Homelessness

Homelessness

JuliAnne Grossman

Class: Composition Two

Harrison College

Professor Michelle Williams

Date: December 2nd, 2014

 Have you ever driven by a person asking for food or work, or walked by a person sleeping on a bench in the park? Have you seen people huddled up in alleyways around a metal bin trying to stay warm in their tattered clothes or people going through trash cans and/or dumpsters for treasures that can help them survive? Did you ever stop and wonder what happened or how many people are out there like that person? According to Statistic Brain, the number of homeless people in the United States is 1, 750, 00 people. For this presentation we will delve into the meaning of homelessness and what makes a person homeless, who they are and some facts about them, and then discuss how our nation is helping these people and what we can also do to help.

So what is the meaning of homelessness and what makes a person homeless? According to Merriam Webster the meaning of homeless is, “having no home or permanent place of residence.” As to what makes a person homeless; there are many factors that should be considered. First of all, the lack of jobs in America and the rising price of living. With the economy downturn, layoffs were inevitable and people were lucky to keep their jobs. But what happened to those that lost or could not receive jobs? They were forced to fend for themselves and their families while the price of food and amenities continued to rise. Other factors can be substance and mental problems. Statistic Brian, for example, estimates that 66% of homeless are those that have problems with alcohol, drug abuse, or mental illness. Also, the authors of “Child Poverty in America Today” contributed some factors to physical and mental abuse from friends, families, or even co-workers or bosses.

So who are the homeless? The homeless can be your friends, co-workers, parents, siblings, or children. A homeless person may be that gangster member that you walked by the other day or an elderly women that is always on the street corner. The homeless can even be America’s heroes; veterans that risked their lives for our freedom. According to National Coalition for the Homeless there are “between 130,000 and 200,000 on any given night” of homeless veterans. Lastly, the homeless are our disabled, mentally ill, or otherwise need intuitionalism and care. These people who are too sick or hurt to work and cannot afford to be treated by doctors and nurses.

Now we will see what some basic statistics are about the homeless.

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Let us begin with the demographic make-up of the homeless population. Did you know that single men are more likely to be homeless? Statistic Brain estimates about 44%, with families with children right behind with 36%. Single women are third with 13% and minors are at seven percent. The racial breakdown of homeless begins with African Americans at 50%. Can you believe that half of the homeless population are African Americans? Or that whites are 35%? Hispanics are at 12%, Native Americans are at two percent, and Asians are only at one percent. Also according to Statistic Brain, seven percent of homeless persons have been sexually assaulted, 25% of homeless women claim to have been abused within the past year, and 22% of homeless women claim domestic abuse for the reason of them being homeless. Statistic Brain also estimates that 28% of the homeless population does not get enough to eat, that only 25% of homeless people are employed, that only 44% of homeless people did paid work the last month, and the average monthly income for a homeless individual is $348. Did you know that 31,000,000 is the number of Americans that are now living or on the verge of living in hunger, 12,000,000 is the number of children that live in the United States that are below the poverty level, or that 30% of homeless people have been homeless longer than two years (Brain, 2014)? This is just some of the many statistics on the homeless population.