Conrad Gagnon
Honors
9- Yellows
20
September 2012
Homelessness
The Solution of
If you could, would you live without
rules and debt, without having to serve anyone else? This is how many homeless
people see their lifestyle choice. Some homeless people would rather remain
homeless than get jobs, due to an ongoing problem with themselves or others, or
an overly rebellious will against the system. They may have escaped from an
awful situation, and would rather spend a life on the street than deal with
their past. Some may have wanted to release themselves from the structure and
servitude of daily life, and would rather leech off hardworking citizens than
work for their money.
In the early 1980’s homelessness became
a large problem in America. Pictures in the media of people living on the
streets of cities shocked citizens (Facts). Some politicians even slept in the
street so they could empathize with homeless Americans (Facts). In the 1990’s,
the horror and shock of this tragedy had worn out. It was more of a nuisance
than large problem. Beggars became increasingly more difficult to deal with,
and even though jobs were available, many people still remained on the streets
(Facts).Homelessness is when a person does not have standard housing unit, and
does not have the normal amenities we all have, such as bathrooms, showers,
beds, air conditioning, heating, and trash cans (Rossi). But what clearly
defines homelessness? Is living in a car homeless? What about a motel room, or
in an abandoned building? Is that homelessness? The line between homed and
homeless may not be as fine as we had thought it was. Going by the “normal”
definition of someone who is homeless (not having a home complete with working
plumbing and other standard amenities), the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that
the number of homeless people in America is between 600,000 and 900,000 people
in the 1990’s (Rossi). HUD says that in January of 2007, 666,295 people spent
the night on the street on average. In January of 2005, 754,147 people were
considered homeless (Rossi).The homeless population is so large, they have
begun to develop their own language and dialect (Hambrick).
Mental illness, drug and alcohol
addiction, unemployment, and a violent or abusive home life are all problems
that cause homelessness, in adults or children (Grolier). Some Americans
believe these unfortunates should be moved far away from largely populated
areas such as business and tourist areas. This idea is backed by many civilian
votes (Facts). Is this the true way to deal with homeless people though? Just
moving them around? If they are unruly, then yes, they should be moved. But is
it really the correct decision to move someone less fortunate with force?
Another way people deal with the homeless population is with caring and
kindness, but this has its own problem: leeching. A person lives off of other
people, in a parasitic fashion similar to that of a leech. If you supply a
homeless person with amenities such as money, they may abuse the gift with
drugs, or grow accustomed to merely begging for money instead of working.
Cities with large populations often have deployed “Street Support Teams” and
areas for homeless people to sleep. These “Street Support Teams” give homeless
people medicine, food, therapy, and other amenities (Hambrick). Some teams
provide electricity. Some homeless people even have televisions and free
electricity (Hambrick).
A lot of homeless people are trying to
escape the rules of others, in an extreme form of a rebellious attitude. They
refuse to go to shelters because and do not wish to integrate themselves back
into the working society (Hambrick). Drug addiction is also a large problem in
the homeless life. Though drug use is in decline, it is still a major problem
(Hambrick). Homelessness is now a standard part of any largely populated area.
Police are provided with training on how to attend to the homeless and those
who complain about them. Police will often pick up homeless individuals and give
them things that will help them, such as shelter and contact with housing and
job providers, along with social security providers (Hambrick). Most homeless
people will leave after they are released, but some may use these recourses
they have been provided with (Hambrick). Many cities have used auditoriums,
gyms, and armories into shelters for homeless people. Sadly, many homeless
people find that the street is a safer place to stay than a shelter, as many
homeless shelter-goers will rob other sleeping civilians, and the noise is just
too much for some other homeless people (Grolier).
Homeless is not always by choice though.
Some other things that cause homelessness are unemployment or a low pay rate,
which causes individuals or entire families to lose their homes (Grolier).
Prison reentry and military release are also causes of homelessness.
Astonishingly, only 18% of the homeless population are chronically homeless
(Rossi). Someone who is chronically homeless has either been homeless for more
than a year or has been homeless at least four times in three years (Rossi).
Moe jobs that can be for an
affordable shelter and basic amenities are the only real way to cure
homelessness (Grolier). In the Chinatown and Pearl District of Portland, $46.9
million dollars were spent constructing an eight-story Homeless Service Center
(Epstein). It is located in a part of the city that has a large amount of
illegal activity in it, such as drug dealing (Epstein). Most shops and
residences that were once in the area have moved away, though some still remain
(Epstein). It has one hundred and thirty permanent private apartment style
rooms, ninety shelter beds, and enough offices to hold 50 employees (Epstein).
Haircuts, job training, and therapy will also be provided (Epstein). The goal
is for anyone who checks in to the facility to no longer be homeless once they
leave (Epstein). The director of nonprofit organization Doreen Binder says that
the mission of the Homeless Service Center is to "move people from the
streets into safe, secure, permanent housing. Once that housing is obtained,
[the organization] will continue working with each person to assure that they
retain that housing." (Epstein). Many other classes are available, such as
writing, yoga, art, and nutrition, to provide support for the homeless community
in a very stereotypical “Portlandian manner” (Epstein). The Portland Homeless
Service Center is a prime example of how homelessness should be dealt with.
Those who would like to integrate themselves back into the working society and
economy will, and those who only wish to leech will not survive very long in
the harsh life of homelessness.
Works Cited Page
Hambrick,
Ralph S., Jr., and Gary T. Johnson. "The Future of Homelessness."
Society. Sept./Oct. 1998:
28-37. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 06
Sep 2012.
"Homelessness."
Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. Grolier Online, 2012. Web. 10 Sept. 2012.
Rossi,
Peter H. "Homelessness." Encyclopedia Americana. Grolier Online,
2012. Web. 10 Sept. 2012
"Homelessness." Issues & Controversies On File: n. pag. Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 21 Feb. 1997. Web. 12 Sept. 2012.
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