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Michelle Fuentes
Ms. Frank
Senior Capstone, Period 8
Tragedies that homeless face
Many share the judgmental views of the homeless, completely disregarding all of the
many factors that cause homelessness. It is simply incredible that as many as 3.5 million
Americans end up homeless each year (National Coalition). Poverty is the prime reason for
Homelessness.
Poverty is often the consequence of life tragedies far from the control of the
individual. Some examples could be, the loss of loved ones could lead a person into
depression, job loss, domestic violence, divorce among many more obstacles .All those
factors are unexpected experiences that prevent individuals from overcoming their issues.
According to the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, 66% of homeless have
problems with alcohol, drugs or suffer from some sort of mental illness (NLCHP). Many
people hit a low in their economic situation and look to relieve their pain through alcohol
consumption. Leading them to believe that once they are in debt, they should simply give in
and leave their lives. In cases of severe alcohol intake, the human brain acts abnormal
causing issues among themselves and other people (Valdez-Medina).
Many homeless turn to negative acts when losing hope, for example someone who is
ill and have many bills and no money, end up solving the problem by drinking, when the
issues are still present, they are simply attempting to forget and once the alcohol effect fades
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away , they rely on more alcohol. This leads to continuous drinking and eventually resulting
in them being alcoholics. These kinds of actions can genuinely make things worse.
Struggling under inevitable financial stress, experiencing huge amount of debts among
schools studies and car payments, not enough income or having a part time job with no extra
money to help may lead to a point in which people are not able to make their rental payments
and end up losing their home. Difficulties come from many wrong personal choices for
example, not finishing school or leaving home at a very young age. These negative effects
may be solved with determination, for example a positive attitude can encourage people into
finding a job and saving up for a rental home.
There are also those who lose their home due to natural disasters. For example, on
August 29, 2005 hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast of the United States, killing nearly
2,000 people and affecting 90,000 square of the United States (Hurricane Katrina).There was
in fact a severe damage that the federal government was unable to meet the needs of the
people, causing them to live in a temporary sheltered home. Although, natural disaster
survivors receive more help from the government and institutions, these disasters can
increase the amount of homeless people in a matter of hours. Due to the significant increase
of homeless, being a victim of natural disasters is not always a guarantee of help. Disasters
leave the middle class people near poverty and the poor, homeless (Natural Disasters). This
naturally increases the amount of homeless and poor people. Natural disasters are not
predictable but can be aided with extra money saved up for emergencies. If an accident
occurred and a family house caught on fire and burned, leaving them homeless, then they are
forced to live in a shelter home because of the fact that they will be unable to afford a new
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home unless, they have a plan b such as a savings account for a new home or rental
apartment.
Another main cause of homelessness is what is called the Individual Cause. About
22% of homeless suffer from mental illness (National Institute of Mental Health). Examples
of Individual Causes involve mental illness in which the victim acts with a disorder and a low
self esteem due to negative factors that arent easily handled or inevitable problems,
alcoholism or substance abuse are one of the main factors that lead to homeless by choice, all
of these actions can be put to a stop with a positive attitude towards problems (National
Institute of Mental Health). The consumption of drugs can lead to problems and arguments
with the family due to the rejection of help towards the addiction of drugs and alcohol, this
show that arguments and personal problems with family while having an illness can only
increase temper on someones stability. People who discontinue establishing their life,
keeping drugs and alcohol a solution to all their financial problems, and neglecting those who
offer help may not only lose their home but, they can also end up losing their family. Over
the last fifteen years, death in average for the homeless remains even lower than 47 years of
age (Homelessness 2011).About 38% of homeless people are dependents on alcohol and 26%
abused on other drugs (National Homeless). This shows that more than 50% of homeless are
alcoholics, and may end up with negative side effect towards the alcohol such as addiction
and illness. Keeping in mind that many homeless live on the streets, dangers are more likely
to occur when an individual is not cautious about his or her decision.
Structural causes of homelessness have to deal with the structure of economy which
includes unemployment, housing marketing and poverty (U.S department of housing).
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This involves the families income, weather its low or high, it also includes weather
the family will be able to support themselves with the earnings they receive. People who are
confident and work hard in order to have enough money, but have a really low income, may
end up only having enough money for food, it is even more challenging and complicated for
those who have a family to feed and and/or are single parents. In particular, structural
changes within the American economy over the last twenty years have had a profound impact
on the economic landscape of American society; this is mainly caused by the increase in
percentage of the amount of students finishing high school and college. Domestically, that
implies a shift away from relatively well-paying manufacturing jobs to minimum wage
service jobs and temporary or part-time positions. Problem handling can destruct a persons
budget up to a point where they dont have enough money to keep renting or buying their
house, which means that some people are unable to organize themselves financially (U.S
Department of housing).
Many people say Homeless need to find a job and establish their life, it is very
difficult for a homeless person to get hired by a company because they dont meet the
standards and requirements. Yes there was an opportunity for people to have succeeded
before being where they are today, but now seeing a homeless person who is misjudged by
their, not professional, appearance may frighten another person, this only makes it more
difficult for them to get a job and start over. There are many important facts to consider in
order for someone to have a stable home and enough money to reach their basic needs.
Collectively, more and more people have become incapable of earning enough, even with
several jobs, to provide themselves with the basic provisions of life. It is grateful to feel a
little compassion for those who made a wrong turn in life, the U.S and other states have had
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an immense increase in the amount of homeless each year. Many people who are homeless
live under freeways and unsuitable habitats; this can increase the amount of filth all around
the world. Homeless is not a choice, many people dont meet the criteria that they need in
order to have an established home.
According to the National Coalition, in the 19980s, the United States have had the
number of homeless increased due to a variety of factors for example, a decline in public
assistance, poverty, and foreclosure. There are many obstacles that lead to poverty; which is
one of the most recognized causes of homelessness. Homeless and poverty are inevitably
linked; poor people are frequently unable to pay for housing, food, healthcare and education.
It is important to understand that may people are forced to become homeless due to their low
income, medical issues, debts, family disputes etc. these difficult choices are made when
limited resources cover only some necessities, housing is an incredibly high proportion of
income that must be dropped if necessary to meet a persons needs.
Fewer jobs are being available to those who dont meet the standard of living. Factors
contributing to wage declines include a drop in the number of workers, decline in
manufacturing jobs and an expansion in low paying service employment. Since the amount
of people not being able to commit into having a balance financial status, homeless has lead
to an increase in the amount of sheltered homes. Homeless people cause an offense to the
community due to all the trash they leave on the ground and all sorts of bacterial and germs
that can lead to diseases.
In conclusion, there has been an increase in the amount of homeless people due to
many sorts of causes. Over the last decade, Florida has spent $5 million to repeatedly jail
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three dozen of homeless people for quality of life offenses. Many are not able to afford
housing, due to financial expenses, medical issues, natural disasters, low paying job, and
being unable to raise their family. All of these issues lead to poverty; it is understandable that
in order to survive in life, the way you present yourself to a company when you are looking
for a job, depends on whether you are hired or not. Many homeless people have trouble
finding a job, especially those who are trying to clean their criminal record. People who are
released from jail, the chances of finding a job are not that high. Sheltered homes also have
requirements; people who stay in sheltered homes must have children and are only allowed to
stay in sheltered homes until they find a permanent safe housing. Enough action has not been
done because we still see a numerous number of homeless people that struggle to save money
for their basic needs such as water, food, and other goods. Becoming homeless is not always
a choice, many people suffer from unexpected natural disasters, it is difficult for them to
move on and are sometimes forced to live on the streets without the help they need.
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Citations:
"Doorways for Women and Families." The Facts About Family Homelessness. N.p., n.d.
Web. 14 Apr. 2014. <http://www.doorwaysva.org/family-homelessness/the-facts-about-
family-homelessness/>.
"Homeless Assistance/U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD)."Homeless Assistance/U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD). N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
<http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/comm_planning/homeless>.
"Homeless Families with Children." National Coalition for the Homeless. N.p., n.d. Web.
13 Apr. 2014. <http://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/families.html>.
Kolata, Gina. "Drug Addicts Among the Homeless: Case Studies of Some 'Lost
Dreams'" The New York Times. The New York Times, 29 May 1989. Web. 13 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.nytimes.com/1989/05/30/us/drug-addicts-among-the-homeless-case-studies-
of-some-lost-dreams.html>.
"Natural Disasters - Lessons Learned." Natural Disasters - Lessons Learned. N.p., n.d.
Web. 14 Apr. 2014. <http://www.npach.org/lessons-learned.html>.
"One County Spent Over $5 Million Jailing Homeless People Instead Of Giving Them
Homes." ThinkProgress RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.
<http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2014/02/05/3228801/osceola-county-homelessness-
criminalization/>.











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