Homelessness has remained one of the min problems for the countries who are wealthy and rich in resources. Some of these countries include UK and Canada. It is still one of the strangest facts that there are millions of homeless people still living on the streets of these wealthy countries in shattered homes or streets. Various studies have been conducted on the issues faced by these homeless people as well as their experiences. The information of these experiences can help the student nurses by reshaping lost social identities of these homeless people.
Homelessness in the United States has remained a concern for many sociologists. The number of homeless people started to accelerate in the 1980s when it was estimated that more than 500,000 people were homeless. In accordance to the reports published by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, in 2009, there were more than 700,000 people homeless or…...
mlaReferences
Macionis, J.J., and Gerber, L.M. (2007). Homelessness. In Sociology, seventh Canadian Edition (p. 265-269). Pearson Education Canada.
Rukmana, D. (2010). Gender Differences in the Residential Origins of the Homeless: Identification of Areas with High Risk of Homelessness. Planning, Practice & Research, 25, pp. 95 -- 116.
Williams, S., and Stickley, T. (2011). Stories from the streets: people's experiences of homelessness. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 18, 432 -- 439.
Homelessness
Is homelessness increasing in the United States?
Homelessness has become progressively more apparent in the United States over the past quarter century. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has amassed a wealth of data that confirm low-income housing is a critical requirement. Even as some communities are realizing a decrease in their homeless population; others are experiencing the opposite. It is disheartening to note that the largest increase in homelessness is families with children. Figures show that on any given night 633,784 people are without a place to call home and of these 239,403 are families. There are multiple causal factors including structural inequalities emanating from America's social institutions. The educational system upon which opportunity is founded as well as the decreased purchasing power of low-wage incomes are antecedents to homelessness as well. Finally, the plain truth is there is a simple lack of affordable low-income housing in the…...
mlaReferences
Henslin J.M. (2003). Sociology: A Down-to-Earth-Approach. (Custom Package). (5th Ed). Boston, MA: Pearson Education Company.
National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty. (2005). Overview. Retrieved November 24, 2013, from http://www.nlchp.org/FA_HAPIA/
Aguirre, Adalberto, and David V. Baker. (2000). "Chapter 1." Structured Inequality in the United States: Critical Discussions on the Continuing Significance of Race, Ethnicity, and Gender. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Anderson, L.M., St. Charles, J., Fullilove, M.T., Scrimshaw, S.C., Fielding, J.E., & Normand, J. (2003). Providing affordable family housing and reducing residential segregation by income. American journal of preventive medicine, 24(3), 47-67.
et al. (2005) Facts on Trauma and Homeless Children. National Child Traumatic Stress Network - Homelessness and Extreme Poverty Working Group. Online available at http://www.nctsnet.org/nctsn_assets/pdfs/promising_practices/Facts_on_Trauma_and_Homeless_Children.pdf
urt, Aron, Douglas, et al., (1999) Homelessness: Programs and the People They Serve: Summary Report - Findings of the National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients Washington, DC: The Urban Institute, 1999
urt, Martha, (2001) What Will it Take to End Homelessness? Washington, DC: The Urban Institute, 2001
National Center on Family Homelessness, (1999) Homeless Children: America's New Outcasts (Newton, MA: 1999).
Institute for Children and Poverty (1999) Homeless in America: A Children's Story - Part One (New York, NY: 1999 U.S. Department of Education, Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program, Report to Congress (Washington, DC: 2000).
Mills, Robert (2001) Health Insurance Coverage: 2001 U.S. Census ureau, Washington, DC: 2002 National Coalition for the Homeless, Making the Grade: Challenges and Successes in Providing Educational Opportunities for Homeless…...
mlaBibliography
Bassuk, Ellen L. et al. (2005) Facts on Trauma and Homeless Children. National Child Traumatic Stress Network - Homelessness and Extreme Poverty Working Group. Online available at http://www.nctsnet.org/nctsn_assets/pdfs/promising_practices/Facts_on_Trauma_and_Homeless_Children.pdf
Burt, Aron, Douglas, et al., (1999) Homelessness: Programs and the People They Serve: Summary Report - Findings of the National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients Washington, DC: The Urban Institute, 1999
Burt, Martha, (2001) What Will it Take to End Homelessness? Washington, DC: The Urban Institute, 2001
National Center on Family Homelessness, (1999) Homeless Children: America's New Outcasts (Newton, MA: 1999).
"
How many people are homeless?
The number of homeless is difficult to ascertain because estimates vary depending on the methodology used. Numbers also vary substantially depending on whether a measurement is taken on a single night or is extrapolated to a given year.
One approximation of the annual number of homeless in America is from a study done by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, which estimates between 2.3 and 3.5 million people experience homelessness. According to a study released this month by the National Alliance to End Homelessness, an estimated 744,313 people experienced homelessness in one night in January 2005. Some 56% of them were living in shelters and transitional housing and, 44% were unsheltered.
Which states have the most homelessness people?
Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, hode Island, Washington State, and Washington, D.C. have the highest rates of homelessness, according to a study released in 2007 by the…...
mlaReferences
http://www.questiaschool.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5006614572
Aviles, a., & Helfrich, C. (2004). Life Skill Service Needs: Perspectives of Homeless Youth. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 33(4), 331+. Retrieved March 6, 2008, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5006614572
Bartlett, John, comp. (2000). Familiar Quotations, 10th ed, rev. And enl. By Nathan Haskell Dole. Boston: Little, Brown, 1919; Bartleby.com. Retrieved March 6, 2008, from www.bartleby.com/100/
Crime is not the only issue where homelessness is concerned, however, and homelessness in and of itself can be very difficult for someone to deal with, especially if the homelessness was unexpected or there are many familial obligations that suddenly will not be met (such as in the case of a single mother, for example). When homelessness occurs this way and causes these kinds of problems, there can be very serious emotional consequences for the homeless individual and his or her family. It becomes necessary at that point for the homeless person to seek help, and this is where the social worker comes in.
Many people may believe that the homelessness problem in this country is certainly not significant enough for social workers to be needed for these people, but it seems likely that these individuals do not realize the seriousness of the homelessness problem. Homelessness is not just America's problem,…...
mlaBibliography
Becker, G.S. (1968). Crime and Punishment: An Economic Approach. Journal of Political Economy 76:169-217.
Bianchi S. (1993). Children in poverty: Why are they poor? Child Poverty and Public Policy, ed. J Chafel Washington, DC: Urban Inst. (1993): 91-125.
Brenner, H.M. (1978). Economic Crises and Crime. In Leonard Savitz and Norman Johnson, (Eds.), Crime in Society. New York: Wiley: 555-572.
Coffey, P. (1917). Epistemology the theory of knowledge: an introduction to general metaphysics. Vol. 1. New York: Longman's, Green, & Co.
But mentally disturbed individuals, being confined to a greater proclivity toward chronic homelessness, are a separate problem, addressed most directly by the Center for Mental Health Services, which is a federally chaired organization. The CMHS is a channel through which policy regarding disbursement of social resources is implemented. It garners all of its data from the National Resource Center of Homelessness and Mental Illness, which is the only agency specifically designated toward providing information on this demographic. As a publicly funded group, it is not designated to any political agenda, but it is subject to a wide variant in allocation depending on the policies of the prevailing political party. Both of the former Bush administrations, for example, have delivered annual allocations to the CMHS that were trimmed to about 20% the size of President Clinton's yearly disbursement. The ability of the agency to function at its fullest current potential…...
mlaWorks Cited:
Burt, M.R., Aron, L.Y., Douglas, T., Valente, J., Lee, E., Iwen, B. (1999). Homelessness: Programs and the People They Serve. Interagency Council on the Homeless. Washington, DC.
Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS). (2000). Process Evaluation of the ACCESS Demonstration Program for Homeless Persons with Serious Mental Illness: Fifth Year Implementation Case Studies. Vols. I & II. Rockville, MD: Center for Mental Health Services.
Lezak, a.D. & Edgar, E. (1992). Federal Task Force on Homelessness and Severe Mental Illness. Outcasts on Main Street. Interagency Council on the Homeless. Washington, DC.
Lezak, a.D. (1987). Synopses of National Institute of Mental Health Community Support Program Service Demonstration Grants for Homeless Mentally Ill Persons. National Institute of Mental Health. Rockville, MD.
Homelessness Intervention
Social Work
Universally in the developed world, homelessness is something that communities want to end rather than manage. Co-ordinated social services can come together to create and enhance community-based responses that tackle the threat of homelessness rather than attempting to deal with it on the other end -- after the fact, after people are demoralized by the experience.
An important part of any community response to homelessness is affordable housing. But once community members have been placed in affordable housing, they critically need job training and support to ensure that their transitions are self-sustainable. Thus it is that policy must address homeless from two perspectives: That of prevention, and that of recidivism. For many potentially homeless and homeless people, employment is the key way to address both of those problems.
National governments are increasingly taking an aggressive position with regard to writing, implementing, and evaluating policy related to homelessness. Local communities are…...
mlaReferences
Abbenante, M. And Spellman, B. (2008, February 8). Performance Measurement. [Presentation at the NAEH Conference on Ending Family Homelessness.
Alliance to End Homelessness. Ottawa. (2010). Retrieved http://www.endhomelessnessottawa.ca/
Dilling, L.B and Davis, C. (2008). Community Action Plan on Homelessness: 2009-2012. The Road to Ending Homelessness in Ottawa [Prepared for: The Homelessness Community Capacity Building Steering Committee]. Retrieved http://www.endhomelessnessottawa.ca/documents/CommunityActionPlanonHomelessness2009-2014.pdf
Dinning, B. (2005). The Experience of homeless women: Considerations for an effective harm reduction response.
This is exacerbated by the "...growing gap between wage earnings and the cost of housing in the United States which leaves millions of families and individuals unable to make ends meet." (Homelessness in the United States) Low Incomes and minimum wage workers also add to the problem. A further cause of the high levels of homelessness is the cuts in programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
Policy change such as the shift in medical policy from institutional to community-based care and treatment for mental patients has been cited as major cause of homelessness. The shift towards community-based care began in the 1960' and has been criticized in some quarters. Critics of the policy change state that this has resulted in a number of patients becoming homeless due to a lack of proper care and supervision once outside of the institutional framework. This is also related to another factor…...
mlaBibliography
Homelessness & Poverty. October 12, 2005. http://anitraweb.org/homelessness/faqs/causes/
Homelessness in the United States. October 12, 2005. http://www.nscahh.org/hunger.asp?id2=8802
Homeless.org. (main page) October 12, 2005. http://www.homeless.org/do/Home
How Many People Experience Homelessness? NCH Fact Sheet. October 12, 2005. http://www.nationalhomeless.org/numbers.html
Based on the report submitted by Cuomo, upon receiving assistance from authorized agencies, such as health care assistance, treatment from substance and drug abuse, education and job training and even services for mental health problems, a big part of those living in families (76%) and of those living alone (60%) tend to put a stop their homeless status and gradually move to an improved living situation. Another point to ponder is the fact that the cost of homeless assistance is considerably lower than the cost of putting homeless people in jail to get them off the streets. For example, the Supportive Housing Network estimates that in New York City in 1998 it cost $40,000 per year to jail someone, compared with just $12,500 to provide affordable housing and a variety of supportive services (http://www.hud.gov/library/bookshelf18/pressrel/pr99-258.html,1999).
This just shows that if one can help and lend a helping hand to the homeless people,…...
mlaReferences
Bassuk et al. (August 28, 1996). The Characteristics and Needs of Sheltered Homeless and Low-Income Housed Mothers. Journal of the American Medical Association
Cuomo Releases Historic Report that Paints Most Comprehensive Picture Ever Homelessness in America. (1999) HUD News. http://www.hud.gov/library/bookshelf18/pressrel/pr99-258.html
Daskal, Jennifer. (1998). In Search of Shelter: The Growing Shortage of Affordable Rental Housing. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Facts about homeless people. St. Mungo's. http://www.mungos.org/facts.shtml
Homelessness in the United States has been a growing social concern. It has also become clear that measures to deal with the problem have not been significantly effective. Specifically vulnerable to this problem are women, often the sole care takers of young children. The problem then imprints itself not only on the unemployed, but also upon those who depend upon these individuals for their livelihood. Homelessness then becomes a vicious cycle, inherited by children from parents.
ecause women are in a particularly difficult position when homeless, they should be the recipients of efforts focused specifically upon their needs. Employability for example is hampered by elements such as young children, lack of day care and lack of job skills (Zastrow 147). Only by addressing such issues with the aim to prevent homelessness, can the issue be addressed with a greater degree of success than has so far been the case.
The Scope and…...
mlaBibliography
Donovan, Gill. " Survey says most homeless find it harder to get work" National Catholic Reporter, Nov. 22, 2002. Kansas City: MO National Catholic Reporter, 2002.
Ehrenreich, Barbara and Frances Fox Piven. " Without a safety net: welfare reform was supposed to free poor mothers from dependency and get them into the job market. But what happens when the jobs are gone?." Mother Jones, May-June 2002. Foundation for National Progress, 2002.
Friedlander, Daniel and Gary Burtless. Five Years After: The Long-Term Effects of Welfare-to-Work Programs. New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 1995.
Mangano, Philip. "Abolishing Homelessness." U.S. Conference of Mayors - January 23, 2003. Consolidation for Social Awareness and Responsibility. http://www3.sympatico.ca/truegrowth/USmayorplan.htm
The government in Canada did make attempts, in the fashion of 'too little, too late' to "contain the rapid growth of homelessness with homeless shelters and other short-term crisis-based services." (Laird, 2007; p.,6) This is a failed strategy according to Laird (2007); Huff (2006); Hargrave (2005); Pollack (2008). The Government of Canada has reported in its' March 17, 2008 report that it is assisting families and individuals who "are trying to break out of the cycles of poverty and homelessness and build a better future for themselves." (Human Resources and Social Development Canada, 2008) it has been reported in the work of Pollack (2008) entitled: "Who Are Canada's Homeless?" that only two decades ago:
the problem of homelessness seemed minor and was thought to be about single men with alcohol problems living on the streets. Today, in almost every urban centre across Canada, the situation is changing, and conservative estimates…...
mlaBibliography
Government of Canada Improves Situation for Homeless People in the Saguenay Region (2008) Human Resources and Social Development Canada. 17 Mar 2008. Jonquiere, Quebec. Online available at http://news.gc.ca/web/view/en/index.jsp?articleid=385699
Pollack, Gladys (2008) Reader's Digest. Canada. Online available at http://www.readersdigest.ca/mag/2001/01/homeless.html
Hargrave, Connie (2008) Homelessness in Canada - Share International 1 April 2008. Online available at http://www.share-international.org/archives/homelessness/hl-ch_Canada.htm
Laird, Gordon (2007) Homelessness in a Growth Economy. Sheldon Chumir Foundation for Ethics in Leadership. 2007 Online available at www.churiethicsfoundation.ca.
With this information, it could arm the public into taking more action into preventing homelessness in order to ultimately improve their own economic health. Although the humanitarian component is quite strong, it is, as Gurley says, fatigued when it comes to homelessness. Hopefully, by appealing to a facet of people's lives that has an impact on them and by educating them on how homelessness impacts their lives through economic means, they would take more measures to prevent homelessness and attempt to address the issue.
In addition to the campus actions that the National Coalition for the Homeless has provided, it seems that educating society as a whole on homelessness might be a way to appeal to them to prevent the cycle of homelessness all together. The more information that the public is aware of the more the compassionate fatigue may transform into people doing something to prevent homelessness all together.…...
In general, any business organization can help the homeless by contributing money or volunteers to local shelters and to promote the availability of jobs for those whose circumstances are mainly attributable to their inability to find steady work and income.
Private Individuals
Unfortunately comparatively few private individuals take the initiative to do anything to help the homeless, mainly because they underestimate how far even a little help goes. The simplest way to help is to contribute money to established public and private programs already in existence because the more money they have the better assistance they can provide and to the largest number of people. Private individuals can also contribute by promoting the importance of helping the homeless at their places of business and by donating their time to help coordinate services for the homeless. On a more personal level, private individuals can also be tremendously helpful by donating their time…...
mlaSources Consulted
Abbott, P. And Williamson, E. "Women, health and domestic violence." Journal of Gender Studies, Vol. 8, No. 1 (1999).
Carey, M. "Some ethical dilemmas for agency social workers." Ethics and Social
Welfare, Vol. 1, No. 3 (2007).
Druss, B.G., Bornemann, T., Fry-Johnson, Y.W., McCombs, H.G., Pollitzer, R.M., and Rust, G. "Trends in mental health and substance abuse services at the nation's community health centers: 1998-2003." American Journal of Public Health, Vol.
Homelessness
Why are there so many people who are homeless in the state of Chicago? What causes this and what can be done to correct this issue? Is the Federal Government doing anything at all about the homeless people in Chicago, and if so, what are they? What are the policies that have been made by the government in order to tackle this major issue of homelessness where a person is left to live his life on the streets? The circumstances under which a person or a family finds them homeless are many. One of the main causes is that of poverty, which may lead to a lack of monetary resources for appropriate housing, and/or mental illnesses, which may lead a person to remain on the streets without appropriate housing facilities. Another reason for homelessness is that of substance abuse wherein the individual is a user with unaffordable habits and finds…...
mlaReferences
An Overview of the Program. Retrieved From
Accessed on 30 December, 2004http://www.pathprogram.samhsa.gov/about/overview.asp
Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. Retrieved From
Accessed on 30 December, 2004http://www.chicagohomeless.org/IndexNew.asp
Homelessness in the United States
The homeless population in the United States is far from invisible. It is impossible to walk down a street in any city without encountering someone sleeping in a doorway, pushing a shopping cart filled with personal belongings, or approaching a passerby for money. The homeless are no longer the skid-row white males roaming the countryside by hitching rides on freight trains and working for handout meals. Today, the faces of the homeless are a myriad of ages, genders, and races.
Homelessness is inextricably linked to poverty. The poor are not able to afford housing, health care, education, food and often child care (National pg). Because housing constitutes such a large portion of income, many are forced to drop that expense in order to simply supply the necessities of existence, such a food, clothing, and health care. Unfortunately, homelessness is simply a paycheck or illness away for the…...
mlaWorks Cited
Conan, Neal. "Analysis: Changing approaches to homelessness in cities around the country." Talk of the Nation: National Public Radio (NPR). November 13, 2002. ( 06-13-2003).http://ask.elibrary.com/getdoc.asp?pubname=Talk_of_the_Nation_(NPR)&puburl=http~C~~S~~S~www.npr.org&querydocid=:bigchalk:U.S.;Lib&dtype=0~0&dinst=0&author=NEAL+CONAN&title=Analysis%3A+Changing+approaches+to+homelessness+in+cities+around+the+country++&date=11%2D13%2D2002&query=homelessness&maxdoc=28&idx=5.(accessed
Homelessness." Encarta. http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/RefArticle.aspx?refid=761579476.
A accessed 06-13-2003).
National Coalition for the Homeless. http://www.nationalhomeless.org/facts.html .
Homeless affects a community in a number of ways, including social, economic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. Socially, there is a stigma associated with homelessness that implies the person is mentally ill, a drug addict, or an alcoholic. While a number of the homeless population do fall into one of these categories, there are other reasons for homelessness. It is also hard on the economy, because these people don't contribute financially to society. There is a cost to feeding them and allowing them shelter, and that cost can be a lot for a community to handle. Homeless people struggle in interpersonal and....
1. The impact of deinstitutionalization on mental health care access and quality
2. Examining the role of community-based treatment in reducing stigma around mental illness
3. The challenges of transitioning patients from institutional care to community-based services
4. The financial implications of deinstitutionalization on mental health care systems
5. Exploring the ethical considerations of deinstitutionalization and patient autonomy
6. The effectiveness of deinstitutionalization in promoting recovery and rehabilitation for individuals with mental illness
7. The potential risks and benefits of deinstitutionalization for vulnerable populations, such as the homeless or those with severe mental illness
8. The role of family support and....
Here are a few unique and fresh essay topics for a thesis on affordability of housing:
1. Examining the impact of tiny house communities on housing affordability and community development
2. Analyzing the role of co-housing and co-living models in addressing affordable housing challenges
3. Investigating the potential of modular and prefabricated housing as a solution for affordable housing shortages
4. Exploring the effectiveness of community land trusts in preserving affordable housing options in gentrifying neighborhoods
5. Evaluating the intersectionality of race, class, and housing affordability in urban planning and policy-making decisions.
6. Understanding the relationship between homelessness and affordable housing strategies in cities across the....
1. The Impact of Social Exclusion on Mental Health
2. Exclusion and Discrimination in the Workplace
3. The Effects of Exclusion in Education
4. Exclusion and Marginalization of Minorities in Society
5. Experiencing Exclusion: Personal Stories and Perspectives
6. Strategies for Addressing Exclusion and Promoting Inclusion
7. The Role of Media in Perpetuating Exclusion
8. Exclusion in Healthcare: Disparities in Access and Treatment
9. The Intersectionality of Exclusion: How Race, Gender, and Socioeconomic Status Play a Role
10. Overcoming Exclusion: Building Resilience and Empowerment in Marginalized Communities.
11. The Long-Term Effects of Childhood Exclusion on Development and Well-Being
12. Exploring Exclusion in the Criminal Justice System
13. Exclusion and Social Isolation Among....
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