Homeless Drug Analysis

Improved Essays
What Home Really Means. Homelessness has always been a plague upon humanity. The homeless are seen as disgusting and pitiful, lesser beings of society. In many tourist traps, the homeless are oppressed by the police; no matter where the homeless go they receive mounds of tickets for living their lives (Nagourney). By 2014, many cities had made it a crime to sit on the sidewalk (Nagourney). Some of these people do not want to be homeless, but they have no choice in the matter. Oppressing the homeless does nothing but cause violence and discord. The truth lies in our government system. In Los Angeles, California the average rent has gone up twenty-eight percent since 2000, and at the same time tenant income has dropped eight percent (Murray). How is a person supposed to pay rent with less income? The answer is they can not, but who cares? That is the problem, there should be more care and consideration for the homeless in this society; they are persecuted by unfair laws, struggle with drug and/or physical abuse, or suffer from mental illness with no help from society. When dealing with homelessness, a family environment can become riddled with much stress and anxiety (Swick). Having this stress and anxiety could lead to tensions getting high and a potential falling out between family members. If the family is fleeing from an abusive home life, it can oftentimes be more difficult to find a steady home. Some families go into homeless shelters for a time until they are able get their bearings once more. In 1992 in New York City, a survey found that one in every five women in shelters had either been physically or sexually abused; also in New York City and a vast amount of other cities, the homeless struggle due to dozens of afflictions including: poverty, mental illness, sexually transmitted illnesses, domestic violence, and lack of education (Dugger). However, the women aren’t the only ones affected by the violence. Violence is recognized as a key element in homeless families with young children--out of several studies in 2006, thirty to seventy percent of homeless families list violence as a cause or key factor of their homelessness (Swick). Just as well, when children are in high stress situations, they tend to internalize aggressive and antisocial behavior patterns and often externalize these as disruptive behavior (Swick). When this happens, it can affect the children throughout their entire life. Being exposed to any form of violence can have long-term affects on how the children will live. In males ages fifteen to twenty-four, there are higher homicide rates in the United States than in fifteen other countries (Swick). When a person is engaged in acts of violence, they begin …show more content…
When homeless or on the verge of financial ruin, turning to drugs can often make the situation take a turn for the worse. As a homeless person, drug addiction becomes a key factor of life (Kolata). Just as domestic violence can affect homeless families, so can substance abuse. It has been found in many cases that addiction can cause poor families to be forced into living on the street (Kolata). In 1992, four to ten homeless families listed having either a mental health or drug problem in the family (Dugger). On the contrary, in 1992 Andrew Cuomo, the New York City commision head, called for a complete overhaul of the city’s shelters--shelters that offered special services, would now have to give permanent housing to people who would complete drug use training or treatment (Dugger). This began the separation of homeless people who used drugs, and homeless people who did not; allowing the United States government to further help homeless people who had not been abusing substances. However, there are still a select few people who slip through the cracks of the system, and refuse to give up on their addiction. Still in 1992, out of 525 shelters including those for people with special needs, sixty-five percent tested positive for drugs, mainly cocaine, or alcohol-- …show more content…
Although San Diego may not have been a success for the United States government, much of Connecticut was. In 2015, Connecticut made permanent housing for over 750 veterans (Quigley). Which may not be a whole lot in comparison to the total U.S. population, but even the smaller successes, are still

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    Dallas city leaders don’t perceive “homelessness as the problem; rather, they perceive the homeless as being the problem” (226). Their ignorance and restrictive mentality prevents any change, especially since they refuse to understand the full dynamics of the complex situation and their role in orchestrating it. Their “solutions” don’t involve the creation of shelters, more funding on social services, or even advocating for the development of affordable housing. Instead, they fixate on criminalizing them for engaging in certain behaviors to survive due to their incompetence. Evidently, this raises the question: “Why don’t political leaders create more shelters and programs to help the homeless instead of jailing them, when it is less expensive?”…

    • 1113 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Directed Self Placement In the articles, Homelessness Kills by Jan Gurley and Facts for College Students from the National Coalition for the Homeless they highlight the crucial issue of homelessness in San Francisco, as well as the nation. The fact of the matter, each of them state, is that simply ignoring the problem and not taking action toward the rising epidemic will only result in further damage to communities. Throughout both articles the authors emphasize the causes and the reasons as to why most people end up becoming homeless, as individuals and communities the focus should be on addressing the issues that lead up to homelessness as well as the public’s perception toward those already down that path. Preventing and addressing issues like domestic abuse and addiction that contribute to homelessness can greatly affect the growing rate, here Gurley explains the idea of slip towards the path…

    • 806 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Homelessness In Sacramento

    • 1646 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Urban Rejects: Why the Homeless Still Sleep on the Streets of Sacramento The existence of homeless people in our society is still apparent today. There are over 2,538 men, women, and children homeless in the Sacramento area, (Sacramento Steps Forward). Everywhere you glance around in our cities, parks, businesses, and streets it is more than likely that you will observe a homeless person grappling to live. Homelessness is not prejudice toward race, gender, or class.…

    • 1646 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In fact, the larger majority of homeless person who does not want shelter on the street, but they have no choice because they cannot afford the rent and forced to sleep on this poor…

    • 469 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Many Americans have several misconceptions about homelessness or homeless people. Homelessness affects people of all races, age, religions, and genders. The horrifyingly common belief that homeless people are all bums, criminals, drug addicts, and mentally ill that are trying to scalp off of government welfare programs, or the working-class’s pocket-money is not only dehumanizing, it is entirely incorrect. Additionally, the ideology that homelessness is just a housing problem or worse, a temporary condition that most people fall out of remains disturbing. These misconceptions are dangerous and interfere with any systemic attempts to help the homeless population.…

    • 903 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Geography Of Homelessness

    • 917 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Abstract: Homelessness in the United States is an important issue that in the past has been under studied. The homeless in the United States face the monumental problem of increased hostility from local governments and business owners who see the homeless as economic burdens. Homeless people also have the problem of not being able to meet basic needs. This paper explores the geography of homelessness and the multifaceted aspects that contribute to homeless. Introduction:…

    • 917 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    The steadily increasing rate of homelessness in Chicago is a social justice issue that is difficult to ignore. It is nearly impossible to walk down Michigan Avenue without noticing the countless shivering, hungry people begging for spare change. But the people we see on our everyday route to school and work are only a very small portion of the thousands of people suffering throughout the city. The National Health Care for the Homeless Council defines homelessness as “…an individual without permanent housing who may live on the streets; in a shelter, mission, single room occupancy facilities, abandoned building or vehicle; or in any other instable or non-permanent situation”(1). Chicagoans may think they know about the issue of homelessness…

    • 2068 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Anti Homeless Laws Essay

    • 1224 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Anti-Homeless Laws in America The homeless population has always been looked down on. They’ve suffered violence, taunting, starvation and a number of other ailments. In Cape Coral Florida a thirteen year old brutally stabbed fifty one year old Thomas Bergstrom in his tent at a ramshackle camp.…

    • 1224 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, “homelessness occurs when people or households are unable to acquire and/or maintain housing they can afford”. People who are living in poverty have the highest possibility of becoming homeless. Homelessness in America can be improved if the government developed employment, housing, and mental health assistance. Since 2007, the government has implemented several programs and in doing so, homelessness has been on a steady decline.…

    • 212 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    History Of Homelessness

    • 1340 Words
    • 6 Pages

    What’s the first thing that the human mind thinks of when the words homeless individual is brought up? Is it a middle aged man on the side of the road with ripped pants and a torn up coat, or is it a mother struggling to keep her family alive? It was recognized that the starting point of homelessness is followed back to when the pilgrims originated during the 1640’s, homeless people during this time period were considered dangerous and police were always on the hunt for them. In addition to this, towns during this time like Baltimore and Philadelphia had an increased number of homeless people than any town in America.…

    • 1340 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The rise of homelessness in America rises thirty-two percent as more families are getting thrown out of their homes and entering homeless shelters(nipped). Homelessness is not a temporary problem that policymakers can solve with just a piece of paper. Even with…

    • 1413 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Great Essays

    They identify policies as a key factor when addressing homelessness; they state that “Workable and effective policies addressing homelessness need to be based on a clear definition of homelessness.” They go on to state that “older outdated policies only address minimal issues of homelessness and failing to recognize the dynamics involved will result in less effectiveness. “Good practice” policy incorporates changing how homelessness is seen and by addressing the housing psychological and social needs of the homeless, as well as integrating across programs and increasing independence through capacity building.” Another key factor related to the homeless issue is inequality among residents. Greene, S., Pendall, R., Scott, M., & Lei, S. (2016) argue that “cities drive economic growth in high-income countries, creating hubs of innovation and generating an outsized share of national wealth.”…

    • 1442 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    However, it has been reported that people with substance abuse do not receive proper treatment due to high cost and lack of insurance. Since homeless population does not receive any financial support, insurance, or medical care, substance abuse treatments may be unattainable (National Coalition for the Homeless, 2009). It is important to understand that substance abuse may be the cause, or the result of homelessness, therefore, it is crucial to provide substance abuse treatments alongside with the social services that provide help with housing, employment, education and mental health (National Coalition for the Homeless, 2009). Another important step is homeless shelters. Throughout the United States, homeless shelters have many rules and regulations.…

    • 1263 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Have you seen camping tents on the sides of streets or highways and asked yourself, “how big is our homeless problem?” The problem of homelessness in the city of San Jose is drastically causing problems with no immediate plan to help out the homeless. An article in 2013 by Mark Emmons for TheMercuryNews.com, says the homeless numbers locally leave the San Jose/Santa Clara County behind some other bigger cities such as New York City, Seattle, and San Diego with 7,631 homeless people. San Jose is the capital of the Silicon Valley and has quickly grown into one of the richest and most expensive areas to live in throughout the years. The advancement in technology and innovation in the city, especially with many major tech companies like Apple and…

    • 1714 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Solutions To Homelessness

    • 828 Words
    • 4 Pages

    According to Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, the homeless population has gone up by 12% in the last two years in Los Angeles. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti already declared ‘state of emergency’ on homelessness in Los Angeles and he called for $100 million funding to deal with the emergency. Homelessness has been a stubborn problem in lots of countries and since the reasons behind homelessness are so complicated, most governments are unable to address the issue effectively. Now Los Angeles already has one of the largest homeless populations in the country, more than 44,000 homeless people, and the situation is getting worse due to rising rent, insufficient shelters, and increasing unemployment. It is very necessary to come up with…

    • 828 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays

Related Topics