Running Head: Dangers and Challenges of Homelessness 1

Dangers and Challenges of Homelessness

Rosa Lopez

Edina High School

Mrs. Mohs
Running Head: Dangers and Challenges of Homelessness 2

There are many dangers and challenges homeless people face everyday. They are people just like

everybody else. People, that for a variety of reasons, are in a financial crisis. These are people

who we should be taking care of as a society. Homeless people face many problems not just

being unable to find a home. They are often faced with many social disadvantages also, reduced

access to private and public services and reduced access to vital necessities like limited access to

education, reduced access to health care, dental services, and also not being seen as suitable for

employment. People dont see the complexity of homelessness but there are a variety of different

causes and stories for each of these individuals.

As a community we should be able to provide homes for the homeless that they can afford. Not

only should we provide homes for families that are homeless but also for individuals. any

program that really want to end homelessness should also focus on the whole community,

include analysis of factors such as pay and job stability, family, individual trauma, and

availability of a continuum of available and affordable housing in the community. Housing the

homeless and chronically homeless cannot just be about creating separate but equal. (National

Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, 2016) Based on the information above not

only should we provide available and affordable homes but we should also provide jobs and see

what else we can provide for them. According to OToole, Pape, and Kane (2013), Ending

homelessness, the goal of the federal plan, requires clear vision and direction; strong partnerships

among federal, state, and local agencies; and service provider commitment. To develop the most

effective services toward this end, direct service providers must ensure that those programs,

developed to move homeless populations to community permanency, are implemented based on

deliberate models and research, and also modified and adopted to recognize and accommodate

the needs of the homeless individual. (pg. 1) Not only should homeless programs give them a
Running Head: Dangers and Challenges of Homelessness 3

temporary place to stay but find a way to give them a permanent home they will be able to

afford.

People who are homeless are not always in a financial crisis. Some homeless people were kicked

out or didnt want to be in their home because they had a mental illness. Studies suggest that

between one-quarter to one-third of people experiencing homelessness are affected by

schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, or bipolar affective disorder. Substance abuse is

consistently a strong predictor of housing loss and is also the most common comorbidity among

individuals who have severe mental illness. (Hwang, Stergiopoulos, OCampo, Gozdzik 2012

Pg.2) Based on the information above people experience homelessness because of their mental

illnesses. They also need to be taken care of because they are unable to take care of themselves.

According to Hwang, Stergiopoulos, OCampo, Gozdzik (2012), A 2007 survey of homeless

individuals in Toronto found that 35% self-reported a previous diagnosis of mental illness, with

the most common diagnoses reported being depression (17%), anxiety (11%), bipolar affective

disorder (8%), schizophrenia (5%) and posttraumatic stress disorder (5%)

Some people dont mind if they dont have a big house, expensive clothes, and all that stuff that

are supposedly better. According to Anderson (2010), a man named Jimmy Wayne spent

months walking from Nashville to Phoenix to raise awareness for teen homelessness. Wayne said

he met a family that lived in the middle of the desert with solar power and a windmill turning in

their yard. He said, That's all they had, no generators, no electricity, nothing-and they were so

happy! It reminded me that certain things matter and certain things don't." There are some people

who would much rather have their family then have material possessions. Money doesnt buy

happiness. What is more important is being with your family. It doesnt matter if you're poor or

rich, your family is more important.

Running Head: Dangers and Challenges of Homelessness 4

Some children take school and their home for granted. There are children who wish they had a

place to stay and call home. Some children wish they had a school where they can get their

education and become someone. Many children become homeless because of a family

breakdown, lack of affordable housing, unemployment among a family member, or abuse.

People see children in the streets and automatically think they are ditching school when in reality

they might have been kick out of their home or forced into prostitution to make money for their

family and provide food. According to Jewel (2007), That boy at your son's high school may

seem like a nice, average but he may have no home to return to after the school day: the point is,

these girls and boys do not live in the streets or become homeless by choice. The sad truth: many

of them feel safer there and, despite what many Americans think, this is not an easily

"correctable" condition, land of opportunity or not. (pg.58) I think that as a community we

should look out for the children that are in the streets. You never know if they could be in trouble

or need a place to stay. They shouldnt feel alone or be alone, they deserve to go to school and

have a home to call their own. There should be programs where they can talk to people and find

ways to help them find a safe home and a school they can attend.

However, there are kids who choose to leave their homes because they feel they can take care of

themselves. Some kids leave because of drugs, alcohol, depression, anxiety, and suicide. They

feel like they dont have anyone to talk to and they dont think their families can help. According

to Jewel (2007), Statistics show, for instance, that a majority of homeless children make it to

school, at least for a period of time. Our education system can become another lifeline for these

children in need. If safe shelters, counseling, and adequate support were more available for these

kinds of kids and. if we could put increased emphasis on job training programs, there would be

greater opportunities for homeless young people to graduate high school and build the skills they
Running Head: Dangers and Challenges of Homelessness 5

need to go on to live healthy and productive lives. (pg. 58) The government shouldnt be the

only ones that help the homeless. I think that the corporate citizens get involved as well. There

are a lot of ways to get involved. Volunteering, donating clothes and money are some ways

people can get involved.

Many people go to school and have a good home but somehow end up in a bad place later on.

According to Carlson (2016), A woman named Laura Cherne, was going to a nursing home,

Telling people -- and reminding herself -- that she had been accepted to the rigorous program at

Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis eased some of her shame about living

hand-to-mouth on public assistance, having a child with a man who was in and out of prison, and

taking a path in life less stable than those of her childhood friends. Later on, those plans she had

for herself didnt end up happening.

According to Carlson (2016), After high school, in 2005, she took a run at college, at Ball State

University. But her parents wouldn't co-sign a loan, she says, and within a few weeks, she had to

leave. She worked menial jobs, suffered from persistent health problems, and hung out with her

troubled boyfriend. She got pregnant, and he ended up back in jail. Three years ago, with big

hopes, Ms. Cherne decided to try college again. Today she has a full scholarship here at IUPUI, a

3.6 grade-point average, and a job as a peer mentor. But her margin is razor-thin. She shares a

two-bedroom apartment with her 4-year-old son, Izayah, and her father, a recovering alcoholic

with cerebral palsy. Her household budget is always in the red. Recently she learned that,

compared with her general-education courses, the nursing program would require higher fees and

more time driving back and forth to campus, threatening to sink her finances completely. I think

there should be programs that can help students pay for college or provide affordable housing for

them while they finish school. I dont think they should be handling this all on their own. Yes,
Running Head: Dangers and Challenges of Homelessness 6

there are students who have their parents to help them, but there are also students who dont have

that kind of support in their lives.

There are many solutions to homelessness, and many things we as a community can do to help.

According to Sanburn (2016), For decades, the U.S. approach to fighting homelessness went

something like this: treat issues first, offer housing later. It wouldnt be wise, the thinking went,

to let people who were mentally ill or abusing drugs common conditions among the homeless

into subsidized housing. Officials warned they would disrupt the community only to wind up

back in shelters. I think we should find a way to end homelessness for good. We should do more

than provide a home for them. I dont think that the people who are mentally ill or abusing drugs

should be the only one who should be helped. According to Sandburn (2016), For would-be

residents, though, its not as simple as being given a free home. There is an application process

and often a wait list, which generally prioritizes those who have been homeless longest. Anyone

who accepts a home can be subject to frequent check-ins by mental-health and substance abuse

counselors. But unlike more traditional subsidized-housing programs, residents are not required

to be clean and sober before entering or even while theyre being housed. They just cant engage

in criminal activity, like selling drugs. This doesnt sit well with housing-first critics, who say the

programs reward bad behavior and allocate taxpayer money to efforts that might enable

alcoholism and drug abuse. Some have also attacked housing first for not doing enough to

address the other issueslike a lack of education and job trainingthat contribute to

homelessness. And at a time when few cities and states are running a surplus, the programs are

often seen as prohibitively expensive. I think that there should be security in the housing

programs where people are drug users, are dealing with depression, suicide, or have a mental

illness. What I disagree with is that there shouldnt be a wait list or an application process. I
Running Head: Dangers and Challenges of Homelessness 7

think that once there's a person who is in need of a home there should be one waiting for them

right away and take care of the rest later.

In conclusion, every homeless person has a different story to tell, not all of them are the same.

People should see the complexity of homelessness and do anything they can to help them. People

shouldnt just help them find a home and leave them just like that. They should be taken care of

because they have feelings too. Homeless people are just like us and have the right to be heard.

Reference page
Running Head: Dangers and Challenges of Homelessness 8

Many paths, one destination by National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials

(2016)

http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=6950a9d5-0dde-4d13-a579-

5923165aa1e7%40sessionmgr101&vid=4&hid=130

Ending homelessness by OToole, Pape, Kane (2013)

http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=f55995ff-07e0-49a2-89db-

f018fe7f46bc%40sessionmgr4009&vid=5&hid=4107

Ending Homelessness among people with mental illness by Hwang, Stergiopoulos, OCampo,

Gozdzik (2012)

http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=8c3a77fa-e758-496f-a7c1-

610988906685%40sessionmgr4006&vid=5&hid=4107

The Walk That Changed My Life by Danielle Anderson (2010)

http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?sid=8b4e9cb6-eab3-448b-a9f3-e10a6f602d7d

%40sessionmgr4009&vid=5&hid=4107&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d

%3d#AN=59702550&db=aph

Street Life Is No Life For Children by Jewel (2007)

http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=5f4c8d5d-81c8-4c3d-b1e4-

3362308a4b48%40sessionmgr4006&vid=4&hid=4107

On the Path to Graduation, Life Intervenes by Scott Carlson (2016)

http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?sid=d6086a45-f88d-41ac-8c96-4dd9f1d7dafb

%40sessionmgr104&vid=5&hid=130&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d

%3d#AN=113575184&db=aph

The Radically Simple Solution to Homelessness by Josh Sanburn (2016)

Running Head: Dangers and Challenges of Homelessness 9

http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=b17b2bce-bbbb-4524-a0d1-

ab68c6523065%40sessionmgr105&vid=5&hid=130