...教 育 创 新 管 理 An Interpretation of the American Dream in Homeless to Harvard 湖北工程学院新技术学院 魏 远 Abstract：As the leading figure of western countries, America has her special values. As an ideal of pursuing happiness and perfection, the American Dream becomes the motivation of them in their lives. Homeless to Harvard is a inspirational film which is based on Liz Murray’s autobiography Breaking Night. This movie tells a story about an ordinary girl suffers a hard circumstance when she grows up, but she never gives in. According to this movie, this thesis gives a brief introduction of the American Dream and explores it throughout the heroine’s touching experience, thus publicizing equality, freedom and struggle of American values and attacking abandoned attitude of life. Key words: American Dream; inspiration; Homeless to Harvard to studying. The death of her mother hits her heart deeply. As Liz slowly growing, she begins to understand that only reading and learning can change her life in the encounter with misfortune. At the beginning, she pursues getting a high school diploma. A major turning point for Liz is visiting Harvard University on a school field trip. She cannot imagine such a wonderful life before. While Liz walks towards her class, the school official tells her that her application is accepted and she is in the running for a full college education at Harvard University. During the interview, Liz tells judges frankly that she persists on getting rid of that dark world. Her...
Words: 560 - Pages: 3
...point-in-time (PIT) data to the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regarding the demographics of the homeless population throughout the country. People become homeless for a number of reasons. Primarily homelessness is due to a lack of funds. Homelessness can also be attributed to severe mental illness and chronic substance abuse. In the United States, 20-25% of the population is affected by some form of severe mental illness. People affected with mental illness are more likely to become homeless than the general population. Mental Illness can disrupt a person’s ability to carry out essential daily tasks of living, such as self care and household management. Mental illness can inhibit...
Words: 379 - Pages: 2
...tattered clothes, unshaven beard, an unseen smell that comes from them. Homeless people have existed throughout history of the United States. However, more recently, it would seem that the numbers have risen since the economy is not doing so well. Within this paper, the model population homeless person will be discussed along with statistical information in Georgia, service outcome goals, pinball program to teach the goals that include to community organizations, internalized cost estimate of healthcare dollars saved by this program, and to potential funding sources that may potentially provide monetary sponsorship. According to the declaration of human rights, article 25 (1), states that “everyone has the right to… food, clothing, housing, and medical care and necessary social services” (Donohoe, 2004). Although, it states right there that it is every person’s right to have access to these necessities, this is not always the case for many who for whatever reason, do not have the means to afford them. The current downturn of the economy next with current unemployment situation has led to force many people into homeless situations. But time homelessness “refers to the condition of individuals without a regular dwelling and the term is used to describe people who do not have the home and who sleep on the street, but is also commonly used to refer to individuals whose primary nighttime residence is a homeless shelter, a warning center, or another ad hov type of housing”...
Words: 2535 - Pages: 11
...Human Services Professional Worksheet BSHS 355 September 16, 2014 University of Phoenix Material Human Services Professional Worksheet Select three agency types from the following list: |A drug and alcohol treatment program |A hospital rehabilitation center (A physical rehabilitation center) | |A homeless shelter |A crisis intervention center | |A day treatment drop-in center for teenagers | | Complete the table for the chosen agencies by providing a 60- to 85-word response in each column. An example has been completed as a guide. |The agency |Description of the agency |Who they serve |The professionals involved with the |The professional’s role | | | | |agency | | |A domestic violence program|A domestic violence program provides |As mentioned, this program may |In many residential programs, |The role of the professional working in a| | |protection and...
Words: 1324 - Pages: 6
...million people homeless, according to the estimates of the National Law center on Homelessness and Poverty. Homelessness can affect anybody at any time through many situations. There are many reasons people are homeless some stem from natural disaster, to loss of job, to unable to keep bills up, to loss of home, to addiction, and to mental illness and physically and sexually assault. Many fall under federal poverty level and find it hard to bounce back. Many people look down to the homelessness people by thinking they are beneath them and have done wrong to be in the place they are in their lives now. Many people don’t look at the whole picture of what has happened to the person or family has gone through and has endeavored. Most people, whom are homeless, hate to ask for help because they feel that they have ashamed about their situation or they have failed their family. “Since the 1940’s, the issue of homelessness has remained a growing concern with the United States.” I have chosen this topic because a year and a half ago I was homeless. With no place to go and now shelters in my area it was hard to know what to do. I lived in a very rural area and it was not in my area. It was very hard I lived in our car for a while and then in hotels when I had the money. I also had three animals and shelters do not allow them. I had no money to kennel them till we got on our feet. I feel that this is a topic that is very misunderstood. There are many homeless shelters in large...
Words: 909 - Pages: 4
...Homelessness in America Homelessness in America is a social problem that we are faced with on a daily basis. Despite the vast number of research done by Americans on homelessness, little is still known about the effect that it has on our society. The overall image that emerges from the effects of homeless people is negative: they’re seen as lazy, drug users, alcoholics, and worthless. This study recovers some of the homelessness perspective for an American audience through research, data, and an interview by a homeless person living in Georgia. This study will allow explanations and will challenge three widely held assumptions of the homeless people living in America: 1) Homeless people are lazy; 2) Homeless people are all drug and alcohol users and abusers; 3) Homeless people brought it on themselves. This research is to add nuance to our understanding about the social problem stated. Homelessness qualifies as a “social problem” because it doesn’t just affect the homeless but the nation as well. This paper will hopefully contribute more knowledge and understanding about the effects of homelessness in America. There has been a plethora of research done on homelessness in America since the 1980’s, but there has been changing quality and has left areas uninvestigated. According to Ravenhill (2011), In 2000 there was a survey done by researchers...
Words: 1177 - Pages: 5
...McKinney, for purposes of the 1987 McKinney Homeless Assistance Act, “a homeless person (homelessness) is one who lacks a fixed permanent nighttime residence, or whose nighttime residence is a temporary shelter, welfare hotel, or any public or private place not designed as sleeping accommodations for human beings.” (Baum, 8) A rather deceptive definition when one considers the fact that homelessness is not a natural state, but one created and maintained by political agendas.Our government is not doing all that it can to combat our nation’s homelessness.In 1987, the McKinney Homeless Assistance Act was put into law. (Burger, 68-83) However, our government has moved away from the need to address the causes of homelessness. Instead our government has focused on the individual responsibility of those who become homeless, blaming their misfortune as their own fault. (Baum, 5-9) It is this belief that has helped to increase the homelessness of our nation, and it is this belief that will continue to do so if our government does not take a closer and more realistic look at the causes behind homelessness in our nation. Unless our government commits to ending homelessness through public education, policy advocacy, and technical assistance, homelessness will become a national disaster for the United States. Right now our government is not doing all it can towards putting into place the necessary solutions to combat homelessness. Who are/where the homeless people are...
Words: 2445 - Pages: 10
...Homeless in Prince William County Introduction and background: Homelessness is one of our nation’s most misunderstood and vexing social problems. Many individuals of all races struggle with the devastating effects of homeless including families with children, single adults, teenagers and the elderly. This is an issue that can be defined as living in unsuitable, unsafe and overcrowded environment. “On a single night in January 2013, there were 610,042 people experiencing homelessness in the United States, including 394,698 people who were homeless in sheltered locations and 215,344 people who were living in unsheltered locations” (Henry & Cortes, 2013). This shows homelessness in American is a crisis, many more individuals become homeless everyday. They struggle moving from place to place, night after night, in constant state of fear and survival. People become homeless for a variety of reasons. Homelessness is primarily an economic problem, and is also affected by a number of political and social factors. Economic factors include the lack of affordable housing, “housing costs have risen steadily across the country, and they have skyrocketed in many areas. Further, the inability to afford housing is concentrated among households with incomes below the poverty level, whose members account for the vast majority of people entering homelessness” (Burt, 2001). The growing gap between wage earnings and the cost of housing leaves millions of families and individuals unable...
Words: 3289 - Pages: 14
...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...
Words: 1699 - Pages: 7
...is the results of numerous underlying factors; however, not all homeless situations will be the same. There are numerous reasons why people become homeless. The first reason is the economy, for those who are looking for a job; they are only wasting their time because jobs are so limited. Second, from time-to-time governmental agencies are forever changing their eligibility requirements to receive government assistance. As a result, many homeless families are denied. Third, As a result, of budgets cuts many governmental agencies are unable to help these homeless families, because there are not enough funds available to provide assistance to these families (Valek, 2012). Thesis Statement: Since homelessness affects a diverse array of people, there is a dire need to address homelessness and these specialized areas that surrounds it, such as psychological, social, and basic human needs. Prior to Mayor Schell developing his plan, he has considered using his own strategies. The first strategy that Mayor Schell will be using is supportive services. This particular strategy was designed for helping Mayor Schell as a means of requesting more money in order to provide more services. Mayor Schell will be seeking outside sources such as governmental grants, along with donations from the community, and fund raisers. In fact, this particular strategy can also help to change some of the conditions in homeless shelters. ...
Words: 1202 - Pages: 5
...their lives for us, however, many of these people are now homeless. In America, we have many veterans without a house or shelter, and that number is increasing everyday. Why are there so many Veterans on the street, when they have sacrificed so much for our country and livelihoods? We need to support homeless Veterans in our community, so that they can live in a home, not on the street. People have argued that veterans are homeless only because of the choices that they have made, and that is just not true. Not all veterans are homeless because of the choices that they made, and many of these veterans suffer from PTSD. Some people may argue that we should spend money on paying off America’s national debt, but in reality the national debt is too large for any of us to put a...
Words: 566 - Pages: 3
...structured relationship with members in the system. Cultural refers to the similarities of beliefs and/or background of a group of people. These are the numerous influences on an individual’s on views and behaviors in distress. There are many views social, political and cultural views on homelessness. The homeless because they do not have a home may find shelter under a bridge, in open or secluded areas or may spend the day on the street and go to homeless shelters for rest, food and to use their facilities. Homelessness occurs for a variety of reasons. I believe that some people chose to be homeless just as other people chose to be a director. I also believe that shelters should be open for people who need a place to go when they do not have money to pay and shelters should accept families with children. If the homeless person has some money I think they should help pay for themselves as much as possible and regardless help take care of the shelter facilities and supporting organizations. The government should help too by providing pay for shelter services such as a regular staff or laundry services. Children living in homeless situations may have mental, physical and social problems whether using day or...
Words: 1667 - Pages: 7
...such as the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Researchers and policy advocates have debated nearly every facet of the phenomenon, from the number of homeless to the causal factors to solutions for homelessness (Hodges, 2010). Each year, more than 3 million people experience homelessness, including 1.3 million children. According to national studies, even more Americans are at risk of homelessness. The impact of homelessness on families and children is devastating. Millions of low-income American households pay more than 50 percent of their income on rent when estimates say the figure should be no more than 30 percent (Surveys/Studies/Stats, 2012). There are several situations that may lead to homelessness but some of the more common reasons are: a missed paycheck, a health emergency, or an unpaid bill. These will create a crisis, pushing people out of their homes and in to homelessness. Despite diverse causes, almost all forms of homelessness are tied to poverty (Karger & Stoesz, 2010). Although there are policies to govern the issue of homelessness, there is room for reform and amendments in the legislation. Definition The level of significance we ascribe to homelessness very much depends on how the term is defined. In conducting the first census of the homeless in 1933, sociologist Nels Anderson identified a homeless person as “a destitute man, woman or youth, either a resident in the community or a transient, who is without domicile at the time of enumeration. Such...
Words: 2693 - Pages: 11
...Everyday America’s Veterans come home from fighting over seas, just to find out that they can’t find any jobs. American Veterans risk their life everyday and sacrifice a lot for the United States, just to be rewarded with a struggle of finding a job or in worst cases not being able to get a job at all. Homeless veterans are becoming a big problem everyday and it is the society’s responsibility to take care of them. These veterans risked their lives to give American citizens freedom and a safe home to live in, and all they get is a boot to the street. Now it’s time for those veterans to be rewarded with a clean bed and a hot meal. According to Shaw a writer at Newsmax, wrote that in America it was estimated that there is more than 50,000 homeless veterans. Also, 92 percent of those homeless vets were male and the other 8 percent were female. According to Shaw returning veterans are twice as likely to become chronically homeless. In addition to 50 percent of all homeless veterans suffer from disabilities and are between the ages of 18-50 years old. The cause for veterans becoming homeless is due to poverty, lack of support from groups...
Words: 589 - Pages: 3
...at the reasons there is homelessness in our society today and the things we together can do to get this situation in control to help those who need it most. When we look at homeless people we as a society always want to make an assumption of people who are homeless not knowing the underlying reason that cause people to be in this situation in the first place such as economic strife of losing their job after working for a company for 20 years or more and being replaced with someone who is younger. Homelessness means a person having no shelter of their own or a name on a lease. Even though there are studies that say that homelessness is because of drug abuse, depression and other disorders and that is a choice there are several other factors that contribute to people being homeless like the wars, unemployment, foreclosures and the break up of families all play an important part as to why people find themselves on the streets. There are a lot of veterans who are homeless and have to live off the state for help with food stamps and other assistance, but a veteran should never be in this situation after serving their country and most of us today are just a paycheck away from being homeless ourselves. As a veteran I found myself in this situation and had to find a way to get myself out of the homeless situation so I had to look beyond...
Words: 599 - Pages: 3
