Homeless People and Drug Addiction
Homelessness continues to be a growing problem in society today. To many members of the general population, however, the homeless citizens are considered outcasts and pariahs. They are accused of having brought this situation upon themselves, because of their laziness or drug abuse habits.This paper argues that there are a myriad of social problems that contribute to homelessness, and that many of these problems are rooted in the structures of society. This paper focuses on three major reasons - poverty and economic reasons, mental deficiencies and "trigger" factors that place one in a vulnerable position. These factors combined, rather than personal failings or substance abuse, account for majority of the homeless cases in the United States. Any long-term solutions to the problem of homelessness must therefore go beyond treating the symptoms, such as drug abuse. Rather, a program to eradicate homelessness must also focus on the systemic reasons that contribute to the problem in the first place.To many people, the image of a homeless person evokes a lazy bum spending his days under a bridge in a drunken stupor. However, statistics show that the fastest-growing segment of the homeless population is comprised
A homeless child often received little or no preventive care medicine, even though they are more likely to be in poor health due to their living conditions. To eradicate this problem in America, the country stop applying the piecemeal approach and should instead be prepared to address all the factors that combine to cause poverty and the resultant homelessness. This figure shows that a significant segment of the homeless population have not been receiving long-term public assistance. They are less likely to have completed high school (Nunez 2001). To further challenge stereotypes regarding the "lazy" homeless, studies have shown that up to 15 percent of the homeless population is employed. Widows could avail of free financial planners and bereaved relatives could be offered grief counseling. Vulnerable populations, such as natural disaster victims and returning war veterans, could be invited to join social support groups. When the economic growth cooled, many found themselves unable to keep up with the rising costs of housing. Wholistic solutionIf homelessness were really only the purview of drug addicts, then there would be a simple solution to the problem - building more rehabilitation clinics. Forty percent of those who are on welfare have been on the rolls for less than a year (Nunez 2001). The disruptive nature of a homeless life further increases a child's risk factor for homelessness as an adult. These factors contribute to the chances of a person becoming homeless as an adult. Nunez (2001) argues that the correlation could be caused by the poor health conditions wherein a child grew up. These economic issues further contributed to the growth of the homeless population. There should also be a reconsideration of the minimum wage, to reflect the real cost of living today, with healthcare costs for children factored in.
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Acceptance Essays
