Essay on Poverty and Homelessness in America

Homelessness and substance use disorder

In the 1980s, homelessness reached a severe level and has become a major social and public health issue. Each day, homeless individuals grapple with a myriad of difficulties, such as lack of employment, housing, and food. For many, substance abuse can add to a list of problems such as: exacerbating their situation, leading to incarceration, mental disorders, and even death. A rising number of the population turn to drugs or alcohol to cope with their situation, often leading to full-fledged addiction. Substance abuse can lead to poor physical and mental health, which makes obtaining employment or residential stability difficult. There are roughly 553,000 people currently experiencing homelessness in America. And out of those 553,000 people, 38% were dependent on alcohol, and 26% abused other drugs.

Causes of homelessness

There are many reasons for someone to be living on the street. Someone’s employment status is a big factor. Not having a job means no income. No income can lead to unpaid bills which end in eviction. Sometimes even having a job can’t guarantee not living on the streets. Minimum wage jobs aren’t enough to live stably, especially if someone has a family to support as well. And renting isn’t easy either, people typically must pay for the first month and last to rent. Which is difficult for someone who doesn’t have that saved up. So, a lack of a well-paying job can result in someone becoming homeless. Another reason someone might become homeless is because they’ve been disconnected from others. “Low-income people who have family ties, teen mothers who have support systems, mentally ill individuals who can maintain social and family relationships, alcoholics who are still connected to their friends and jobs, and even drug addicts who manage to remain part of their community do not become homeless. Homelessness occurs when people no longer have relationships.” (Baum, sec. “Homelessness and Its Causes). Having those connections is a big reason that someone isn’t on the streets, they have a place to go and stay when times get rough. Not everyone can say they have that. “However alcoholism, drug addiction, and mental illness are conditions that, if left untreated, propel people into a downward spiral. Impaired by the effects of alcohol, drugs, or psychosis, they cannot work or continue relationships with others, so they drift away from settled society, which, at the same time, rejects them; thus, they become homeless.” (Baum, sec. “Homelessness and Its Causes”). One doesn’t have to have some sort of addiction or mental illness to be disconnected from their family, but not having anyone to help can make anything difficult. Violence and addiction are more causes that lead to homelessness. If domestic violence is occurring and the victims leave, they typically don’t have anywhere to go, which is why shelters take women and children in first. If someone has an addiction, then their only focus is to fulfill their addiction. Meaning doing whatever is necessary to continue, could mean spending all their money on their addiction. Those are just some of the causes of homelessness.

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Demographics of homelessness

Homelessness is not something that targets a specific group of people. Realistically it can happen to anyone, no matter the gender or race. Our first group to discuss is single adults. They experience a state of homelessness the most, as well as being the largest population - about 372,417 recorded on a single night. From the National Alliance to End Homelessness, it is shown through studies that 70% are men, 29% are women, and the remaining 1% are transgender or gender non-conforming. Becoming homeless can happen for a multitude of reasons; a lack of affordable housing, inadequate incomes, and even a small crisis - whether it may be losing a job or a medical emergency. Nonetheless, single adults are known to not be homeless for very long, contrary to the stereotypes they face daily. They also do not have issues involving chronic mental illness, substance abuse, or other impairing ailments. The next group involves our veterans, with statistics showing around 37,085 homeless – 22,740 being sheltered and 14,345 having nowhere to go. Coming back from deployment after seeing rough and horrific events and then interjecting back into society is very difficult. They must navigate finding affordable housing, health care access, and a livable income - which ultimately become factors of homelessness for them. Obtaining steady employment is also a struggle because whatever they learn within the military cannot be transferred to the civilian workplace. This ends up leaving them with a significant disadvantage. Not only that but those defined as at-risk show effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse, as well as a lack of family or a dependable support system. According to research, it 'indicates that those who served in the late Vietnam and post-Vietnam eras are at the greatest risk of becoming homeless”, and for the more modern-day soldiers, “Veterans returning from deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq often face invisible wounds of war, including traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder, both of which correlate with homelessness”(2019). From a more internal perspective, what people on the outside do not see are the stressors they face. Around 45% have some form of mental illness, anxiety, depression, visible and invisible wounds, and new addictions - 70% of the population have drug or alcohol problems - caused by self-medication constantly plague them. Therefore, we cannot expect all of them to come back from a tour and be completely normal without considering all the trauma they have experienced. Another group experiencing homelessness is the youth of this country. Commonly seen as eighteen and under, they lack parental, foster, or even institutional care that would help them stay afloat in society. Statistically, an estimation from The National Center for Housing and Child Welfare shows around 1-1.7 million youths without a home. Family problems, residential instability, and even economic problems are some causes of homelessness. Interviews conducted by the US Department of Health and Human Services show that 51.2% were asked to leave by a parent or guardian, 24.7% could not find employment, 23.8% were either physically beaten or willingly left because of a caretaker's addiction to alcohol or drugs, and 17% were sexually abused by a household member. Economically, they can struggle with no medical insurance, insufficient wages, or inadequate welfare benefits. Overall, being homeless can have a detrimental impression on them. Typically, symptoms such as increased serious health risks, higher levels of emotional and behavioral problems, and the possibility of being expelled or dropping out of school are shown. Lastly, women can also suffer from an epidemic like this. The leading causes of a woman becoming homeless involve domestic violence and sexual violence. According to a report from the National Center for Children in Poverty, around 80% of women with children have gone through some form of assault or abuse. Mental illness is another factor of homelessness. Statistics reveal about 25% of those in shelters have some form of a mental illness, while at least 50% have a diagnosis of a major depressive disorder. A diagnosis of HIV or AIDS is very common with homelessness. Taken to the USC Department of Nursing website, “data from the aforementioned Point-in-Time survey show that, on a given night in 2018, more than 10,000 people experiencing homelessness reported having HIV/AIDS” (2019). Taken to that same website, a “disproportionate number of those without housing have a substance use disorder, making it more likely that they will contract HIV” (2019). Women may have it the hardest out of all the demographics mentioned because they cannot simply look after themselves if they have one or more kids. Around 85% of homeless families are led by women and obtaining that extra help for childcare becomes difficult when they have little to no networks.

Types of drugs used by the homeless population

Alcohol use is most common amongst older homeless folks. It’s easily accessible to them. Pamela Fischer and William Breakey, two leading researchers who have studied alcoholism among the homeless, suggest that “the most rigorous research shows that up to two-thirds of the homeless suffer from alcoholism; however, given the wide variations in the research, the consensus is that approximately 40 percent of homeless adults have significant alcohol problems.” (Baum, sec. “The Realities of Homelessness”). That’s almost 50 percent. Almost 50 percent of homeless adults have some sort of alcohol problem. It’s an escape for them, an escape from the reality of their current situation. Oxycodone, hydrocodone, and hydromorphone are prescription opioids commonly used by homeless teens and adults. Not only has prescription drug abuse become increasingly common, but it is also very easy to get ahold of. In a study shown on www.sunrisehouse.com, “...among 457 homeless youth living in Los Angeles, 22 percent were currently abusing prescription drugs” (2019). Other drugs being abused include heroin and cocaine. In an article published by Dr. Keerthy Sunder, MD, DFAPA, women are shown to have more of an addiction to heroin and cocaine than men do. His study shows that “...homeless women are more likely than men to abuse heroin and crack cocaine” (Sunder, 2019). In a statistical perspective, 33% of women had confessed to abusing heroin while about 28% of men had admitted to it. For crack cocaine, 31% of women admitted to abusing the drug, and a close 29% of men admitted to using it as well.

Mental state

Mental illness is something commonly seen in people on the street. “At least one-third of homeless people suffer from severe and persistent chronic psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia and manic-depressive illness” (Baum, sec. “The Realities of Homelessness”). As discussed earlier, if there isn’t anyone to care for these mentally ill folks then they’re stuck living on the streets. Their mental state only worsens from lack of treatment. The person standing on the street engaged in a conversation with themselves is suffering from some sort of mental disorder. Now not everyone living on the street has a disorder but living on the street does worsen your mental health. All the crude comments made toward someone who is struggling, being called worthless, a drug addict, lazy, or a nobody isn’t healthy to hear. Living on the streets worsens someone’s current mental state.

Legal issues homeless people face

Just because someone is homeless doesn’t mean they don’t run into issues with the law. The majority of people living on the street have encountered some sort of disturbance with the police. Whether it was the officer issuing a warning or giving out a ticket. The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty (NLCHP) surveyed the Holy Apostle Soup Kitchen, in New York City, on January 26, 2018. The survey was taken by 90 homeless people and it was over the interactions they have had with police and the results. “Our survey data indicate that homeless persons often experience harassment and arrest for activities that are required of individuals to exist: sleeping, eating, needing to go to the bathroom, or just being in a place.” (NLCHP 2018, 5). Not everyone can get into a shelter to spend the night in, so some people must sleep outside on the floor or on a bench in a park as their last resort. In one of the articles, there were graphs with data collected. One of the bar graphs showed that sleeping had the highest amount of arrests, followed by loitering. So, lack of enough beds in shelters leads to people sleeping outside which results in expensive tickets or police arrests. “Penalizing people experiencing homelessness by imposing high fines for minor violations and civil offenses merely adds to the financial burden on low-income individuals already lacking the resources to pay for their most essential needs” (NLCHP 2018, 7). If a high fine isn’t paid, then a warrant may be issued for the arrest of the person who failed to pay. Getting arrested means receiving a criminal record. A criminal record follows a person their whole life. “A criminal record may also cause a homeless person to be rejected by private employers who inquire about prior arrest on job application forms. Moreover, potential employers frequently run criminal background checks and may choose not to hire anyone with a criminal past, even where the facts of the underlying crime have no bearing on the person’s ability to perform the job.” (NLCHP 2016, 36). With employers reserving the right to reject an applicant who has a criminal record it makes it more difficult for someone to get a job. Leaving them without employment and keeping them in their current lifestyle.

Common stereotypes about homelessness

We see them as a crowd, one entity; we call them the homeless as if it identifies who they are. What most forget is that they are also people. Those experiencing homelessness not only face personal and economic issues, but they must deal with a great amount of discrimination. There is a perception of homeless people in our society that is created about them that has been held up by many assumptions made by people. These misconceptions are dangerous and can lead to interference in trying to help. First, people believe that homeless people are taking advantage of the system. However, a small amount of homeless people receive help from the government. “The largest part of government assistance includes either disability benefits in the form of Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, or welfare benefits in the form of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, or TANF. The current maximum TANF benefit for a single mother of two is 29 percent below the federal poverty level.” (Bolster, 2011, p.1). Although some families qualify to receive help from the government, a small percentage receive the aid. Another assumption is that those who are homeless choose that lifestyle. According to the National Coalition to End Homelessness, the top five reasons for homelessness are lack of affordable housing, lack of a living wage, domestic violence, medical bankruptcy, and mental illness. Those reasons have nothing to do with choice. Next, people believe that homeless people are all criminals. Sadly, homeless people are more likely to be accused of a crime than being responsible. Those who are homeless are simply trying to survive on the streets without getting hurt. However, other homeless people do commit violent crimes. For example, a study done by Johns Hopkins University found in reviewing arrest records in Baltimore that although homeless people were more likely to commit non-violent and nondestructive crimes, they were less likely to commit crimes against persons or property. They found that for persons who were not homeless, 35 percent of crimes were crimes against property or person. For homeless individuals, on the other hand, only 25 percent of crimes committed were against persons or property. These common stereotypes do not justify who homeless people are just on what people see on the streets because everyone has their own story.

Solutions for the homeless

While people are living on the streets, others are working towards aiding their needs. According to The United States Interagency Council of Homelessness, “As of January 2018, Illinois had an estimated 10,643 experiencing homelessness on any given day, as reported by Continuums of Care to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Of that Total, 1,223 were family households, 804 were Veterans, 684 were unaccompanied young adults (aged 18-24), and 1,625 were individuals experiencing chronic homelessness” (USICH, 2018, p.1). Those statistics prove the shocking crisis of homelessness in Illinois. Other areas of the world are affected by high numbers of homelessness such as California, New York, Florida, and Texas. Luckily, there are places seeking to help the homeless and help them as much as they can. Although, while they are using drugs it is more difficult because they may abuse systems such as social security and housing. Many programs are seeking to help homeless people and government websites are made so that the public can be informed about how to volunteer at locations near them. There are worldwide agencies such as YMCA, Feeding America, United Way, Mercy Housing, and Goodwill. These agencies all have websites that can be visited by those who want to help the homeless. United Way is a program that Focuses on education, income, and health, they partner with schools, government agencies, businesses, organized labor, neighborhood associations, faith groups, and more to help people succeed. Next, the YWCA works to address the unique needs of those living in poverty and strives for outcomes that increase emotional and economic self-sufficiency. Feeding America is a network of more than 200 food banks that feeds more than 46 million people through food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and other community-based agencies. Mercy Housing provides affordable housing and supportive services for low-income families, seniors, and people with special needs. Once housing needs are met, the nationwide nonprofit organization additionally assists with health and wellness support, children’s educational needs, job readiness, and financial literacy. Money raised through donations of new and gently used goods to Goodwill stores benefits people in need through employment training, job placement services, financial education, youth mentoring, and more. Volunteering opportunities include helping veterans build workforce skills, teaching English as a Second Language, mentoring students, and more.