Homeless Population
Throughout history, some groups have always been known to live in less-than-ideal conditions. One such group is the homeless people who live in a state of not having a home or a permanent place of residence. Based on the statistics from the National Alliance to End Homelessness (2022), about 580466 people were “experiencing homelessness on our streets and in shelters in America” as of 2020 (para. 7). From this, 70 percent represent individuals while remaining 30 percent comprised of people in families with children. Statistics further show that the at-risk population across the country increased by two percent between 2019 and 2020 (National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2022). The number decreased significantly to 326126 in the year 2021 (National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2022). According to Kapadia (2022), the current figures of this group are about half a million. Figure 1 and 2 below shows the changes in the trend of this population over the years.
It is clear from figure 1 and 2 that significant progress has been made towards reducing the state of homelessness. As evidenced in Figure 1, the groups that have witnessed progress include veterans and unaccompanied youth. According to Nelson et al. (2021), 83 communities and 3 states announced that they had eradicated the problem of veteran homelessness. Nationally, this group has been on a downward trend for the past ten years (Nelson et al. (2021). However, homeless individuals, as a group, have been left behind from this downward progress – the number has remained static over the years
Unsheltered homeless, as evidenced in Figure 2, has been on a downward trend from 2007 to 2015. In fact, by 2015, the number had dropped by nearly a third (Kapadia (2022). However, from 2015 to 2020, the figures started increasing slowly and steadily (Kapadia (2022). According to Kapadia (2022), “the number of unsheltered population surged by 30 percent, almost wiping out nearly a decade of reductions” (p.372). As of 2020, the number of people living unsheltered was as high as they were in 2007. It is important to note that fewer people were staying in shelters during the period leading to the pandemic –unsheltered homeless was on the rise during this period.
Person-In-Environment Factors
For the purpose clarity, Person-in-Environment looks at how the individual and the environment share a reciprocal role. According to Lei et al. (2021), Person-in-Environment “considers both the individual and the multiple environments with which and within which the individual interacts” (Lei et al., 2021). These factors include family, economics, resources, and life chances. These factors, as will be demonstrated, shape and contribute to the above statistics.
Family
Family is an important factor in the Person-in Environment and ultimately determines the number of homeless people. As evidenced in Figure 1, the number of people in families was at 110528 as of 2020. One of the most critical family issues that drive these numbers up is parental separation. As explicated by Moschion et al. (2019), separation requires some family members to move, which may create a financial shock. Individuals without enough savings or friends to help meet their daily needs eventually end up on the streets. Similarly, “low-income parents may be unable to afford secure and safe housing for their families and hence become homeless” (Moschion et al., 2019, p. 221). Most importantly, parental separation creates conflict between parents and children – this sometimes drives children out of home and end up on the street in a few years. Moschion et al.’ (2019), in their study, identified family breakdown as another contributing factor of homelessness. In the survey carried out by the authors, 62 percent of respondents who experienced homelessness cited family breakdown as the main cause (Moschion et al., 2019). However, additional research is required explore the direct link between parental separation and homelessness.
Economics
The common issue in economics, as a factor, relates to the ever-expanding gap between the real incomes and housing costs. According to Yoder Clark et al. (2021), 46 percent of Americans spent about 30 percent of their income on rent as of 2020. For instance, in Washington, renters, in order to afford a one-bedroom apartment at Fair Market Rent, are required to earn at least $ 17.26 per hour (Shinault and Seltzer, 2019). According to the authors, Washington is one of the top ten most expensive states for renters (Shinault and Seltzer, 2019). In the year 2020, the estimated population of residents experiencing homelessness was at 22923 as reported by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (2021). From this, 2116 were from family households and 1,607 represented the Veterans (States Interagency Council on Homelessness, 2021). The housing market has made it impossible for many people to buy a home and those who resort to rental face the same challenges.
Some scholars claim that there is a direct link between cost of living and homelessness. They cited prices of groceries, goods, and gas as major contributors of this state (Shinault and Seltzer, 2019). Today, those who visit local groceries never fail to notice a small increase in the prices of basic commodities. For those already struggling to purchase food, it is even getting more difficult to get what they need. Those who live in their cars often require a continuous supply of gas – they may move from one point to another at any given time (Shinault and Seltzer, 2019). However, as prices go up, most of them are unable to pay gas. Others are forced to spend the money they might be saving to buy a home just to maintain their temporary shelter. It is clear that the changes in the economy have seen the price of many services and goods go. This means that those without the ability to buy groceries, gas for their cars or afford rent are likely to end up in streets.
Resources and Life Chances
Resources comprises of anything that adds value to human life. The most basic resources include finances, physical space, water, and equipment. The problem that many people cripple with is the management of resources. Poor management of resources has driven people to bankruptcy and ultimately into homelessness. Kapadia (2022) noted that “32 percent of families facing homelessness were rejected by homeless shelters because of a lack of resources” (P. 372). The fact that some individuals lack enough resources is the reason why many people continue to sleep out in cold. Life chances, on the other hand, refer to the available opportunities of achieving positive outcomes. Some common examples of chances include succeeding in education and avoiding divorce. The findings in Kapadia’s (2022) study indicated that there is a direct link between low educational attainment and experiences of homelessness. In the survey carried out by Voices of Youth Count, the findings indicated that failure to finish high school is the greatest risk factor of experiencing homelessness (Morton et al., 2018). More specifically, youth who did not finish high school were four times more likely than their counterparts to experience homelessness.
The Dominant Culture in this Population
The dominant culture among this population is that most of them are violent, dangerous and lawbreakers. In the study carried out by Geldenhuys (2020), the findings indicated that homeless people feel anger and resentment at the rest of people in society because of their current position. Since most of them cannot adequately deal with frustrations due to their inability to change their situations, they end up directing the aggressive actions to other areas in life they feel they can control. This in essence explains why outbursts of violence towards mundane behaviors are relatively common. The disconnect come in where those in the mainstream culture view some actions as violent but to those in homeless culture, they normal. Simply put, violence is considered as a normal way of fixing a problem between individuals.
Therefore, by virtue of being regarded as violent and dangerous, most of them are marginalized by being denied employment as well as oppressed by the law enforcement agents. For instance, employers, once they see an address of a homeless shelter, they become reluctant to hire such individuals. For those who manage to get employed, their colleagues often look down at them – most of them give up hope of finding employment. According to statistics, unemployment among those who experience homelessness ranges between 57-90 percent compared to 3.6 percent in the general population (Geldenhuys, 2020). Many homeless people are denied jobs once the potential employers notices gap in their resumes or spot their address-or the lack of one.
In line with the above, homeless people are less privileged compared to the general public. The fact that they are associated with violence makes it harder for them to enjoy steady jobs, financial savings and assets, home equity, good credit, and higher education. They also have limited or lack access to consistent treatment and support network, especially those who suffer from mental health issues.
Personal Experience with this Population
I have interacted at a personal level with a few members of this population. While many people seem to avoid them, I came to realize that some of them are actually well-learned. In fact, there was this one guy that I will never forget who, after realizing I needed some help finding my way around town, came to me and offered to assist. I had gone to visit my uncle and since the place had changed so much, I got confused. The guy took me to the nearest shelter to book a train ticket to my final destination. On the way, we talked briefly, and I later realized that he had a university degree. I must admit that I felt true kindness and generosity after spending two hours with this guy. The one lesson he taught me is that some of the most basic services are the most important.
Misinformation about this Population
The one misinformation I do have about working with this population is that they are in this state because of the poor choices they made in life. In fact, this has been a challenge when working with adults who are homeless. Another misinformation I have against this group revolves around the idea that most of them prefer being homeless because of high cost of renting or buying a home. This misinformation come from the connotation that majority of the people in the society attach to the idea of homelessness. We are used to making predisposed conclusions whenever we see someone sleeping on the sidewalk – they are dirty or have a mental illness. At a personal level, the misinformation I have with these people stems from the issue of a single story. When I was young growing up, my parents used to warn us against interacting with homeless people – they always told us that such people are dangerous. I grew up knowing that all homeless people are bad and must always be avoided.
The best way of managing this misinformation is to have a clear understanding and awareness of them I work with an individual from this population. I believe this is a vital and valuable skill for me because it reminds me the need to treat others as I wish to be treated. Being aware of the challenges homeless individuals encounter will also ensure that I focus on their problems instead of who they are.
Additional Knowledge about this Population
The most important information that I need to know about this population is what happens to elderly people. While it might be hard to admit, most people require some form of assistance after the age of 65. It is important to note that as people get old, circumstances change even to those in the mainstream culture – most of them move to retirement communities, assisted living facility or nursing. All these privileges are for those in the mainstream culture –so what about those in the homeless culture?
References
Geldenhuys, K. (2020). From innocent children to dangerous criminals.Servamus Community-based Safety and Security Magazine, 113(5), 34-37. Web.
Kapadia, F. (2022). Ending homelessness and advancing health equity: A Public health of consequence.American journal of public health, 112(3), 372-373. Web.
Lei, J., Cai, T., Su, Z., & Huang, W. (2021). Examining the person-in-environment perspective among social work students in China: Individual-or society-orientation?Australian Social Work, 74(4), 505-518. Web.
Morton, M. H., Dworsky, A., Matjasko, J. L., Curry, S. R., Schlueter, D., Chávez, R., & Farrell, A. F. (2018). Prevalence and correlates of youth homelessness in the United States. Journal of Adolescent Health, 62(1), 14-21.
Moschion, J., & Van Ours, J. C. (2019). Do childhood experiences of parental separation lead to homelessness?European economic review, 11(1), 211-236. Web.
National Alliance to End Homelessness (2022). “State of Homelessness” Web.
Nelson, G., Aubry, T., Estecahandy, P., Laval, C., O’Sullivan, E., Shinn, M., & Tsemberis, S. (2021). How social science can influence homelessness policy: Experiences from Europe, Canada, and the United States. Part I–Problem and solutions. European Journal of Homelessness, 15(1), 131-157.
Shinault, C. M., & Seltzer, R. (2019). Whose turf, whose town? Race, status, and attitudes of Washington DC residents toward gentrification.Journal of African American Studies, 23(1), 72-91. Web.
United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (2021). “Washington homelessness Statistics”. Web.
Yoder Clark, A., Blumenfeld, N., Lal, E., Darbari, S., Northwood, S., &Wadpey, A. (2021). Using K-means cluster analysis and decision trees to highlight significant factors leading to homelessness. Mathematics, 9(17), 20-45.