...One contributor is the early age of onset that accompanies several mental illnesses (Bauer, Baggett, Stern, O'Connell, & Shtasel, 2013). This early onset interrupts education and vocational achievement in many individuals, thus limiting job skills, leading to unemployment and poverty (Bauer, Baggett, Stern, O'Connell, & Shtasel, 2013). Severe depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia all are common mental illnesses that, when left untreated, can also contribute to homelessness (Maness & Khan, 2014). These disorders, along with other SMI’s, tend to have disruptive effects on one’s life. Simple daily tasks such as personal hygiene and self-care frequently go undone by those who suffer from SMI. Due to the inability or lack of control...
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...Researchers have shown that a history of childhood adversity has been shown to increase the likelihood of one experiencing homelessness in adulthood. Through different studies, several key life events were commonly found in the history of homeless young adults. A history of sexual and or physical abuse, neglect, poor relationships with caregivers or parents and out of home placement were all reoccurring themes among the homeless population. With over 3.5 million Americans in any given year experience homelessness, it’s imperative to analyze and understand the causes of homelessness to ensure the services provided to them are effective. Additionally, having an understanding on the cause of homelessness can assist researchers...
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...Homelessness in America seems to happen with alarming frequency. Homelessness affects millions of Americans each year, with approximately one third of the population suffering from severe mental disorders. It is a devastating experience for families. Every year, the United States conduct an enumeration of homeless people around the nation. These reports of homeless people conducted by the National Alliance to End Homelessness are based on the definition set by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in what is commonly known as a “point-in -time” count. Point-in-time counts are the only measure that captures unsheltered persons experiencing homelessness. Last year's point-in-time count is the most recent national estimate of homelessness in the United States. As of January 2013, the national count of unsheltered people experiencing homelessness decreases by 11.6% between 2012 and 2013. There is a common misconception that homelessness is an issue that only pertains to single men and women, but in reality over 600,000 families a year will experience homelessness. The problems of family homelessness are not solely restricted to urban areas; rural area and suburban communities are increasingly plagued by the problem. The three main reasons for the abundance of dispossessed families within America are the following: 1) the lack of affordable housing, 2) poverty, and 3) mental illness. In today's society, these causes are the main contributors towards...
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...There are two sides to every story, as if that explains and justifies everything you know what I say when someone tell me that? I say well of course there are two sides to every story. The two stories there are sides to are the cause of been homelessness in America is not something that was created overnight, it’s been around for a long time; often we choose not to see the homeless, or bother them, so we think it’s alright to look the other way. We frequently falsely accuse homeless people to be existing/former drug abusers or once patients released from mental institutions. Homelessness is not a disease that you can catch if you come in contact with a homeless person, but it certainly has afflicted many of us. Isn’t this the country called the “Land of Opportunity”, while there’s millions of Americans deprived of such success-but why? There has been 4 major trends that are largely responsible for the rise of homelessness over the past 25 years: a growing shortage of affordable rental housing, a rise in the increase of poverty, and an increase in mental illness and chemical dependency. The shortage of low rent housing in the US reached a record high in 1995 when the number of low income renter households exceeded the number of low cost rental units by 4.4 million (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities). The shortage of affordable housing grew extraordinary even in the 1990s despite the strong economic growth. Between 1991-95, when the recession of the early 1990s reached bottom...
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...According to Youth homelessness: A call for partnerships between Research and policy; homeless youths are defined as a group of adolescents/young adults, between the ages of 12 to 24, who live in shelters, on streets, couches or in abandoned buildings. According to Evas.com, an non-profit dedicated to the prevention of homelessness reported that there is an estimated 35,000-40,000 homeless youth in Canada, additionally - many youths that are homeless have not completed their highschool education. “Literacy rates in Canada are among the highest in the world, … however, for many homeless youth, staying in school is a difficult challenge. Studies find that 63% to 90% of homeless youth did not complete highschool, despite being the age to do so.”...
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...Homelessness in California Introduction Homelessness is a condition or a state where an individual or a family does not have a home to live in. Along with that, the person is deprived of the legal and the social dimensions making him emotionally weak and in the state of isolation. Since the year 1980s, there had been a great shock to the Americans due to the rising homelessness. This led to a burst in the studies and the rising stories related to the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of July 1987. In this act, there was an interference allowed of the federal government into this policy of homelessness, which had created many issues. For many years after that, this issue of homelessness remained on the top of the line in the political issues face by the Californian government. Basically the non-profit organizations focused on improving the life quality of the people in the city, especially those who did not have a place to spend their nights. It is a fact that there should be some very efficient approach to eliminate this homelessness problem, the Californian government has taken some steps and brought in a modest change in their policies to attack this homelessness problem very obviously. Their main change in the policy was to provide housing to the poor and the needy people (Hombs, Mary Ellen, and Mitch Snyder, 1982). Despite this action which the government took, there had been a consensus in the year 1980 which reflected the fact that the homelessness in US...
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...Homelessness is not a new problem facing our nation; it dates back to the beginning of time. Homelessness is defined by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as “an individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.” This definition is how the number of homeless individuals in the U.S. is calculated. There are many reasons why a person becomes homeless; some people are homeless by choice, others are forced there by circumstances. According to a 2006 report issued by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the main causes of Homelessness are: lack of affordable housing, poverty, low paying jobs, unemployment, mental illness, substance abuse, domestic violence and prisoner re-entry. This report will take a closer look at each cause to determine why it is such an issue. Is homelessness and problem people must accept as inevitable or is there a solution to reduce the number of homeless in our community? Over the past 25 years, several trends have contributed to the rise in homelessness. The first trend is a shortage in affordable rental housing. This includes all forms of rental property whether it is a house or apartment. Rental rates rose with the rate of home values but when the housing market crashed at the end of 2007, the rental rates did not drop. The increased popularity of luxury, resort-style apartments have also aided in a high rent market. The foreclosures that the United States has been experiencing have left many people with...
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...nese, platinum, phosphate rock, silver, uranium and vanadium (South Africa, 2008). It is obvious that South Africa can sustain their economy through these resources. Through the centuries South Africa has faced difficult time since the Dutch came in 1600’s, in 1700 they started importing slaves establishing the dominance of white over non- whites in the region. The non-whites faced discrimination for years under apartheid and political corruption ran by the whites. Today things look better for the people of South Africa, but they still have many obstacles to overcome. Although South Africa has overcome many travesties throughout the years, their reasonably new democracy faces more with complex political parties, recent struggles with homelessness, and what is being done about this situation. Firstly, apartheid is an “Afrikaans word literally meaning apartness,” refers to the policy of racial segregation and its concomitant economic and political discrimination that was adopted by the South African government for a half century. Coined in the late 1930s by the South African Bureau for Racial Affairs (SABRA), apartheid reflected the social, yet non-legal, practices of South Africans. In the 1940s, the Afrikaner National Party used it as their political slogan. When they won the election in 1948, apartheid was written into law” (Apartheid, 2001). It was a bitter century for the...
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...Policy by Karen Spuriel Coleman- MBA Abstract Homelessness among youth in the U.S. is disturbingly common, with an estimated annual prevalence of at least 5 percent for those ages 12 to 17. Although homeless youth appear throughout the nation, they are most visible in major cities. Rigorous research on this special population is sparse, making it difficult to capture an accurate and complete picture. Despite its limitations, recent research describes homeless youth as a large and diverse group. Many homeless youth have multiple overlapping problems including medical, substance abuse, and emotional and mental problems. Literature suggests that comprehensive and tailored services are needed that address both the immediate and long-term needs of homeless youth. Where appropriate, services should include assistance with meeting basic needs as perceived by youth as a gateway to other needed services. In addition to serving those already homeless, interventions are needed to prevent homelessness among at-risk youth. Lessons for Practitioners, Policy Makers, and Researchers • As used here, the term “homeless youth” focuses on minors who have experienced literal homelessness on their own—i.e., who have spent at least one night either in a shelter or "on the streets" without adult supervision. On occasion, where warranted by the research being discussed, the term is also used to describe homeless young adults up to age 24. • Homelessness among youth in the U.S. is disturbingly common...
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...English 111 05 March 4, 2014 Homelessness In the U.S. there seems to be a lot of homeless people. Approximately 3.5 million people are likely to experience homelessness in any given year(www.nlchp.org). There are many reasons why people become homeless which are, domestic violence, addiction disorders, lack of jobs, mental and medical health issues, lack of education, and insurance. Some of these problems spiral out of control resulting in the inability to provide for oneself or ones family. In most cases homelessness is rarely caused by one factor but it can happen. Fifty percent of the cities surveyed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors identified domestic violence as a primary cause of homelessness. Approximately sixty three percent of homeless women have experienced domestic violence in their lives (National Coalition for the Homeless). Women generally are scared to ask for help for the fear of the one causing their violence may take it out on the one that helps her so therefore women tend to fend for themselves. Some women think it will ruin their pride to ask for help so they stay until the violence gets so bad they can’t take it anymore. So they choose to be homeless verses asking friends and family for help. Addiction and substance abuse isn’t generally a cause of its own in homelessness but it does happen that way. Most people that have an addiction or substance abuse problem are already homeless but for some people it is a reason...
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...Homelessness: America’s Invisible Numbers As each decade passes there comes to light a new or growing national problem that faces our country. Our nation’s history is blanketed with social problems the American people have encountered, such as civil rights, recessions, political struggles, warfare, and increasing unemployment. Each of these issues has received media attention for the problems, complications, and obstacles they provide for the population. Each of these issues in their own right is important and needs to be addressed because it affects every person in the country. However, there is another problem that poses a challenge to the American people that does not receive the attention it so desperately needs. The issue is American homelessness, a segment of the population that continues to grow with each passing year. Homelessness is caused by a number of factors that differ for each person. The most significant causes of homelessness are the lack of affordable housing coupled with a national increase in poverty, mental illness and addiction disorders. According to the McKinney-Vento Act of 1987, a homeless person is defined as any person who lacks housing. This includes individuals whose primary residence during the night is a supervised public or private facility that provides temporary accommodations or an individual who is a resident in transitional housing. This means an individual who lacks fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, and an individual...
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...Why is homelessness an issue in a country as wealthy as the United States? When we as a country send billions overseas to other countries. We have over one million homeless people in our own country. Being a person that recently has had a debilitating physical issues that has left me without income for two years I have faced this issue. Homelessness effects everyone. According to the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness US government spent a little over 4 billion dollars in 2012 on programs for medical treatment, housing grants, emergency housing, and even hotel vouchers for mothers that where victims of domestic violence. Here is a breakdown where some of that money went “HUD received 108 million dollars in 2012 for rental assistance, long-term housing, and rehabilitation programs that lead to permanent housing. The emergency solutions grant program was given 1.901 billion dollars for rapid rehousing and homelessness prevention programs”. So I found proof that our government is spending sufficient amounts of money on this problem. Still more intervention, prevention, and treatment need to be directed in the right areas to irradiate this problem. According to our fact sheet the Current statistics on the prevalence and characteristics of people expiring homelessness in the United States over fifty percent of the people who have experienced homelessness have a substance abuse problem or mental health disorder (2011). So are we properly screening the homeless at the...
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...Homelessness in America is a huge issue in our nation today, with an array of causes and effects. There are many reasons why people become homeless.They are unable to afford their rent so they have no place to go but the streets. A complete solution to homelessness has yet to be found. But, activists have came up with many alternatives for example like affordable housing and homeless shelters. Alarmingly twenty-two percent of people in shelters were children. There are a lot more statistics like this that just wanna make you cringe. But, they are receiving shelter and food so that is a great alternative than sleeping on the streets. Although this isn't a complete solution to the issue of homelessness we are getting closer to a final solution. Homelessness has gradually become a...
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...When i’m riding in a car or walking down the street and spot a homeless man or woman, I begin to have mixed thoughts. Part of me wants to know how they ended up there.The other part of me wants to help. It pains me because sometimes I feel that I am too young to help. In school, teachers are hard on students, tellings us to stay in school or else we will end up on the street. But dropping out of school isn't the only reason people become homeless. Family and relationship problems, drug or alcohol abuse and even eviction can cause homelessness. Homelessness can result to mental illness, hunger and loneliness. Homelessness is a serious problem all communities all over the world need to address. Homelessness affects a person’s health...
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...DEVELOPMENT IN HUMAN SERVICES April 19, 2015 Introduction: Homelessness has become a national issue. “At a point in time in January 2012, 633,782 people were experiencing homelessness. The national rate of homelessness was 20 homeless people per 10,000 people in the general population. The rate for Veterans was 29 homeless Veterans per 10,000 Veterans in the general population” (N.A.E.H, 2013). Due to the lack of affordable housing has resulted in vast and growing homelessness among individuals and families. Homelessness is not only a type of poverty but also a severe state of residential instability. Homelessness is increased by behavioral problems, alteration of mental health rule, differences in health and health care, racial disparities, substance abuse, domestic violence, variation in affordable housing, and lack of social support. Thesis Statement: The deficiency of affordable housing has resulted in widespread homelessness and has become a national problem The" Mission for the National Homeless" has decided to combat homelessness by providing food, shelter and other benefits and services to the homeless people. We will focus on providing housing, food distribution to fight hunger, educational, vocational and other services. We intend to fund our programs through private donations as well as federal and state funding. Problem: “Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) defines homelessness as those individuals whose main nighttime residence is in private...
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