Ill Persons Within The Homeless Population example essay topic

Homelessness is an ongoing problem for our society. Everyday we come to terms with the effects of it, but what about the causes? By definition, a person who is homeless lives in public. The lack and destruction of federal housing programs and increasing rents forced those who are homeless to do in public what everyone prefers to do in private. According to the website, National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, the Low Income Housing Information Service estimates that "there are twice as many low-income families searching for housing as there are units available", many of which are waiting on Section 8 housing, a list that could take up to six years or more.

The H.U. D Report, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, states that the lack of affordable housing is so tight that officials in the twenty-six cities surveyed estimate that low-income households spend almost half their income on rent. The rates for vacancies in this country run between two percent and about ten percent, and the rates of homelessness run under one percent (O'Flaherty 97). So the interesting question is why vacant housing units don't get matched with those of low income households? (O'Flaherty 98). "After a protracted last-minute budget fight with Congress in December, President Clinton signed legislation containing $1.7 billion in funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), the federal government's primary source of energy assistance for the poor. The amount represents a cut of $300 million from the $2 billion appropriated for FY 2000, the previous fiscal year", (Energy Assistance / LIHEAP).

The energy advocates are now worried that with the increased energy prices, the need for assistance will increase and there will not be enough money to help. The Department of Energy estimates that home heating oil prices could be 30 percent higher this winter than last, and that natural gas prices could be 40 percent higher (Energy Assistance / LIHEAP). The LIHEAP Coalition, an alliance of organizations that support LIHEAP funding, estimates that only about 13 percent of eligible families actually receive LIHEAP assistance now, and that this number would be expected to drop further under the amount Congress appropriated. Recent surveys indicate that in 1999, when heating bills were unaffordable, roughly 21-25 percent of LIHEAP recipients went without medical care and 12-13 percent went without food so they could cover their energy costs (Why are People Homeless?

). The national median housing wage, based on each county's housing wage for a two bedroom unit at the Fair Market Rent weighted by Census 2000 population figures, is $13.87 an hour, more than twice the federal minimum wage of $5.15 per hour. This means that on average, there must be more than two full-time minimum wage workers in a household in order for the household to afford a two bedroom housing unit at the Fair Market Rent (National Low Income Housing Coalition, 1998). That means that in order for a single parent to afford this living confinement, she / he would have to work 87 hours each week to afford a two bedroom apartment.

Our economy right now is at its lowest, and including people with degrees are finding it harder to get jobs. Not to mention the increased rate of layoffs for the Tech industry, which usually include packages for an estimated amount of time, and after that unemployment usually kicks in. There are assistance programs such as welfare. However, "The Welfare Act of 1996 was designed to move people from welfare to jobs. According to a letter to the Chicago Tribune, once they got jobs, they lost public assistance", explained Arlo a Sutter, executive director of Breakthrough Urban Ministries, which runs two Chicago shelters. Then when they lose their jobs, they find it is difficult to qualify for assistance again under the revised regulations.

The lower class of people are not the source to be worried about, because even though they may seem more susceptible to poverty, they still are eligible for all the programs and services which allow them to survive. Middle class people are more vulnerable to poverty because they supposedly make too much money. The amount to require for financial aid in college is under $10,000 a year, by then the person should already be homeless on that salary. Even with assistance, studies show "current TANF benefits and Food Stamps combined are below the poverty level in every state; in fact, the median TANF benefit for a family of three is approximately one-third of the poverty level.

Thus, contrary to popular opinion, welfare does not provide relief from poverty", (Published by the National Coalition for the Homeless, June 1999). Along with being incapable of paying for bills and receiving assistance, some other reasons behind homelessness are that many of them are mentally ill and don't evaluate and make rational decisions (O'Flaherty 99). Some of them are in charge in making the choices not only for themselves, but for their whole family as well. Studies show that the proportion of mentally ill people are between ten percent to thirty percent (O'Flaherty 227-28). "A new wave of deinstitutionalization and the denial of services or premature and unplanned discharge brought about by managed care arrangements may be contributing to the continued presence of seriously mentally ill persons within the homeless population" (Mental Illness and Homelessness). Many have chronic diseases such as arthritis, cancer, AIDS, etc, and according to the H.U. D report, 55% said they have no medical insurance.

According to the St. Mungo's research on homelessness, people who have a rough sleep, including sleeping on the streets or even sleeping in hotels have a rate of physical health problems that is two or three times greater than that of the general population. Chronic health problems include chest and breathing problems, wounds and skin complaints, musculo-skeletal problems and digestive problems. Also, an increase rate of Tuberculosis is two hundred times greater than that of the general population. Many people have problems with high blood pressure or are diabetic, and need constant doses of medication throughout their days. When there is no money for it they get sick. When a diabetic doesn't take his / her insulin properly it results in hyperglycemia.

The symptoms are often confused as being intoxicated, and people who aren't familiar with these cases usually treat them like this. "At least ten million Americans at high risk for type 2 Diabetes can sharply lower their chances of getting the disease with diet and exercise" (16 vol 5, issue 5), but when a person needs to work two or three jobs a week, they don't have time for the adequate amount. Alcoholism however, is another type of mental illness, and according to the article titled, Closing in on Addiction, "In a given year, about eight million adult Americans meet clinical diagnostic criteria for alcohol dependence (alcoholism) and about six million meet clinical criteria for alcohol abuse", .".. at some part in their lives, 13 percent of Americans experience alcoholism and about 6 percent experience alcohol abuse" (18 vol 5, issue 5). Most drug and alcohol addicts never become homeless. However, people who are poor and addicted are clearly at increased risk. Among the primary causes of homelessness is abuse.

In the report titled, The Forgotten Americans- Homelessness: Programs and the People They Serve, it states that serious problems since childhood are common causes among homeless people with 25% reporting childhood physical or sexual abuse, 22% reported they were physically assaulted and 7% sexually assaulted. It also states that 38% reported an alcohol problem and 26% reported a drug problem. "According to data from the Administration on Children and Families, in 1998 there were an estimated 2,806,000 referrals of child abuse or neglect to relevant state or local agencies."Additionally, approximately 1,100 children died of abuse or neglect, a rate of 1.6 deaths per 100,000 children. Of all forms of abuse, about three quarters of the perpetrators were parents", (Almanac of Policy Issues: Child Abuse).

Domestic violence also plays a major role in abuse. Everyday families are separated or kept together by such violence. Children in these families have problems during school with concentrating on schoolwork and setting their frustrations on other students by getting into fights. Finding help usually requires separation or possibly prison, leaving the other to provide for the rest of the family on their own. So in all reality, the problem doesn't just lie at homelessness. Living expenses, the availability of aid and mental illness are all proven causes, and that is what should be helped and fixed.

Getting to the cause before the effect happens will prevent it from happening altogether.