According to sociologists, there are chances for people to become homeless depending upon the circumstances that people live in. Such circumstances could result from factors emanating from the prevailing social structure or due to personal problems. This paper will examine the different causes of homelessness as also its impact on individuals and families.
The issue of homelessness has become a matter of growing concern throughout the world. Different factors are responsible for the problem which are deeply ingrained within the structure of society. Homelessness basically implies living without a home, whether it is on the streets or in shelter homes. Individuals, as well as families of any nationality or background, can become homeless and there are two reasons for getting into such conditions. One is the inherent society-based circumstances that prevail for an individual in terms of minimum wages, absence of public and government support, and absence of mental health service. Second is the presence of too many personal problems being faced by the individual by way of lack of willingness to work, habit and involvement in substance abuse, and lack of financial resources.
In very simple terms, individuals and families become homeless when they become unable to afford housing and this occurrence happens mostly amongst the poor strata of society in the country. It is for this reason that theorists and economists foresee a direct link between the present pattern of increase in poverty and the increase in the incidence of homelessness. Personal and structural dynamics account for the differences in the prevalence of homelessness between different sections of people that live in poverty. Shortage and high cost of housing and the increasing cost of health care are becoming the main reasons for homelessness amongst people in most parts of the developed world. Several people also become homeless due to natural disasters and unexpected emergencies which make people unable to cope with the sudden occurrence of tragedies. For example, millions of people were displaced and became homeless in 2005 due to Hurricane Katrina.
Homelessness has very serious adverse consequences for the child’s education. Homeless children are traumatized because of the stigma attached to their condition and they feel humiliated in accepting the conditions that they live in. Some families that are homeless do not support children in reporting their homeless status to authorities thus depriving them of the educational facility provided by the community. As a consequence, many such children suffer from behavioural problems and lag behind their peers, primarily due to irregular attendance in schools. A direct consequence of homelessness is the criminalization of homeless people.
Homelessness adversely impacts the emotional and physical health of individuals. Women, men and children that are homeless often suffer from ailments such as colds and fever which become difficult to get rid of in view of lack of access to medical facilities, grocery provisions and warm houses. They are more prone to be dependent on alcohol and drugs and run the risk of contracting HIV and other diseases. They suffer from sleeplessness and have vitamin insufficiency which further erodes their power to resist infections. Homelessness can be temporary when families get displaced for a short period, or due to circumstances that compel people to leave their homes for some time. Individuals who are unable to arrange a house for a long period are the ones who are unable to get back to their feet and hence become homeless permanently and suffer from the adversities of such conditions. In the absence of houses to protect them, homeless people are often raped and physically assaulted and abused. Such circumstances often result in emotional breakdowns amongst such individuals and families, thus forcing them to become institutionalized. If they do not get institutionalized, behavioural symptoms develop that make them be presented before the judiciary.