HOMELESS IN AMERICA

THE NATURE OF HOMELESSNESS

To address the problem of homelessness

-it is first important to understand the nature of this social condition

-including developing an understanding of the extent of the homeless population

-also in determining who is the most vulnerable to becoming homeless

THE BIG PICTURE

While circumstances may vary, the main reason people experience homelessness is because they cannot find housing they can afford

Homelessnessin the U.S. is increasing

-particularly among families with children

Causes of Homelessness To confront the problem of homelessness, it must first be determined

-WHO IS HOMELESSThis problem is due to the difficulty in defining homelessness

As well as including the transient nature of the homeless population

“Hidden Homeless”

Those of the homeless population who are difficult to count

-because they are living in a traditional emergency shelter-or because they simply do not want to be counted

“Hidden Homeless”-the “hidden homeless” may include those living in motels, automobiles, and abandoned buildings.

-they also include those who double up with friends or relatives on a temporary basis.

U.S. Homeless Population At any given night in 2009:

-124,135 chronically homeless individuals in homeless shelter 13% veterans 4% living with HIV/AIDS 1.5% unaccompanied youths 12% victims of domestic violence 25% suffering from mental illness 34% chronic substance abuse

Human Service workers are committed to advocating for & assisting those who experience poverty & homelessness

Common causes of Homelessness

Mental Illness

Drugs

Alcohol

Poverty

Negative Stigmas associated with Homelessness

Targeting specific subgroups:

single men certain social groups alcoholics Undocumented immigrants

Fundamental Attribute Error

-the average person would assume those that they did not know, were homeless due to their own personal short comings-yet if someone they knew became homeless, they would attribute it to situational issues

History of Homeless in the U.S.

During the 19th & 20th centuries:

-consisted of mostly men-vagrants-unemployed-mental illness-alcoholism

Great Depression=homelessness

The birth of homeless families in the U.S.

-failure of the financial market -closing of many banks -rampant unemployment

Great Depression

Resulted in many families:

-losing homes -wandering streets -searching for shelter

During the 70’s & 80’s the typical homeless family usually consisted of a single mother and two children

Children are the fastest-growing segment of the homeless population

Runaway Youth

There are an estimated 2 million runaway youths in the United States alone

Most homeless adolescents are living on the streets because:

They ran away from an abusive home

Their parents kicked them out and won’t take care of them anymore

Or they have aged out of the foster care system

Just less than 50% of the homeless population consists of men:

men mentally ill Substance abuse Most veterans

Differences between younger and older homeless individuals

YOUNGER ADULTS

Older adult men reported an average homeless episode lasting over 60 days

OLDER ADULTS

Younger adult men reported an average homeless episode lasting about 14 days

McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987(HEARTH)

-was reauthorized for the first time in 2 decades in May of 2009 by President Obama as the Hearth Act, which provides a variety of remedies focusing on both prevention & response to homelessness