Homelessness and the Cycle of Poverty - 717 Words

Webster’s dictionary defines the word â€Å"homeless† quite simply by â€Å"having no place to live†. Customarily a homeless person is stereotypically thought to be an older male like the â€Å"bum† on the street corner peddling for change. Although this problem is not only affecting adults but entire families including children. We are facing a growing epidemic of people all over the world being deprived of basic human needs such as shelter, food, water, and heath care due to the fact that they are unable to pay for it. What responsibility do we have in helping these misplaced individuals, if any at all? The staggering numbers of families living on the streets grows with each passing year. Those lucky enough to find temporary accommodations do so by staying in government funded housing, homeless shelters, or resorting to sleeping in their own vehicle. These solutions are only a short lived luxury and for many the next morning they are off again searching for another place to lay their head. Anna Quindlen, a novelist and social critic, stated in 2001 â€Å"there was a need for space for 10,000 children on any given night in the city of New York alone.† (316) Homeless children unfortunately are in the situation due to no fault of their own and have no power to change their dire circumstance. Quindlen adds, â€Å"Some contributing factors to single women being in the shelter system with their children are drugs, alcohol, and/or domestic violence.† (317) Many of these women are repeating the sameShow MoreRelatedEssay on Homelessness954 Words   |  4 Pages Homelessness nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Homelessness as an issue in todays society is largely ignored. To many, the problem of homelessness is invisible or barely noticed. When these people do see the homeless it is found in the form of beggars who need to â€Å"pull themselves up by their bootstraps† or mentally ill people who â€Å"just cant help themselves†. In either case the central point remains; the homeless must be people who are incapable or unwilling to help themselves. After all, wouldntRead MorePoverty And Poverty1721 Words   |  7 PagesOver the years, poverty has become an issue that is growing drastically and more people are starting to succumb to it and are falling below the poverty line. Poverty is like an epidemic that is constantly spreading because it has many causes to it. Poverty is the faceless enemy that exists in today’s society and targets those who are incapable of fighting against it and those who cannot support themselves. It is a never-ending nig htmare of living life in hunger, without shelter, being exposed toRead MoreThe Issue Of Homelessness Is Not A New Issue1432 Words   |  6 PagesThe issue of homelessness in remains an issue that is rarely acknowledged or discussed. Governments all around the world boast of all the work they are doing for their country, bringing up GDP, employment rate and promising even more. However, when the issue of homelessness is brought up, governments shy away, pretending that it is barely an issue in the country. Unfortunately, Canada is one of those countries. A study done in 2014 on the issue of homelessness in Canada found that approximately â€Å"235Read MoreHomelessness And Service Of Denver Colorado987 Words   |  4 PagesHomelessness and Service in Denver Colorado By Cali Arbuckle Hiking through Rocky Mountain National Park the beauty was overwhelming, the next day our team was serving in downtown Denver in a Street reach meal service to people suffering from homelessness. The beauty of the mountains was overwhelming but then we surrounded by this vast issue of homelessness. Both of these moving experiences, along with many other moments during the week, that made this trip personally impactful and helped me toRead MoreHomelessness in the United States952 Words   |  4 PagesThe purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of poverty on young children and their families. The focus will be on homelessness and how the child is affected in two major settings: the home, or lack of, and school. In both of these settings, children are impacted by different social forces and must push through barriers that are set before them given their circumstance. â€Å"Living without permanent, long-term housing creates a number of stressors for children and families, but being homelessRead MoreHomelessness And Poverty And Homelessness1699 Words   |  7 PagesCenter on Homelessness and Poverty 7) While a portion of today’s society turns a blind eye to the subject of the criminalization of homelessness, an even larger quantity of people are not aware of the situation that is happening in every major city of America. For those living an affluent lifestyle, it can be difficult to discuss the amount of poverty and homelessness that is constantly occurring. The definition and meaning behind the absence of home is also arduous to discuss. While homelessness is commonlyRead MoreSocial Issues Of The Community And One Of Them Is Poverty986 Words   |  4 PagesThere are many social issues in the community and one of them is poverty. In 2013, fourteen and a half percent of the people in the United States were in poverty (Feeding America). Poverty tends to result from unemployment, low income, or a lack of education (Poverties.org). To begin with, Poverty is a big social issue that needs to be stopped as it leads to crime, hunger, and homelessness. It can rot communities from th e inside out. If people could tackle this at home then they could more easilyRead MoreThe Serious Issues of Poverty and Homelessness in the US1313 Words   |  5 PagesPoverty and homelessness are serious issues in the U.S. today, especially because of the current recession, with levels of poverty and unemployment higher than at any time since the 1930s. Blacks and Hispanics are being affected disproportionately by homelessness, as well as poverty and unemployment in American society. This is just another example of the racial caste system and institutional racism that goes far beyond that of social class, and has always been the case in recessions and indeed withRead More How Many People are Homeless? Essay1591 Words   |  7 Pagesis misleading. In most cases, homelessness is a temporary circumstance -- not a permanent condition. A more appropriate measure of the magnitude of homelessness is therefore how many people experience homelessness, not how many people are homeless. Studies of homelessness are complicated by problems of definitions and methodology. This fact sheet describes definitions of homelessness, methodologies for counting homeless people, and recent estimates of homelessness. Additional resources for furtherRead MoreHomelessness and Childhood Development Essay976 Words   |  4 Pagesexperience homelessness in youth. Homelessness at such an early and integral stage in one’s life presents lasting consequences and we must work to better understand, prevent and reverse the effects of homelessness on children. â€Æ' Homelessness is a widespread issue that in recent years has only worsened with the downturn in the economy and a never-ending war. Of this very vulnerable population however there is within an even more vulnerable population, the children affected by homelessness. We as a society