Analysis: Homelessness HUS4561 Social Problems and Policy Simona Jones-Bain November 17, 2012 St. Petersburg College Analysis: Homelessness Social Problem: Homelessness in Pinellas County Statistics. Homelessness has been a social problem worldwide for decades; however, the homelessness in Pinellas County has been an ever growing concern for city leaders. In 2011 the homeless population in Pinellas County was nearing about 8,000 (Point in time [PIT], 2011). This number includes homeless persons who were sheltered, unsheltered, from school data, and law enforcement (PIT, 2011). In 2009, the homeless population was 6,300(Pinellas County Health and Human Services [PCHHS, 2012).
For instance, many homeless individuals struggle with substance abuse. A person could infer that a homeless individual turns to substance abuse because he or she wants to numb the feelings of pain and failure he or she has because he or she cannot provide adequate housing or perhaps because they are feeling isolated from their friends and family. To make this inference one would have to assume that being homeless makes an individual believe they are inadequate and causes distance between the homeless individual and his or her family and friends. This may be true for some people, but not all homeless people believe that being homeless is a bad thing. Many of these homeless individuals may have had a pre existing substance abuse problem and became homeless because family members were no longer willing to enable self-destructive behavior.
But is it really so? Even after you give them “a shelter from the elements, or three square meals a day, or a mailing address” too, it doesn’t make them have a home. They still stay homeless, because the definition of the word is taken wrong by people like us. Anna Quindlen goes into the depth of definition of the phrase “being homeless”. A “home is where your heart is”, and giving one a place to live doesn’t give him a place which is only his and his everything.
This ethnography conducted by Bourgois and Schonberg really highlighted the problems of racism among the Edgewater community. I was honestly shocked to learn how prevalent racism was among the homeless community. I had previously thought that because these people were in such poor conditions, trying to do anything to survive, they would look past such divisions such as racism in order to help themselves survive and get back on their feet. This wasn’t the only thing that surprised me however. It was the fact that the homeless addicts weren’t just sitting around getting high and injecting heroin, but were actually trying to go out and get jobs and homes once again.
How to Fix the Epidemic of the Homeless There is an epidemic of social and moral values in the United States. One that goes unnoticed mostly until it affects someone close to us or directly impacts us when we least expect it. There are many causes to this epidemic, there is no one root cause, which makes this difficult to address and fight. What I am referring to is the plight of those that are homeless. To be homeless is difficult to measure because so many different people have different opinions on what it means to be homeless.
A substantial percentage of the U.S. homeless population are individuals who are chronically unemployed or have difficulty managing their lives effectively due to prolonged and severe drug and/or alcohol abuse. Substance abuse can cause homelessness from behavioral patterns associated with addiction that alienate an addicted individual's family and friends who could otherwise provide support during difficult economic times.Major reasons and causes for homelessness as documented by many reports and studies include: Poverty, caused by many factors including unemployment/underemployment. Lack of accessible health care. People who have some kind of chronic and weakening disease but cannot get health care either because they don't have money to afford it or because they are simply too weak to go and work every day.The basic problem of homelessness is the need for personal shelter, warmth and safety. Other difficulties include: personal security, quiet, and privacy, especially for
I feel that it is important that we, the people, should address the current issue about homelessness in America. How can we deal with the hundreds of thousands of homeless people who block sidewalks and disturb us by begging for money. Here’s a scenario you’re walking down the street when you see a homeless person on the sidewalk, holding a cup, so that people passing him can give him some change. You know that you have change in your packet from earlier, the big question is would you give it to them or what. This scenario has you thinking really hard should I give up my money or should I say no I don’t have it.
The Causes Related to Homelessness; Draft The Causes Related to Homelessness Capella University Scope of human Services HS- 5318 Professor M. Martin By Sandra Wright 2 Abstract The geographical divide that separates the rich from the poor is that some people are privileged and some are not. Homelessness is not a privilege but it is an experience that many people stumble upon. furthermore many people have , since the beginning of time gone through one step after the other through some type of trajectory in their lives experiencing , evictions, financial difficulties , job loss, and mental illnesses before and after becoming homeless . in this report homelessness will be used through different levels of some people’s trajectory in their lives through events that may be the causes related to homelessness. Through recent research and examination of different areas in our nation researchers explored the domains of material , physical and mental health and safety wellbeing of homeless people life chances that has increased for many individuals young and old through different pathways .
You can see many homeless people everywhere in America. The most recently available national data on homelessness states: “There are 633,782 people were experiencing homelessness in January 2012” (The State of Homelessness in America 2013). It means about 20 homeless people per 10,000 people in general population. A majority of persons identified as homeless were staying in emergency shelters or transitional housing, but 38% were unsheltered. According surveys, I think high unemployment rate and low employment rate, mental illness and domestic violence can cause people becoming homeless in America.
Los Angeles has the highest number of homeless people in the United States, estimated at 73,000 in 2008. Somewhere between five and 10 percent of them are living in vehicles. Homelessness has become a big problem in the society that we live in. To reduce this problem we can give the homeless people another chance to get back on there feet. It may be there fault that there homeless but in this world we help the people that are unfortunate.