Causes and effects of Homeless - Research Paper Example

Causes and effects of Homeless Introduction According to the National Coalition of the Homeless, homeless refers to individuals who do not have a home and typically live on the streets. Homeless could also mean un-housed, roofless, and/or houseless (Levinson, 2004). There are many reasons as to why people become homeless. The general reasons for homelessness given by homeless people and supported by various research findings are numerous. As of today, the number people living on the streets of America are many and continue to increase as time goes by. True facts about the plight of homeless youths in America indicate that out of every 3 houseless people, one is a minor (Ollendick & Schroeder, 2003). A third of all homeless people will try to commit suicide in case they do not see any hope. This part of the essay will discuss the major reasons causing homeless and highlight numerous effects of this situation. Reasons for homeless Foreclosure Foreclosure takes place when a bank or any other money lending institution takes back or possess a house previously owned by someone due to reasons pertaining to inability to keep up or settle mortgage payments (Andersen & Taylor, 2010). Recently, foreclosure claimed a huge percentage of people experiencing homelessness. With reference to the National Coalition for the Homeless report, the number of homeless people jumped by 32 percent between April 2008 and April 2009. Since the onset of recession, over six million people have lost their jobs (Ravenhill, 2008). The National Low Income Housing Coalition estimated number of renters facing foreclosure to be 40 percent whiles those of households living under very low incomes to be 7 million. Generally, foreclosure is one of biggest players towards loss of households and subsequent homelessness in America. When people lose their homes due to foreclosure, it becomes extremely hard to find another within the required time since the household is always undergoing some financial tough times at that moment (McNamara, 2008). Poverty Without a doubt, poverty plays the biggest role in rendering people homeless. This is because, poverty and homelessness inextricably link. Agreeably, poor people face substantially hard times when paying for their house rent, food, education, child care, and health care among other things (Andersen & Taylor, 2010). Note that, one must make difficult choices especially when limited resources have to cover a number of these necessities. In most cases, according to experts, many people tend to opt for other things instead of housing since housing absorbs much of most individuals’ earnings (Levinson, 2004). A research carried out in 2007by the US Bureau of the Census 2007 found out that 12.5 percent (37.3 million) of the US population lived in poverty. The Bureau asserted that, the 2007 findings were not statistically different from those of 2006 in any way (Ravenhill, 2008). Further studies on this subject indicated that, increased erosion of employment opportunities for the larger segment of the American workforce and the declined availability and value of public assistance are the two major contributing factors accounting to increased poverty. Domestic violence Advocates for homeless maintain that violence in homes is a factor contributing to homelessness, particularly in women with children. Facts about homeless point out that almost half of all homeless youths and adult women with children experienced domestic violence prior fleeing their homes (Andersen & Taylor, 2010). Nationally, studies reveal that most people who are now homeless could not withstand the kind of physical abuse they experienced in their homes and as such they opted to run away or rather disappear from their previous settlement (Levy, 2010). Research findings from 2007 showed that of the more than 7,000 people counted during the One Night Count, over 1000 complained indicated that domestic violence is a significant element that contributed to their state of homelessness (Ollendick & Schroeder, 2003). Outcomes of chemical addiction and mental illness Compared to the general population, people who suffer from mental illness and/or are prisoners of chemical addiction are many amongst the homeless population (Bringle, 2011). In simple terms, people who happen to be either mentally challenged or heavy consumers of illegal substances are more in number among the general population of the homeless people (McNamara, 2008). Countrywide, studies show that between 20 and 25 percent of houseless persons suffer from extreme mental illnesses. Whilst there is limited facts about information regarding addiction, substance abuse and alcohol take the largest proportion of the number of people who end up being homeless due to their addiction or mental state (Levy, 2010). Truthfully, substance abuse and untreated mental illness issues take a heavy toll on housing stability and its success. Therefore, noting that drug abuse and mental challenges disorientate the possibility of having a house to live (Levinson, 2004). Legal issues Barriers brought about by legal matters can act as an obstacle to securing a permanent housing hence lead to homelessness. American citizens with low incomes get subsidized services through programs set aside by the government and other non-governmental organizations which help low income earners secure permanent housing (Craighead & Nemeroff, 2004). Legally, an individual who is a victim of prior felony conviction, lacks proper documentation, and has outstanding warrants does not qualify to access these programs (Andersen & Taylor, 2010). As a result, such legal issues contribute to homelessness as such individuals cannot secure permanent housing through such programs (Ravenhill, 2008). Vagrancy ordinances form legal challenges for homeless persons. Apart from personal legal barriers, zoning regulations and land use or community opposition can act as sensitive barriers to affordable, supportive, and secure housing development (Ellen, 2010). Indeed, these and many other legal related matters deter people from securing a place to live which is a factor that contributes to homelessness. Additional barriers for color people Observations show that, people of color occupy the largest percentage in the homeless population. People of color in this case refer to black minorities, Indians, and other financially challenged groups in America (Andersen & Taylor, 2010). People of color makeup 27 percent of the total population in King County but it is unfortunate to find that they comprise of 57 percent of the homeless. In Seattle, people of color account to a very limited percentage of house ownership and their income are significantly lower compared to that of whites. Rates of homeownership also vary along racial and ethnic grounds and are lower than the average for all ethnic and racial minorities (Levinson, 2004). Moreover, different researchers documented that people of color face many difficulties while trying to either acquire subsidized mortgage services or legal documents to live in certain cities within America. This issue aided by the inability to acquire a home or rent a house adds on to the number of people living on the streets of America (Ollendick & Schroeder, 2003). Effects of homeless Homelessness poses serious challenges on both the affected persons and society at a large. Young people who are homeless consider their lives as being “on hold” mainly because they are homeless. This makes their ability to achieve their goals much hard (Bringle, 2011). Lack of a home to live makes people lose zeal to have a bright future since their state of residence limits their ability to access certain things in life. On one end, the effects suffered by homeless people are many (Andersen & Taylor, 2010). They range from personal entrapments to health issues. According to beliefs by people, many homeless people failed to cope with their life facets and eventually decided to leave the community to an unknown destination. Restricted access to education or learning Young homeless people face serious challenges when education becomes the topic of the subject. Definitely, people who do not have a neat house to live are also not neat. This in effect forces young homeless people fail to access educational services (Ollendick & Schroeder, 2003). Further, homeless people have no jobs and therefore do not have means of generating income. Lack of income generating means puts homeless people under a dilemma as they cannot afford school fees (McNamara, 2008). Thus, most homeless people are illiterate and continue to flood the American market and population with uneducated adults. Obviously, this is unhealthy for the country’s economy as it relies heavily on bright minds and qualified personnel to develop and grow. When those factors leading to homelessness occur, many young people who find themselves in this scenario end up disrupting their educational activities. Precisely, they may end up failing to get any other opportunity to study and as such, homelessness leads to illiteracy and disrupted educational course (Ravenhill, 2008). Barriers to work Profoundly, most available employment opportunities in the American market require high qualifications and sometimes a bit of experience; it becomes strangely hard for homeless people to get such employment opportunities (Craighead & Nemeroff, 2004). In addition to that, homeless individuals have poor qualifications, are school drop-outs, and probably do not have any experience in most descent jobs (Levinson, 2004). Some firms do not employ underage people and in other cases welfare benefit rules do not allow children and refugees to work in some parts of US. This means that, if one happens to find himself in such a situation, finding a job can be really a traumatic experience. Specifically, homeless refugees are the most affected by welfare rules because of language barriers and lack of experience in dealing with English recruitment procedures (Great Britain, 2005). Crime Engaging in criminal or rather unlawful activities is the most common things among homeless persons. Certainly, desperation coupled with poverty puts many homeless people into scenarios that encourage them to turn to crime (Ollendick & Schroeder, 2003). These scenarios further minimize their chances of these homeless people escaping their situation and finding work. As seen in many observations and researches, many homeless people find themselves committing petty crimes in order to cater for some of their basic needs. For instance, some of them go even for a number of days without eating (Andersen & Taylor, 2010). Consequently, if they get a chance to steal food from either a home or a restaurant, they do it without hesitating or thinking of the repercussions. Furthermore, if young homeless persons engage in criminal activities, they become victims of crime and their actions put them under risk of further exploitation (Levy, 2010). Debt Profoundly, when their chaotic lifestyles and low levels of income of the homeless people come together, they find themselves being slaves of debt. Most people who become homeless at a tender age do not have any knowledge based on ways of managing their money (McNamara, 2008). Cases opined to desperation leads most homeless people to resolve to get money in the form of loans from loan sharks, expensive loans, mail order catalogues which are very expensive, and store cards since they have no access to mainstream products (Levy, 2010). These barriers act as obstacles to homeless in areas of achieving goals in life such as attending college, living independently, and eating healthy (Ravenhill, 2008). Apart from these effects, stress caused by debts can have serious impacts on young people’s mental health. Cost of homelessness Generally, the cost of maintaining homeless people is taking a heavy to on the US budget. Frequently, the government in association with other non-governmental organizations organizes programs and set in place welfare services aimed at ending homelessness in the United States (Bringle, 2011). Concisely, these agencies spent lots of money and other resources while in this quest for a house for every American household. They try to acquire temporary accommodation for the homeless and the studies are proving that temporary accommodation is indeed very expensive (Ellen, 2010). Additionally, the government spends too much valuable time when seeking to raise funds to settle the homeless (Levinson, 2004). This is unhealthy for economic growth and it means that homelessness drains too much of government’s funds, resources, and time which are all vital components of building a strong foundation for a greater, sustainable economy (Craighead & Nemeroff, 2004). Revision of Unit 4 Letter to the Editor To the editor, Even though the government in addition to other non-governmental organizations are trying to end the plight of homelessness in major towns in America, that effort is not enough as there are other cities where homelessness is a major issue (Ollendick & Schroeder, 2003). In Nevada, King County, and Seattle, homeless accounts for a surmountable proportion of the total population. This problem makes it hard for well wishers to chip-in in large numbers and assist with resettlement. As of now, the government is spending billions of dollars in finding cheap and affordable housing for the homeless (Andersen & Taylor, 2010). The process is in more than one way crippling the country’s economy since some of the ambassadors of the project misuse the funds (Ellen, 2010). Perhaps, the government should include some of the homeless people to represent the rest particularly in areas involving allocation of funds. Ultimately, this will reduce cases related to embezzlement of funds meant for housing the homeless by the so-called responsible officials (Great Britain, 2005). Another thing, the government should also return lands forcefully grabbed by ruthless individuals to those homeless people who lost their houses through such means. Homeless is one big factor hampering the growth and development of the US economy (McNamara, 2008). This is so because, homelessness is the key to poverty, illiteracy, increased levels of criminal activities, and strains the government of its resourceful efforts among others. Without a doubt, homelessness comes along with as many problems as there can be (Bringle, 2011). Multimodal Project (Unit 6) My multimodal component is in the form of a YouTube video that will present ideas through a combination of images and wordings. Through this, it will be easier to communicate the causes and effects of homelessness, a vice that happened among many unwillingly, and has run out of hand. The video will comprise of picture of evictees by governments, causing homelessness as they seek make way for a UK-based forestry company (Great Britain, 2005). Although the land has been licensed through a 50-year lease agreement, there are a lot of injustices as the land owners are forcefully evicted. This means that social amenities are no longer available. Although the video might be short, it communicated the problems of homelessness in depth. Here is the link to the video: http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/video/2011/oct/06/uganda-international-land-deals Here follows a brief analysis of the video: Slide 1: A man discloses that he is in a bad state since his children no longer go to school Slide 2: The same man says their hope is lost Slide 3: Picture of people in their evicted land Slide 4: People claiming the land was given to them by government through Mengo Kingdom Permission Slide 5: Geoffrey Ssabagala a local Journalist addresses the evictees Slide 6: A lorry relocating the evicted Slide 7: Eviction through fire killing children Slide 8: Machines used to clear the forest Slide 9: Desperate children after eviction Slide 10: Residence claim for compensation Reflection and conclusion Personally, I enjoyed researching on a topic which is the overall cause of the many problems that our country is facing today. However, a writer, I learnt how to structure my thoughts and put them down into writing in a chronological order but not forgetting the overall objective of my survey. The writing process was satisfactory and I learnt that, in writing, the most important thing is to understand the question first and then get answers from the right materials (Levinson, 2004). I developed argumentative and survey skills. In conclusion, these skills are congruent in the future as people develop arguments often. The conversations I had with classmates and interviews were healthy and from them, I understood that, sometimes I tend to overstress on my points only to find that their results cannot resolve the problem at hand (Ravenhill, 2008). The feedback that I received from my peers and instructor influenced my revision of my blueprint, letter to the editor, and presentation. They offered helpful questions, links to material sources that they saw helpful, but above all; they offered support. References Andersen, L., & Taylor, F. (2010). Sociology: The essentials. Belmont, CA: Thomson Higher Education. Bringle, J. (2011). Homelessness in America today. New York, NY: Rosen Pub. Craighead, E., & Nemeroff, B. (2004). The concise Corsini encyclopedia of psychology and behavioral science. Hoboken, N.J: John Wiley & Sons. Ellen, G. (2010). How to house the homeless. New York: Russell Sage Foundation. Great Britain, (2005). The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister: Tackling homelessness : report, together with formal minutes, oral and written evidence. London: Stationery Office. Levinson, D. (2004). Encyclopedia of homelessness. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications. Levy, S. (2010). Homeless narratives & pretreatment pathways: From words to housing. Ann Arbor, MI: Loving Healing Press. McNamara, H. (2008). Homelessness in America. Westport, Conn: Praeger. Ollendick, H., & Schroeder, S. (2003). Encyclopedia of clinical child and pediatric psychology. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers. Ravenhill, M. (2008). The culture of homelessness. Aldershot: Ashgate. Read More