Introduction
Homeless people are those with no physical shelter. Major cities in developed countries have considerable number of homeless people. Definitions of homelessness vary between countries and organisations. In Canada, most of the homeless people are considered as “normal forks who fallen through safety net” (Hargrave, 2005).
The number of homeless people has rapidly increased in the last three decades. The threat of becoming homeless is not to the jobless only, but those with jobs too (Hunting, 2000). This paper highlights several impacts of homelessness on the homeless and its causes.
Demographics
There are between 100 million and 1 billion homeless people in the world depending on the definition. There is rising number of children, families and older people but the number of teenagers is decreasing in Australia.
Male constitutes 75-80% of homeless people. In 1987, the number of homeless people in Canada was between 100,000 and 250,000 out of a total population of 28 million people (Hargrave, 2005). The number increased rapidly in 1990s. In Australia, the number was about 150,000 in the whole country in 2006 (Thompson, 2007). Women constitute about a third of homeless people in Germany. In the United States, there over 700,000 homeless people.
Impacts of homelessness
There are several negative impacts of homelessness to the homeless people. In some cities, homeless parents have reported difficulty in controlling their children. There is increased conflict between children in temporary shelters than those in regular homes. Homeless people loose their human dignity. They are confronted with stress and trauma leading to emotional distress. Children do not understand the dramatic events and are worst affected with distress (Zima, et al, 1994).
Children born to homeless parents have difficulty in growth. Most of the children die within the first twelve months (Fierman, et al, 1991). Academic and cognitive development of homeless children is hampered. They perform poorly in schools because of their mobility. Most of them change schools at least twice a year.
Some homeless people resort to drug abuse. With frequent use of drugs, they end up becoming addicts. They do not have enough money; therefore, they use cheap and easily available drugs and alcohol. Some of these drugs have lethal effects on human health when used frequently (Lawless, & Corr, 2005).
To survive hard economic times, homeless people have to earn money to buy food. Since most of them do not have regular jobs, they end up engaging in criminal activities. Some young homeless women end up in prostitution.
Physical health of homeless people deteriorates due to exposure to harsh environmental conditions. They suffer respiratory diseases because of cold at night. Sometimes exposure to harsh weather condition leads to death. In winter 1996/1997, 27 people froze to death on streets of Germany (Bistrich, 1999).
Causes of increase in homelessness in recent years
The increase in homeless people can be attributed to several reasons. According to Bistrich (1999), some of the homeless are evicted by their landlords for rent overdue or conflict. Unemployment is the main cause of homelessness. In Canada, job losses and lay offs contribute much to homelessness (Hargrave, 2005).
Homelessness in most women is caused by divorce or separation from their husbands. Some flee abusive sexual relationships and end up being homeless.
Homelessness is not entirely caused by lack of money or employment. Some social, health and psychological factors contribute to homelessness. In his article Bistrich (1999), indicated that about 30% of homeless people where raised in children’s homes or by parents who are psychologically unstable. Some of the homeless were raised by alcoholic parents. Another 20 to 30 % have criminal back ground or have been jailed in the passed. These contribute to the rise in homelessness.
Difference between homeless in developed and developing world
Unlike in developed countries, homeless people in developing world face all kinds of social abuse. They are evicted, arrested, harassed and abused (Bibars, 1998). They are victims of crimes rather than perpetrators. In developing world, homeless people are not given temporary accommodation by authorities. They live on the streets begging.
The causes of homelessness are totally different in developing countries. Most homeless people migrated from rural areas to escape poverty. They earn little money from unskilled jobs. They prefer to sleep on the streets or in temporary structures to save money for food and send to their families in rural areas. The homelessness is caused by failure of housing supply systems to address the need of rapidly growing urban population (Springer, 2000).
In developing countries, homeless people do not access health facilities like those in developed countries. Most developed countries have mobile clinics specifically for homeless people. Homeless people are provided with shelter by local authorities in industrialized countries. In developing countries, they are not.
Conclusion
Impacts of homelessness are severe especially to children. The situation can be reduced if authorities develop policies which cater for the poor and homeless in the society. Some cities have developed plans to ensure that in the next few years there are no homeless people. However, most do not have the necessary structures. Both governments and humanitarian organisation have roles in reducing homelessness.
References
Bibars, I. (1998, April). Street Children in Egypt: from home to street to inappropriate institutions. Environment and Urbanization, 10, 201 – 216.
Bistrich, A. (1999). Homelessness in Germany: The visible form of true poverty. Web.
Fierman, A. H. et al. (1991, November). Growth delay in homeless children. Pediatrics, 88, 918-925,
Hargrave, C. (2005). Homelessness in Canada: From housing to shelters to blankets. Web.
Hunting, N. (2000, June 18). A home should be an inalienable right. Santa Cruz Sentinel, pp 15.
Lawless, M. & Corr, C. (2005). Drug Use Among the Homeless Population in Ireland. Dublin: NACD.
Thompson, D. (2007). What do the published figures tell us about homelessness in Australia, Australian Journal of Social Issues, 32, 3.
Springer, S. (2000). Homelessness: a proposal for a global definition and classification. Habitat International, 24, 475 – 484.
Zima, B. T. et al. (1994, February). Emotional and behavioral problems and severe academic delays among sheltered homeless children in Los Angeles County. AJPH, 84, 260-264.