...violence, drug abuse, etc. When we talk about the homeless, it is important to remember that often times the homeless are being criminalized for being homeless, but is it justifiable to arrest a person for being homeless? Is arresting homeless people really going to benefit the community as well as the homeless? In an article written by Michael Maskin, a senior at Tufts University, titled “No Safe Place: How cities are making it illegal to be homeless,” Maskin explains the case of Jerome Murdough, a 56 year old veteran who was homeless and arrested for seeking a safe place to sleep. Instead of a safe place to sleep, he died in Riker’s Island prison for not having $2,500 to post bail. “Instead of receiving needed assistance, Murdough was treated like a criminal, and ultimately lost his life by trying to protect it” (Maskin 2). This is a saddening story, but it is often very common. Tickets that will not get paid and time in jail will not change the fact that someone is homeless, so it just becomes one more issues added to the many that they deal with. Another testimony Maskin offers in his article is the story of Sandy a homeless woman seeking a safe place to sleep fined a $400 ticket for public sleeping. How can the government expect someone who lives on the street to pay a $400 dollar ticket? Wouldn’t that result in begging which is also a crime for the homeless. In addition, it has become a crime to share food with the homeless and for some people that law alone goes against...
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...RESILIENCE. Personal Strength of Homeless Adolescents, Living in High – Risk Environment. Lynn Rew, RNC, EdD, FAAN; Sharon D. Horner, Rn, PhD, CS Health Risk, for homeless individuals are well documented, ranging from acute and chronic respiratory diseases to various psychiatric disorders.1,2 The well-being for homeless youths are attributed by the engagement in high risk behaviors such as the use of alcohol, exchange of sex for money, gifts, the use of drugs. This makes them vulnerable to STD, HIV/AIDS. The preponderance of research on adolescents who are homeless has focused on their deficits and problems behaviours.10-19 However, a few nurse researchers has started to identify strengths in homeless individuals. Various studies was carried out from 3 different study group: STUDY 1: Focus on group interview with 32 homeless adolescents and individual with 10 of these youth were done as part of a triangulated study of the relationship among sexual abuse, loneliness, connectedness and perceived well- being. 23 Participants mean age was 19.1 years. SYUDY 2: Focus group interview were conducted with a random sample of 22 homeless adolescents who participated in a large study. The mean age of participants was 16.2 years. The study yields 3 themes: (a) Need for Knowledge, (b) Overcoming barriers, (c) Respectful interventions.24 The findings from the study were used to plan a sexual health intervention appropriate foe homeless adolescents. STUDY 3: A ground...
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...accept the fact that homelessness still exists in England and Wales in the twenty-first century. “In 2014, 112,070 people declared themselves homeless in England a 26% increase in four years” (Henley, 2014). and in Wales more than “9,000 people currently have no place to live which is a rise of 27% from last year.” (wales.org.uk,2012). In English society, the concept of home provides individuals with security, identity and a sense of comfort and belonging that provides things such as warmth, a sense of belonging to something that will always be there and it also helps their emotional well-being. When an individual loses their home, this can can have an impact on their well-being and make them feel a failure. Many individuals end up being homeless due to individuals coming out of prison or care homes, armed services or many individuals will end to being homeless due to drugs and alcohol problems and some with mental illness. Homeless individuals are more likely to have been in prison than the general population , more homeless men have been sentenced than...
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...our ideals about people and society. As a multicultural society there needs to be awareness that what we see in our environment can play a role in what we manifest. Someone who lives in a part of town that sees poverty and crime everyday is going to have a harder time manifesting abundance than someone who already lives it everyday. To prove this point an individual first must decide on the environment they would like to explore. A good activity to investigate would be “Homelessness.” The common perception of a homeless person is an older man with a drinking or drug problem who sleeps in an inner-city park or street. This would require not only spending time with the homeless, but also pretending to be homeless. The objective is to understand people’s perceptions and attitudes toward those who are different than themselves, but also to know why we perceive things the way we do. To further understand this phenomenon it was important to determine the location of the homeless, and become one of them through a transformation from the clothing worn and the appearance of joblessness with no monetary means to support ones self. The location was in Greenville, SC at a local shopping mall not to far from downtown area. This location was chosen for...
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...as the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are most often unable to acquire and maintain regular, safe, secure, and adequate housing. The legal definition of "homeless" actually varies from country to country, or among different entities or institutions in the same country or region. Homelessness is a prominent social issue within the state of Indiana as well as the rest of the nation that needs to be brought to awareness. In every state, more than minimum wage is required to afford a one or two bedroom apartment. The National Low Income Housing Coalition says nationally a typical family needs wages or combined incomes of $17.84 per hour just to make ends meet. In Indiana, a typical family needs wages or combined incomes of $13.41 per hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment. Utilities only exacerbate the problem. With this being the very minimum cost of living, it is no surprise that many people across the country struggle and fail to provide an adequate home for their families. Depending on each family’s lifestyle, homelessness is not a farfetched possibility. Probably the most common stereotype of chronically homeless people is that they are drug and alcohol addicts -- with good reason. 68% of U.S. cities report that addiction is their single largest cause of homelessness. "Housing First" initiatives are well intentioned, but can be short-sighted. A formerly homeless addict is likely to return to homelessness unless they deal with the addiction...
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...HOMELESS CHILDREN IN AMERICA Julieanna Correa CM107 PART ONE Homelessness is a devastating experience for anybody especially children. It can change every aspect of their life including education, development, health and well-being. Most of the time it is a result of family separation. The fastest growing segments of the homeless population is families with children. PART TWO The definition of a homeless child is a child that lacks a fixed, regular and adequate night time residence. This also includes children who might be living in hotels, trailer parks, or awaiting foster care placement. “Children make up the largest people who are homeless in rural areas” (Vissing, 2006). The number of homeless families with children has increased significantly over the past decade. There was a time when they would have a difficult time getting enrolled in school because of certain requirements such as proof of address. In 2007 the legislation passed a bill that would help more homeless children enroll into school, the Mckinney- Vento Homeless Assistance act. National Coalition for the Homeless. (2009, July). National Coalition for the Homeless. Retrieved July 15, 2013, from http://www.nationalhomeless.org/about_us/index.html Homelessness affects teenagers as well. They are commonly known as “runaways”. These children have gone through something so traumatic in their home that they feel like living on the streets would be safer. “Approximately forty percent of homeless youth...
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...Soto-Schwantz 5 October 2015 Help for Homeless Veterans It should be obvious by now that our homeless veterans are not being served well at all. If the homeless veterans were properly cared for by our country, the total homeless population would fall by more than 40 percent over night. Homeless services would then have sufficient funding to move many of the rest of the homeless off the streets into transitional housing with services that bring them back into the working population. It would be a dream come true. If only our country would step up to the plate, homelessness in our country would be virtually eliminated. If only…. Lets Summarize the Homeless Veteran Situation. 750,000 total homeless count in U.S 400,000 veterans are homeless at some time in a year 200,000 veterans homeless in any one night 27% of our male U.S. population are veterans but 43% of all homeless males are veterans – why? 7688 beds funded by the VA for homeless veterans 192,312 sleeping elsewhere – shelters, grates, creek beds, back alleys. We have Heroes sleeping on sidewalks in every big city. The VA says homelessness is not related to military service, but Veterans are twice as likely to be homeless than civilians. We may think that homeless veterans served poorly in military, but: 95% of homeless vets have honorable discharges. The VA claims it has the largest network of homeless assistance programs in the country, but: Total VA funding is only $1.37 per homeless vet per day.VA funded beds provide...
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...The Effects of Homelessness in Children on Their Ability to be Successful in Their Adult Life Much research has been done in the past two decades analyzing homelessness among children, as well as homeless women expecting children. These studies show that there are many factors of homelessness that affect children ranging from the earliest stages of development to their later teen years into adulthood. This study will focus on the direct effects being a child without a home might have on the ability of those children to be successful in their adult lives. Literature Review: When considering reasons for developmental delays in skills among homeless children, there are many areas that should be reviewed. First of all, let us talk about what might constitute as a “developmental delay in skills”. According the Molnar, Rath, and Klein, when they studied the impact of homelessness on children they focused on issues dealing with homeless mothers in their prenatal state dividing the pregnant women into groups of three: women in homeless shelters, women in housing projects, and all other women (all residing in New York City)(1990, p.110). Of these three groups, the women who were in homeless shelters received the least amount of prenatal care, if any at all, as well as the highest amount of babies that were born at weights lower than average which is proven to increase the likelihood of developing a handicap condition, hearing and or visual impairments, mental retardations, and...
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...Composition One March 19 2014 The Homeless and the Highest In our society, there are always hierarchies. The person who's at the top of the hierarchical structure is often the leader, but in ours we have, the President. The people who hold the lowest ranking in the hierarchy are the homeless. The obvious similarities between these two people are that they are human beings living on the same Earth. This is where most people believe their similarities end. To one extreme is the president, who is most always liked by many and disliked by few, to the other extreme a homeless person, who is disliked by many and helped by few. The President of a country is charged with and obligated to lead his nation, towards prosperity, advancement, nation building and is responsible for the overall well being of his nation's citizens. Some responsibilities include promoting quality, free education, adequate health care, child care, and better public transportation, while a homeless person is free to do whatever he or she wants. Nevertheless, homeless people will usually beg for money in public places and some homeless people will perform by playing musical instruments in subways or on the street, so that they can earn a few dollars. Often, homeless people are otherwise normal citizens who became overwhelmed by mental problems or other emotionally disabling conditions. An average homeless person doesn't have personal wealth or at least the means to access wealth. A homeless person often is born into this...
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...thousands of them do not have a place to stay. In the bible, Jesus clearly tells us to care for the poor and needy. As well, in the book of Matthew, Jesus tells us of the two greatest commandments. The first is to love the Lord our God, and the second is to love our neighbors as ourselves. God did not intend for families to be on the streets each night searching for beds, therefore it is our job to care to the poor and needy and dedicate our...
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...Homeless Youth General Education Capstone October 14, 2013 Homeless Youth Homelessness affects many youth today; 46% runaway because they express their gender identity, and or sexual identity because their family rejects them, 43% are kicked out by parents also known as thrown away. Youth also take more things literally then adults, so they feel misunderstood especially when they are opening up about their sexual lifestyle. Homelessness in youth is worldwide and needs a world wide solution. Just to name a few countries that have issues with youth and homelessness; Russia’s homeless population has decreased some since the 1990’s but according to Anna Rudnicki the totals are still around 3,000 – 10,000 homeless street kids. (2013). In Australia the homeless youth rate is “estimates that 50,000 Australians under the age of 24 years are homeless with numbers increasing” With numbers increasing Australia needs to find a situation that will help lower their numbers and help get these teens off the street, Since health issues can become an issue. Another area with a heavy population of homeless youth is in Canada. Every day in Canada you can find homeless kids. “Canada, on any given day it is estimated that there are 150,000 homeless youths on the streets” (Rogers, 2012). Rogers’s states that this is an estimate since most homeless youth do tend to avoid shelters. With every country and every town we can find a teen that is homeless, while being homeless the can become sick, and...
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...Homeless LGBT Youth Patricia Lynard Literature Review SOWK 469 Applied Social Work Research Kofi Danso, Instructor Minnesota State University, Mankato March 6, 2013 Background/Intervention Someone who identifies as homeless LGBT youth is someone who fits into three categories combine. Firstly, they are young usually between the ages of 13-17 years of age. They are also homeless which loosely describes a person without a regular dwelling. There are several reasons why someone may become homeless; some examples include financial difficulties or family problems that force someone out of their home. The last category is an individual who identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT). It is estimated that people who identify as LGBT make up 20% of the homeless population (Van Leeuwen, Boyle, Salomonsen-Sautel, Baker, Garcia, Hoffman, & Hopfer, 2006). When these categories are combined the individual is considered homeless LGBT youth, which is the focus of this literature review. The interventions for homeless LGBT youth are limited, but they can access local homeless shelters they however run the threat of being harassed by other people using the facilities for their sexual orientation. There a few organizations designed to help the homeless LGBT youth these interventions provide emergency housing for LGBT youth who have either been thrown out or have run away from their homes (Rosario, Schrimshaw, & Hunter, 2012). Purpose The purpose of this literature...
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...Homeless in Missoula Kelsey Brandewie Homelessness in Missoula, Mt has been a tremendous issue that the community is trying very hard to eliminate. What people do not know, is that the people out on the streets downtown and around the city, only make up 11% of the homelessness (2.) Those are not the only people struggling with life. There are families that do not have a steady home that the community does not realize need help because most of them have jobs and seem normal but in reality they are struggling to make ends meet. That is what the community needs to come together and fix. There is a rough estimate of at least 200 people who are homeless in Missoula.(1) There are of course, the visible homeless but 25% of the homeless, the “chronically” homeless that seemed to be overlooked by the community. Most of the homeless, of that 25% are families. (1) Families in which have children in them, who are trying so hard to provide for them and give them a normal life. These children attend public school but for them they never know where they will be sleeping that night once they leave school. Some of them sleep in their cars or they go from house to house but none of those houses are their homes. That is not a healthy life style for anyone to live, especially children. The sad thing is though, of all the resources that are at their feet, they only seem to use 50% of them (1.) They feel like they do not need the help as much as others might, so they are too afraid to ask for...
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...home provides continuity and a social context for individuals and families, and those become homeless lose more than a shelter (Smith Barusch 165). With its many causes, homelessness is an extremely diverse problem that has proven difficult to remedy. Though some homeless people find themselves in unfortunate situations, others are homeless by choice. Those who choose homelessness do so either indirectly, by making decisions that result in negative consequences, or directly, by opting to be free of life’s responsibilities. This belief is not commonly found in print since society most often feels compassion and pity toward the homeless. Still, assistance is offered on a federal level, as well as on local levels. Although there are many charitable organizations, along with the government, that offer assistance to the homeless nationwide. Homelessness remains a prevalent problem mainly due to the fact that some of the homeless choose that lifestyle. The Stewart B. McKinney Act, which provided assistance to protect and improve the lives of the homeless, defines a homeless person as “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” (Blau 8). These people can usually be categorized into two types: “the episodically homeless and the...
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...kind of community you live in, homelessness is a growing issue especially with the current economy situation. Most define a homeless person as someone who is uneducated, dirty or mentally ill, that shows how uneducated those who have a roof over their head can be. Many of the current homeless are families where the main supporter has lost their job because of cutbacks. They are educated, healthy and as normal as the individual living next door. Many homeless and in the predicament they are in because there is lack of employment, Existing public funding streams often define their programs in ways that restrict participant eligibility, leaving those least capable of addressing their own needs to fall through the cracks. Individuals who are homeless and have a certain diagnoses may not be eligible for services, as well as persons who are ex-offenders or who don’t meet sobriety requirements. Public Awareness, Inadequate information and efforts to increase public awareness of the negative financial and social impacts of homelessness often result in perpetuation of myths about homelessness and homeless persons and lead to intolerance and NIMBY-ism (“Not In My Backyard”) where neighborhoods vigorously oppose siting projects within their geography. The public needs to have the opportunity to learn about the issues of homelessness and how public resources are being utilized to address and solve the problems related to homelessness. Public awareness and understanding of homelessness and...
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