Many of these populations face more challenges than others. One such population is the homeless population. “There are 671,859 people experiencing homelessness on any given night in the United States” (National Alliance to End Homelessness). In this paper, the topic of discussion will be the vulnerable state of homeless people and how critical thinking is used to identify the causes of problems or issues for this population.
RUNNING HEAD: The Concept of Programming Reengineering Mayor Schell’s Zero Homeless Family Pledge PAD500 May 15, 2012 Introduction The problem with homelessness in America has grown significantly. It’s a dilemma that can strike anyone when you least expect it. They are about 40% of people who are homeless. Rural areas the largest groups of homeless people are families, single mothers, and children. In a 1998 survey of 30 cities, it was found that the homeless population was 53% African-American, 35% Caucasian, 12% Hispanic, 4% Native-American, and 3% Asian (Study, 1998).
For example, 14,000 kids have been positively affected by the Michigan Earned Income tax credit, but because it has been cut by 14%, low-income youth are unable to receive the benefits (kidscount). Youth in families that are receiving unemployment are affected because unemployment was cut from 26 weeks to 20 weeks and cash assistance has become more difficult to receive (kidscount). Poverty affects the youth in many ways, such as their family life and education. Many children are neglected in cases of low-income families. 32,500 children have been neglected in 2010, and in Ingham County 42 percent of children have been abused or neglected (milhs.org).
There are many social problems that are associated with homelessness in Pinellas County. Financial problems such as: job loss, not making enough money and not being to afford rent/mortgage is related to the homelessness in Pinellas County (PIT, 2011). Criminal behavior is another social problem related to homelessness. According to Chamard (2010) persons who are homeless involves themselves in criminal activity for survival such as stealing, panhandling and peddling. The criminal activity stems from the homeless person basic needs not being met such as: shelter, food and clothes (Charmard, 2010).
Homelessness in America By Michelle A. Levels Instructor Cecil Clifton Course SOCI 111 September 11, 2012 Homelessness in America Approximately 1.5 million children in America are homeless. My opinion is there is little excuse for this because we as Americans have many opportunities to succeed in life. I have been in this situation myself and I fought my way back with the help of many city and government programs. One of the programs in Evansville In is Aurora.
For instance, many have close ties to their communities and having resided there for many years. Since the elderly are most like to live home alone and less likely to own a car and be able to drive, they have found it most difficult to evacuate. According to 2000 Census data, among households owned by people age 65 or older who were likely displaced by the storm, 70% are estimated to have owned their own home. Among aged homeowners displaced by the storm, over 70% had lived in their homes for over 20 years, and 47% over 30 years, in the year 2000. An estimated 88,000 people aged 65 and older were likely displaced by Hurricane Katrina, or 12.4% of the population affected by storm damage.
The causes of homelessness in America can be classified in to two broad categories, which are: (1) individual shortcomings and (2) societal issues. Individual shortcomings include mental illnesses, family breakdown, addiction to drugs and/or alcohol, lack of education, and amoral behavior. On the other hand, societal issues relate to interrelated social, political and economic factors which include joblessness, distribution of income and wealth and the profit structure of the housing market. People in America are vulnerable to getting homeless irrespective of their educational and ethnic backgrounds. Many studies have found that the homeless population has reached to the figure of 4 million in America that has altered the image of the homeless people as being beggars, hobos and winos.
There are an estimated 1.6 to 2.8 million homeless youth between the ages of 12 and 24 in the United States. Most youth homelessness is caused by abuse, neglect, and family conflict, deficient school systems that perpetuate illiteracy, joblessness, and addiction, lack of government housing and lack of affordable housing. These are not the only reasons why people are homeless, but they are the most obvious ones. Homelessness is viewed as a sociological problem, meaning that it is an issue that the society has to deal with by developing some kind of social institution and set of social practices like allocation of resources, and the allocation of status. It is understood that life is rough and sometimes things do not work out, but this country