Why negative stereotypes have been created for the homeless? Many people in society are afraid to acknowledge the homeless. The homeless represent and bring out fear in many people’s everyday lives and it becomes very convenient to place the homeless in a stereotype to understand and make sense of their place in society. Stereotyping the homeless only brings the issues of how to treat and improve the homeless condition, understanding the often complex problem related to homelessness, further away from the Masses. A stigma is created clouding the issue.
Nijah Dix English 1301 September 5, 2013 Should There Be More Assistance for Homeless People? The word homeless is used to describe many different kinds of people with a variety of problems; the “homeless” includes veterans, the mentally ill, the physically disabled or chronically ill, the elderly on fixed incomes, men, women, and families that have lost their source of income, single parents, runaway children who’ve been abused, alcoholics and drug addicts, immigrants, and traditional tramps, hobos, and transients. Although these people all have different backgrounds, histories, and reasons for not having a home, they are categorized and stereotyped by society and all looked down upon for being homeless. Some people in society feel that the homeless should get up and make a change in their own lives and that there is no excuse for them not having a job or a place to live. Others in the world sympathize with the homeless and feel that more should be done to help those who fall on hard times get back on their feet and reclaim a place in the world where they can provide for themselves.
Homelessness in the United State has been a radical issue that has been affecting our society in general. It has been a complicating situation that has been dramatically rising among us. Stuart D. Bykofsky, in “No Heart for the Homeless,” Anna Quindlen, in “Rooms of Their Own,” and Steven VanderStaay, in “Solutions Homeless People Seek,” has distinguished solutions that the government can accomplish to assist the homeless. The three essays have similar views on solutions that can be accomplished to solve the homelessness issue. In the essays, Bykofsky and Quindlen discusses the problems that individuals seek when the homeless surrounds the streets and deprive them from having a clean environment.
Creative Project Letter to the Editor They are everywhere. We see them but we avert our eyes and pretend not to. Homelessness is a problem that needs to be addressed because the homeless are a segment of society that is overlooked. The homeless are ignored or brushed aside too often instead of being helped. There are many causes to the rise in homelessness, and the way they are overlooked, or brushed aside.
How are the poor and the homeless represented in the media? Most of the time we see homeless and poor people as drunks, drug users, and hookers living in cardboard boxes and asking for spare change. But the media gives us a different view of homeless and the poor. Although the media is somewhat the cause of this view because they show us this kind of a life too. According to ( Diana Kendall) (108), “Being poor or rich is a master status that influences many other areas such as, health, education, and life opportunities".
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.
Research, shelters, law enforcement, health care, programs, jails and countless labor hours are focused on the problem. The HUD director in an interview stated that cost less money to actually house a person than to continue to support them while they are homeless. (Donovan, 2012) What are the causes of homelessness? The causes of homelessness are lack of affordable housing, unemployment, poverty, mental illness, substance abuse, domestic violence, and teen displacement to name a few. One of the leading causes across the board is lack of affordable housing.
3) National reports estimate that veterans compose between 24% to 40% of the homeless population. Many of these veterans are homeless due to the general causes of homeless, but it is believed that an additional reason is due to the long-term effects of untreated Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. (National Coalition for Homeless, 2008b). Although the majority of homeless individuals are men, women and children are becoming homeless at a disturbing increasing rate. Some of the general causes of homelessness such as affordable housing and poor access to support networks are especially challenging for women and children experiencing domestic violence, who are estimated to comprise of between 46% to 92% of homeless
Student’s Name Instructor Joslin Communications 1101 Date of the Essay Neglect of the Unfortunate The United States of America is one of the wealthiest nations in the world, yet we as citizens are plagued with senseless social issues such as homelessness and insufficient facilities for the mentally challenged. In the article “Facts and Figures: The Homeless,” the author states that “one approximation of the annual number of homeless in America estimates between 2.3 and 3.5 million people experience homelessness with some 58 percent of them living in shelters and 42 percent unsheltered.” The government, aware of the situation, does not take sufficient action to resolve these
As a group, the homeless need programs to improve these skills. They also require education about accommodation programs, welfare groups and social programs that are available to them. * One reason that homeless people may not access services is that they simply do not know they are available. Age * Homelessness affects a significant number of youth. Generally, as a result of substance abuse and/or a breakdown in family relationships.