Month: March 2019
Hawaii’s Homeless Population
Hawaii's homeless population has increased about 30% since 2007-2018. Homelessness is a critical problem in the world today, especially in Hawaii. Families, men, women, children, teenagers, veterans, and drug addicts are living on the streets. Many of them sleep on sidewalks/parks, bathe in public restrooms, and panhandle on busy street corners. Although their lives are awful, they often make our public parks look like campsites and take away opportunities for families to have gatherings. The Government and Nonprofit organizations are trying to solve Hawaii's homeless issue using different tactics, but they are not always the most effective.
Hawaii's homeless population grew significantly in 2009 when the mainland began to give homeless one-way tickets to Hawaii. The homeless were bribed with a free forever trip to a paradise. Nevertheless, the homeless issue has become a nightmare for the residence. Today there are about 7,921 homeless people in the Hawaiian Islands. That is about 487 homeless per 100,000 people in Hawaii, one of the largest ratios in the United States. Although this is one of the major causes of Hawaii's increase in homelessness, there are many more. Over the years, many organizations have been trying to fix the increasing homeless issue. Whether it is a government run project or a nonprofit organization we are all trying to reach the same goal. Despite both efforts, the current solution is faulty.
Oahu needs to take a step back and think, who should be the main leaders in solving the homeless issue? The nonprofits or the government?Nonprofit organizations give homeless people hope and a sense of dignity to rebuild their lives. The nonprofit organization River of Life Mission's model is, Hopelessness to Hope. The River of life mission is Restoring broken lives through Rescue, Rehabilitation, & Reintegration. From Monday through Friday the River of Life Mission offers meals, clothing, haircuts, welfare-to-work job training, Bible studies, and etc to rescue the homeless. These services provide the homeless an opportunity to take control of their lives. They also have a class to rehabilitate and teach the homeless everyday tasks.
River of Life built a chocolate factory to assist addicts through this grant transition in their lives. This job teaches them everything from life skills to chocolate making (River of Life Mission). River of Life is not the only homeless aiding nonprofit organization. Another organization is Family Promise of Hawaii. They assist eight families about 28 people each week. Throughout the week these homeless are sheltered at a church. A story was shared by an unknown homeless person, who rebuilt their life. They said their family was staying at a hotel and ran out of money, which forced them on the streets. Through this troubling time, they were helped by Family Promise, and they were allowed to live in the church for free while they were building up a budget. The unknown person got a full-time job at a warehouse which helped him/her to get into a housing program. He/she said this gave them a sense of empowerment which motivated him/her to never want to be homeless again.
These nonprofit organizations are supporting the clients not only financially but also spiritually. They are trying to assist them to want to create a better life for themselves rather than putting them down for being unable to provide for themselves (Nagaso).The government has the power to create laws and funds to end homeless. Governor Ige believes that there is no quick fix to homelessness. In 2016 according to Hawaii News Now, Hawaii's governor came up with a Short, Medium, and Long-term plan to put an ending to homelessness. His short-term goal was to persuade landlords to participate in lowering costs of rent for homeless so that it would be more accessible to them. He and his team were also planning on focusing on a permanent housing solution to get rid of encampments in the long run.
Currently, in 2018, the Medium-term is in action. Assuming that he has convinced the landlords to participate in lowering their rent, he should now be trying to develop rules and process them among the state housing agencies. Medicaid and other services should also be also introduced to homeless. Then they would know of available healthcare plans which may help them to save money so that they can pay for future loans. Much of the homeless population in seemingly hopeless situations believe that their best shot at life would be in jail. A free place to stay, a bathroom, a shower, free food is all offered during their stay. However, the government is trying to persuade them that if they put their mind to it, they will be able to create a living for themselves with hard work and dedication. In the future, 2020, the governor plans to have 10,000 new housing units for the homeless. This will reduce the amount of unsheltered homeless giving them a place to stay. The governor wants to reduce the unsheltered homeless to zero people, so that not only the residents and tourist of Hawaii feel safe but also the homeless (Blair).
Progress is slowly being made. The government is in the process of closing the Waianae Encampment. In this encampment, there are roughly about 169 people and 148 dogs with a total of 133 camps. The government is taking away this encampment from these homeless because they are abusing the land by not throwing away their trash. However, it is taking a long time, due to trying to find housing for these people and their pets. Although the government is creating these rules, the residence says they do not want to leave. Chung-Lono, a resident of the Waianae encampment, explains about how she felt during this transition she said that It's hard. This gave me a sense of belonging, some kind of purpose to live. Through hard times like these, the government must remember to appeal to the homeless too, so that they will cooperate with them. Helping to rebuild their lives, may give them a greater sense of purpose in their lives (Hurley).
According to all the data and facts given, I believe that the best solution would be a collaboration between all non-profit organizations and the government. Each of these groups has a key ingredient to end homelessness. If the government and nonprofit organizations are able to cooperate with one another, I believe they would be more efficient in the work which they do. This project could also be shared within the Hawaii community to get residents involved in saving their aina (island). Through this solution, the government may contribute to the needed funds, and the nonprofit organizations may contribute by reaching out to the homeless. Through all the nonprofit organizations, I have read about, they are all about creating relationships with the homeless, restoring their dignity, and most of all empowering them to take control of their lives. However, there are a couple of since issues with these nonprofits; for example, they do not have an unlimited supply in what they may offer the homeless. They need to rely on the donations given to them because these donations also determine the number of people which they may help.
Currently, Family Promise only has the budget to assist 28 people per week; but if they got a larger fund, maybe they would be able to afford to help 40 people a week. If we add the government into this picture with governor Ige's plan, the rate at which homeless people would become housed would increase. Maybe by 2020 or sooner, the governor's plan of having zero unsheltered homeless people on the streets could possibly be successful. Homelessness is clearly a problem in Hawaii today, and the government and nonprofit organization play an important role in reducing Hawaii's homeless numbers. The ways which we are currently dealing with homelessness keeps Hawaii at a minimal decreasing rate of homeless people per year.
I believe that if the government and nonprofits come up with a collaboration, they will be able to reduce the homeless population quicker. Through this idea, if they were to support each other, excel in their strengths, and rely on each other in their weakness we as an island may only head towards success. Hawaii's current situation may keep us at a steady rate of homelessness; however, to make a safer and better home for future generations, everyone must take on a more active role and find tasks which they will perform their best at.
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Hawaii's Homeless Population. (2019, Mar 26).
Retrieved November 4, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/03/page/6/
Homelessness Among Mentally Ill People
Homelessness is a persistent problem in urban communities. Homelessness can affect a large variety of people, one of those groups being individuals who struggle with mental health problems. Studies of the homeless population have reported that one-fourth to one-third of the homeless population has been diagnosed with some form of mental health problem. (Prevalence). The majority of these mental health issues being, bipolar disorder, depression and schizophrenia (Prevalence). These disorders can seriously hinder the daily activities of living for individuals with mental health issues. Many of those who struggle with mental illness have difficulties maintaining self-care and stable relationships (National Coalition for the Homeless). This often causes family, friends and caretakers to distant themselves from those with mental health issues National Coalition for the Homeless). The absence of care and support ultimately, leads to those who struggle with mental illness to either go to a psychiatric hospital or to the streets (National Coalition for the Homeless).
Homelessness of the mentally ill emerged as an issue due to the deinstitutionalization of psychiatric patients. Until the 1960s the majority of people with mental illness were treated at public psychiatric hospitals (psychiatric). In the 1960's, 563,000 beds were in the United States psychiatric hospitals (psychiatric). By the 1990s this the number of beds then, dropped to 98,000(psychiatric). Reasons for this sudden decline in hospital beds were, the production and use of psychiatric medications become widely popular (psychiatric). These medications made the most severe mental illness manageable. Therefore, the demand for patients to be admitted to the hospitals decreased. Another reason for the decline in hospitals beds is the dramatic change in the policies for those institutionalized(psychiatric). Before, a patient could be admitted to an institution involuntary by a family member (psychiatric).
The policy shifted to stricter requirements for involuntary admission to a psychiatric institution(psychiatric). Following the decline, significant defunding and budget cuts of mental health services were implemented (psychiatric). These reasons lead to thousands of psychiatric patients being discharged from state hospitals and then let back into their community (psychiatric). Without the safety net of the hospital giving regular care and support of family, many individuals with mental health issues had no choice but to turn to the streets to live. This resulted in an increased number of homelessness (psychiatric). As well as an increase in the number of arrests in this population.
The unmanageable or troublesome behavior that some people with mental health issues face often cause them to be arrested. The high number of the mental ill homeless that has been arrested has prompted the criminalization of homelessness particularly that of, the mentally ill homeless population (psychiatric). Characteristics of the mentally ill often are erratic or disturbing behaviors. With limited treatment options for the mentally ill the criminal justice system is left with no option but to arrest the mentally ill (psychiatric). One study showed that individuals that struggled with mental health problems were more likely to be suspected of a crime than their counterparts (psychiatric). Another reason why homelessness is criminalized because of the correlation between mental illness and violent (psychiatric). A sample taken from a jail showed that up to 20% of inmates met the criteria to be diagnosed with a severe mental disorder (psychiatric). Through this, connection can be made between the homeless mentally ill and high numbers of incarceration (psychiatric).
Despite the criminalization the mentally ill homeless individuals, the population for the mentally ill experience a high number of victimization. Life living on the streets and in homeless shelters can expose the homeless population to physical violent and abuse. Several studies examining victimization among the homeless population, found that homeless individuals with a mental illness experience high level of victimization, compared to those housed individuals (roy). One study found that prevalence of violent among the mentally ill homeless between 4.3% and 35% (roy). For non-violent victimization between 7.7% to 28% (roy). These rates are especially high for women, particularly that of women who have a history of trauma (roy).
Due to the high number of victimization, many homeless individuals have to develop coping skills to survive such as hypersensitivity to their surroundings and paranoia (Front Desk). Constantly using these coping mechanisms can result triggering or furthering mental health issues (Front desk). This could possibly be a cause to mental illness among the homeless population. Ultimately, the quality of life of mentally ill homeless individual is considerably low.
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Homelessness Among Mentally Ill People. (2019, Mar 26).
Retrieved November 4, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/03/page/6/
Homelessness in Boulder
Homelessness in Boulder
As of January 2017, the average number of homeless people were 550,000 in a night living in the United States of America, including those living in shelters. (MDHI, 2017). We chose this topic because we want to shed a light on the problem of homelessness in the U.S, more specifically Boulder Colorado. Winters in Boulder Colorado can get very cold, with a low of 18 degrees Fahrenheit. There is a large population of homeless people that live on the streets in Boulder, and because winter is approaching fast, we want to help the homeless community stay warm throughout the long Winter season.
On November 12th through November 16th, our group will be putting on a Winter Clothing drive to collect as many winter clothing items as possible before the weather gets too cold. Since we are setting up our clothing drive in November, we are aware that this is during the Holiday season, which will make it more difficult to get the citizens' of Boulder to donate their money and time. While most parents are busy buying holiday gifts for their children and finishing up work, we believe it will be easier and more impactful for them to donate the clothing items that they already own. For our Winter Clothing Drive, we will be accepting jackets, hats, gloves, and scarves, in donation boxes, the will set up around the Boulder area outside of the University of Colorado campus. The donation boxes that we will set up will be in association with the Boulder Shelter for the Homeless (BSH), the First Presbyterian Church of Boulder (FPC), and the Pearl Street Mall (PSM). We hope to partner with these organizations because we believe they can provide us with the best-structured resources to make the biggest impact we can in the Boulder area.
In order to find out what is crucial for the homeless living in Boulder during the winter, we've created various survey questions designed to tell us exactly what they need most. For example, one of our survey questions is, What do you need the most for this upcoming winter season?, with the answers we'll receive from this question, we will be able to find what items we should be focusing on to collect. We are also planning on comparing our collected data from the survey questions to the 2017 PIT Summary for Boulder County. In the PIT Summary, it shows age, gender, ethnicity and how long they have been homeless. Our survey questions will provide us with primary data and will relate to the PIT summary data making it easier to compare our data.
There are several devoted and experienced centers in Boulder that donate clothing to the homeless. The organizations such as those listed above continuously collect and distribute clothing. Since we do not have the resources to maintain a clothing drive for more than a week, we will turn in collected clothes to these seasoned non-profits for distribution. As for attracting support for our drive, we can compare our plans to other local clothing drives. According to the CU Coloradan, an alumni magazine, the CU Herd Organization hosts the annual Nearly Naked Mile. In this event, students strip down to undergarments and run across campus, while receiving clothing donations. In 2015, this yielded 1,540 articles of clothing (The Herd, 2015). The Herd uses their numbers and the draw of the theme of Nearly Naked to attract support for their cause. We will reach large numbers of people using various information distribution sources such as posters and Facebook. We will appeal to them using pathos and logos. We will speak to the citizens of Boulder of the plight of the homeless, and give them statistics like those collected from the homeless themselves.
We realize we can't completely solve Boulder's homeless current situation with our week-long clothing drive, but we hope to help provide warmer clothes for those sleeping on the streets and increase their holiday spirit and overall attitude. After we execute this project, the people living in Boulder will realize how performing small deeds for the community of homeless people can really change their living situation, their outlook on the rest of society, and their happiness. This project will hopefully change the perspective of some of the population in Boulder and how they give back to some of the less fortunate people living around the city.
Bibliography
- Metro Denver Homeless Initiative, 2017 PIT Summary: Boulder County Report. Boulder, CO: MDHI. (https://endhomelessness.org/homelessness-in-america/homelessness-statistics/state-of-homelessness-report/.) Accessed on October 11, 2018
- The Herd, CU Around: Nearly Naked Mile. Alumni Association, 12 July 2018, www.colorado.edu/coloradan/2015/12/01/cu-around-nearly-naked-mile. Accessed on October 11, 2018
- Hombs ME. American Homelessnes: A Reference Handbook. Vol 2nd ed. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO; 1994. https://search.ebscohost.com.colorado.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=512&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Accessed October 11, 2018.
- Old Farmer's Almanac. 2018 Long Range Weather Forecast for Boulder, CO. Old Farmer's Almanac, www.almanac.com/weather/longrange/co/Boulder. Accessed on October 11, 2018
Cite this page
Homelessness in Boulder. (2019, Mar 26).
Retrieved November 4, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/03/page/6/
How to Deal with Homelessness?
Different Approaches to Dealing with Homelessness
Homelessness is a condition that is known by the society. In many countries the population of homeless has been increasing, which requires especial attention from authorities and government. Many factors contribute to the condition of homelessness such as: economic, family breakdown and substance abuse issues. As a result, the interventions might be vast, which may bring different approaches and methodologies to decrease the population of homeless people in the streets, and also empowering them to have a new perspective of life.
There are two approaches of homelessness, which took my attention. The first one is the Oasis Book Club that takes place in Boston. This is a group of volunteers that created a small group of people to read and discuss books that are chosen by them. It brings a positive return. As Tobin said in the article on WBUR news (2010): "Small groups where they are listened to, where their voice is heard, where they are heard, reinforce that sense of self-worth and value. And that's what's at the core of the book club."
Once invisible and discriminated against, now known and valued for who they are. It brings an interesting experience for those who do not feel part of the society. Even though the approached do not come up with an effective intervention to change their reality, by offering them a shelter as a regular tool that is commonly used by professionals of the field, it influenced them to have a sense of belonging and dignity.
An NPR article also highlights What's so important about the club, is that its members finally feel like someone cares what they think (Tobin, 2010). Therefore, it also makes them have critical thoughts, sometimes might bring them back to life and also change their lives. It happened with one of their members, and the group was one of the reasons that made him change his life.
The second project is Housing First that takes place in Utah. They have an idea of taking people that have been living on the streets for months or years, and giving them a house. They believe that giving a home first is more effective than carrying them to shelters. Even though the reason is to try to be less expensive for the state.
Those approaches seem to be effective even though they are different from the regular approaches already known by society. Beyond the reality of their condition, it shows others alternatives to give them a sense of belonging and a value that may go beyond their reality. In addition, it can be a good tool for helpers who work with the homeless. Is important that a helper be aware of his or her role in dealing with the homeless. Novel interventions can be helpful, even if these interventions have not been seen by the helper before.
Beyond this fact, it is necessary for the helper to learn about the homeless person's reality, which they are set in. If the helper does not understand this process, according to Corey and Corey (2016): You might lose certain clients if you do not demonstrate an understanding of how their culture affects their choices and actions (p.73). In every area of approach Corey and Corey (2016) say: We must embrace our client's' worldview and understand their value system to be help to them and to be agents of change and empowerment. Even if we hold a very different set of values, our ethical obligation is to assist clients in meeting therapeutic goals (...) (p.73).
In conclusion, according to what we are reading and listening to in class, regardless of the field that helpers work in, they need to know that sometimes they are going to be a voice for those that do not have a voice to advocate for themselves, and somehow making a positive difference in someone's daily life. Even though it takes time to be confident with the work that they are doing. They need to know how important is to deal with culture and different values. Empathy and professionalism make a total difference, principally when a life could be changed by the intervention of a helper, and also be a voice for those that do not have a voice or help to empower them to explore a new perspective on life.
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How To Deal With Homelessness?. (2019, Mar 26).
Retrieved November 4, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/03/page/6/
Tough Life’s Obstacles of Homeless People
There is nothing more challenging in life than trying to survive in this world without a home. Homelessness of children known to child protection agencies defies all we know about the need for consistency and appropriate structure for children (Mignon, 2015, p. 96). Unstable housing is one of the major contributing factors, as to why families become connected with child welfare agencies (Mignon, 2015). In January 2014, about 578,424 individuals were classified as being homeless throughout the United States, which makes up a good portion of the homeless population (Mignon, 2015). Homelessness for children results from living in hunger, poverty and health problems than other children with housing stability (Mignon, 2015). Homelessness of families results from poverty, affordable housing and family violence (Mignon, 2015). In 2015, the Federal Government provided 4.5 billion in aid which was distributed amongst various agencies to address homelessness, but it was not enough to meet the need (Mignon, 2015).
My parents had always financially equipped me with great quality resources, such as cash allowance, clothes, electronics, food, shelter, etc. Growing up, I didn't really understand what the word homelessness meant and why individuals become homeless. I had been close-minded on the topic for so many years because my parents had given me their perception of what it meant to be homeless. When families had failed to provide themselves with basic needs, such as food, clothing, nurture, and shelter, then it was simply out of pure laziness and not working hard enough in life. Also, those who are homeless have a lack of education and didn't take theirs seriously. The negative perception that my parents had instilled into me on homeless people would go on to how I would define them in life through various instances.
In the fall of 2004, I came across a female by the name of Olivia at a park in East Newark, New Jersey (where I live). Olivia had clothes on that had multiple holes and stains in them. Her sneakers also didn't match, one looking newer than the other sneaker did. Also, Olivia's skin had looked like it hadn't been washed for days, it had looked decomposed. When I had approached Olivia and asked her why she wore clothes that aren't really appropriate to wear in public, Olivia replied by saying: these are the only clothes I have, my parents and I are homeless. Olivia also stated that her family sleeps under a bridge in Harrison, New Jersey, as well as staying in numerous shelters.
This was the first time that the word homelessness was introduced to me, and I completely felt sorry that Olivia was living under such harsh conditions. When I had approached my parents about this matter, they both had told me that being homeless is looked down upon by society in a shameful way, and Olivia is homeless because her parents did not work hard enough in life. This made me shamefully think of homeless people as lazy individuals. My parents didn't want me to be seen with Olivia again because of the fact that she was homeless. Olivia ended up getting removed from her family by Division of Child Protection and Permanency, my mother was the one who made the report of Olivia's current living conditions. Though Olivia wouldn't be the only homeless person that I would come into interaction with, as well as contributing to the undesirable opinions that I had on homeless people for so many years.
One day while walking out of Home Depot in Jersey City, in the summer of 2007. I came across a single mother with two children standing in the corner within the parking lot. The single mother was holding a sign that simply said: my children and I are homeless, and we're starving. It was because of the sign that the single mother of two held that caught my attention and made me walk over to them with a helping hand. At first, I was hesitant because I would be washing away the perception that my parents had instilled into me on homeless' people, but my gut was deeply telling me something else.
When I had approached the single mother with spare change, she couldn't thank me enough. I had asked her why is she homeless, the single mother responded back with: I lost my job and fell behind on rent, I was forced to leave my home. I was in grief for this family, which made me take both of my hands and look deep down into my pockets for more change. As I was handing the last bit of change I had to the single mother, my mom smacked my hand and asked: what I was doing in front of the homeless family? When I had explained the matter to my mother, she had explained to me that it's not our problem that this homeless family is living under harsh conditions, and that she didn't work hard enough on finding a new job. My mother also pointed out to me that she probably does have money and faking the homeless part in order to get more money out of strangers. I immediately had no longer fell in grief for this family, and simply saw homeless individuals as lazy actors trying to lure people into a lie.
It wasn't until I took a Children and Families class at Rutgers University that had helped me to steer away from the negative beliefs that my parents had instilled into me on homeless people. At first, I thought of Olivia and her family as lazy individuals because of the fact that they were homeless. But it had turned out that the word laziness isn't the responsible factor as to why individuals become homeless. I had learned in my Children and Families class that homelessness arises from multiple factors, such as lack of affordable housing, unemployment, poverty, domestic violence, divorce, low wages, mental illness, and physical disabilities. Any of these factors are enough to push people into living on the street. As I look back on Olivia and her family, being homeless was something they didn't choose to be a part of. Olivia's parents could have either lost their jobs or simply didn't make enough money to provide themselves with the required resources needed for survival. The federal poverty line level for a family of four is $24,250.00, Olivia and her family could have fallen under this bracket. The knowledge that I had gained from my Children and Families class had washed away the negative perception that I had on Olivia and her family.
When I had discovered the homeless family (a single mother of two kids) in the Home Depot parking lot asking for help, I immediately had gone up to them with a helping hand. After I got caught doing so by my mother, I no longer had empathy for them and thought of this family as lazy actors trying to lure people into a lie for free aid. Because of the negative beliefs that my mother had reinstalled into me on homeless people. But the homeless family wasn't putting on an acting performance at all. I had learned in my Children and Families class that single mothers are far more likely to live in poverty than single fathers and continue to do so over time. Also, single mothers earn only about two-thirds of what single fathers earn. The single mother of the two kids' income was probably not enough for the family to survive off of. It's evident that this family was facing harsh struggling conditions and really needed a helping hand.
The way I had once defined homeless people to be had completely changed because of the new knowledge that had been engrained within me from my Children and Families class. This new knowledge that I had obtained on homeless people had given me the opportunity to become open-minded, which take priority over the negative perception that my parents had instilled into me on homeless people. The words lazy, liar and actor no longer come to mind when I come into interaction with homeless individuals. The continuous interactions that I have with homeless people continue to help me understand more about the tough obstacles they face. Every time I see a homeless individual now, I immediately go up to them with a helping hand without having to worry about what my parents might say.
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Tough Life's Obstacles Of Homeless People. (2019, Mar 26).
Retrieved November 4, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/03/page/6/
Homelessness Amongst Children
Homelessness amongst children in America is a pervasive problem. Indeed, and with child homelessness generally representing a corollary of parental poverty, structural in nature and driven by an insufficient social safety net, this points to a context in which the majority of childhood poverty results from predictors such as race, ethnicity and/or parental histories of mental illness and substance abuse. With almost half of homeless children being under the age of six years old, the vulnerability which these children experience on the street is incredibly salient. While a distinct category of runaway youth aged thirteen to sixteen faces some of the same challenges as these homeless children, the latter are likely the most vulnerable because of their young age, and because of their parents' various afflictions.
Examining the manner by which childhood homelessness affects development throughout the lifespan, homeless children are predisposed to developing mental illness, substance abuse difficulties, and to experiencing lifelong poverty of the same varieties experienced by their parents. Moreover, and because life on the street forces children to adopt age-inappropriate social norms and psychological coping mechanisms, children who were once homeless also have immense difficulties integrating into the school system, and the labor market. This thus predisposes children who experienced significant periods of homelessness to themselves be more likely to experience homelessness later in life, and often once they have children of their own.
Ultimately, and in working to mitigate childhood homelessness, the same best practices which work for homeless adults appear to be germane to homeless children. The Housing First paradigm, which advocates providing the homeless with a home even if substance abuse or other problems are present, must be put into place so as to provide essential services to these children and their families simultaneously. This is critical because this approach to mitigating homelessness is one which allows children to return to normalcy as soon as possible by reintegrating the school system and their peer group in a manner which detracts from the otherwise significant long term effects of childhood homelessness.
Child Homelessness in America: An Overview
Beginning with an overview of child homelessness in America itself, it is estimated that approximately one in thirty children will experience some degree of homelessness in a given year. While statistics pertaining to full-time homelessness are not available because of the inherent difficulty associated with tracking transient homeless populations, these data nevertheless reflect the fact that housing security for children in the United States is very problematic. With these data thus suggesting that between two and three million American children will experience homelessness in a given year, and with most such children experiencing it more than once, homelessness amongst children is a serious yet neglected social problem in contemporary America (Morton et al., 14-17)
Demographically speaking, what is perhaps most troubling about child homelessness is that over 50% of homeless children are under the age of six. Disproportionately members of visible minority groups, homeless children are typically left on the street, almost always living with parents when under the age of thirteen, subsequent to a parent's job loss and/or eviction. This said, many such children also have parents who suffer from significant mental health issues and/or substance abuse troubles. In this respect then, child homelessness must absolutely be viewed as a direct consequence of adult poverty (Morton et al., 19-20).
In examining and analyzing the specific forms of poverty which bring about child homelessness, these appear to be structural in nature. Indeed, and because child homelessness is so disproportionately present amongst communities of color, immigrant communities as well as in households featuring mental health or substance abuse problems, intersectionality is associated with this homelessness. These children have simply not benefited from equality of opportunity inasmuch as they have usually been born into poverty, and neglected by social safety net programs such as Social Security and Section 8 housing (Roschelle, 999-1001).
From this, it must be recognized that homelessness amongst American children is a mirror image of poverty in America more broadly. In other words then, the factors which make parents more likely to be poor are also more likely to lead children to be homeless. Writ-large then, child homelessness emerges as a phenomenon which is manageable if those who are at risk for losing their homes are identified by social services agencies (Roschelle, 1003-1005) .
This said, and while the majority of homeless children live with family, a separate analytical category of homeless youth, typically conceived of as being aged thirteen to seventeen, has been found to live independent of any traditional family structures. These children, numbering somewhere between 500 thousand and 1 million at any given time, are made up of abandoned and runaway children. This group differs from the broader group of homeless children on the basis of familial structures, reasons for homelessness as well as individual rates of homelessness and substance abuse (Snyder et al. 90-92).
Ultimately then, poverty is the principal determinant of homelessness amongst children. While a small portion of older runaways and abandoned youth find themselves living on the streets for different reasons, poverty is the common denominator across all homeless children and their parents (Bassuk et al., 86-88). From this baseline then, attacking homelessness requires attacking childhood poverty and the various corollaries which it generates in terms of predisposing certain youth and their families to conditions of homelessness.
The Developmental Trajectories of Homeless Children
In the context of this child and youth homelessness, it is necessary to recognize that children are likely to be forced to develop characteristics associated with independence from an earlier age that it average. Indeed, studies of homeless populations show high levels of pragmatism, independence and problem-solving orientations amongst these youth. This said, the dark side of this anomalous development is early exposure to drugs, alcohol, inappropriate sexual advances, violence, and other phenomena which are typically viewed as being negative by society, and parents (Whitbeck, 24-25).
This thus leads to the conclusion that homeless children and youth must precociously develop structures of adaptation which allow them to navigate the vagaries of the street. Given that such adaptation requires that they take on adult roles from a young age, it is thus critical to take into account that being homeless fundamentally alters the psychological and social norms internalized by these youth. In such contexts, later integrating into normative structures such as those associated with the educational system or with labor market is problematic because of the alternative behavioral norms which are internalized from such a young age (Whitbeck, 27-28).
Tangibly then, child homelessness is very problematic as it pertains to academic performance and the ability to work normally in a mainstream setting. Because of the alternative patterns of socialization which homeless children undergo, especially in contexts wherein normal parental supervision is absent or minimal, the types of problem-solving strategies developed by these children do not function optimally in school or in the labor market. Writ-large then, it is the alternative form of socialization which occurs in the context of homelessness which represents one of the principal structures generating the longer term effects of the phenomenon on the children who must live through it (Vissing, 34-38).
From this, it is unsurprising that the complex trauma arising in children from homelessness engenders disproportionately high rates of mental illness and substance abuse amongst children who experience homelessness. With the dislocating nature of childhood homelessness leading to incredibly significant issues with attachment all the while homeless children gain access to drugs and alcohol from a young age, the problematic relationship between childhood homelessness and these issues is one which ultimately pervades the lifecycle, and generates a context in which the homeless child's predisposition to these conditions ultimately represents a lifelong affliction (Herbers et al., 1167-1169)
Because of these difficulties, children who experience periods of homelessness are disproportionately likely to experience homelessness later in the lifecycle or themselves experience homelessness alongside their own children. Indeed, the dysfunctional nature of parenting amongst most homeless families produces a context in which homeless children come to lack the support structures associated with their non-homeless peers. Combined with the integrative difficulties and trauma discussed above, this produces a situation in which homelessness is likely to recur in the life of the homeless child (Narayan et al., 3)
In the tradition of a vicious cycle, childhood homelessness thus appears to be a potent inter-generational phenomenon in which the risk for homelessness of one generation is transmitted to another. In this respect, it once again mirrors the broader vicious cycle of inter-generational structural poverty inasmuch as the same factors which predispose an individual and their family to living in poverty also serve to engender a heightened likelihood of homelessness. From this, and because structural causes require structural solutions, redressing child homelessness in America requires modifying the structures of resources available to homeless children and their families (Cutuli et al., 43-35).
Absent such changes, the lifecycle deteriorations which are experienced by homeless children are so significant that a period of childhood homelessness can deprive a child of equality of opportunity for their entire life. Combining poor school and job market integration with higher rates of susceptibility to drug addiction and mental health pathology development, childhood homelessness is inherently traumatic. Because it breaks the forms of stable attachment which are necessary for optimizing a child's development, homelessness thus represents something which causes harm throughout the entirety of an individual's life.
Housing First as the Best Practice for Managing Childhood Homelessness
With these chilling realities of childhood homelessness in mind, the Housing First paradigm represents the optimal intervention for dealing with homeless children and their families. Fundamentally, the Housing First approach differs from, other public policy approaches to homelessness in that it does not impose conditions on the homeless individual before providing them with shelter. While some programs require that a given homeless person is drug free or medicine-compliant for a certain period prior to receiving shelter, the Housing First approach eponymously provides program recipients with housing prior to the initiation of treatment or other necessary interventions (Guo et al., 73-75).
Demonstrating its strong efficacy, the Housing First paradigm has shown efficacy rates of over 70% in terms of mitigating the recurrence of homelessness across multiple studies. This is of critical importance because these studies analyze the program as applied to even the most difficult cases wherein homeless individuals are addicted to a given substance or are dealing with a significant mental health issue. From this perspective then, the Housing First approach is, when appropriately implemented, aptly designed so as to meet the needs of homeless children and their families attempting to emerge from structural poverty (Guo et al., 78-79).
Applied to homeless children and their parents, the principal virtue of the Housing First approach is that it allows children to be rapidly reintegrated into the normalcy of structures such as school and peer groups. Concomitantly allowing parents to deal with the root economic, substance-related or medical issues which occurred prior to them becoming homeless, this paradigm is thus one which has not only proven itself to be successful across all populations but which also offers solutions which dramatically diminish the direct burden of homelessness as it is experienced by children (Guo et al., 74-78)
Moreover, the indirect effects of housing first are also significant. Once housing is provided, a child's parents can receive treatment for the mental health difficulties or substance abuse problems which may have landed them on the street in the very first place. This is extremely important inasmuch as it serves to enhance stability in the household, and generate a context in which the child is less likely to continue experiencing the trauma which they experienced in the street. From this, stabilization is not only necessary in the context of the child's daily life but also in relation to the child's rearing (Nelson et al., 592-594).
Housing first also puts the child in a situation in which they can receive basic medical care as well as psychological or psychiatric assistance for dealing with the trauma which they may have experienced while living on the streets. This is another absolutely critical element of recovery inasmuch as it serves to mitigate the otherwise significant trauma which all homeless children eventually develop. With this trauma having the long-term potential to bring about significantly negative mental health outcomes and substance abuse difficulties, the access to this treatment which is associated with the provision of care in the housing first context is critical for minimizing the characteristics of the vicious cyclical model discussed above (Chatterjee et al., pp. 1377-1380).
Writ-large then, the aggregate benefits of housing first are tied to the structure which it brings back to the lives of children who are affected by poverty and homelessness. Because living on the street withdraws the child from the socializing structures of school and the peer group all the while exposing them to chaotic forces such as those associated with drugs, alcohol, sexual behavior and other adult phenomena, housing first's structure is critical for restoring the normalcy of a structure of childhood socialization. It thus serves to potently reverse the otherwise significant lifecycle and structurally-generated consequences of homelessness amongst children and their parents (Padgett et al., 12-15).
Problematically, funding for homelessness mitigation, even when children are involved, is very much lacking in the context of the public sector social safety net. With the housing first paradigm being exceedingly costly because of the infrastructural investments necessitated by its focus on providing housing, this points to a situation in which governmental resources for aiding homeless children and their families are sorely lacking. Absent significant investment in these resources, the rapid and parsimonious benefits of the housing first model thus appear to be impossible to leverage to their full potential (Padgett et al., 25-30).
Conclusion
In the end, childhood homelessness is problematic in three ways. First, it wreaks immense pain and suffering on children who are forced to grow on the street. Second, it engenders lifelong consequences which can affect these children's abilities to earn equality of opportunity, and thus have a chance to themselves live lives of prosperity. Third and finally, child homelessness appears to be ignored by policy-makers. With so many of these families simply falling through even the most basic of the elements of the social safety net, the avoidable nature of childhood homelessness is perhaps one of its most tragic components.
In this context, and considering the success which the housing first paradigm has demonstrated when applied optimally, the lack of funding available for helping homeless families, and preventing homelessness in cases where children are involved is deeply troubling from a social point of view. Indeed, and because the long term consequences of childhood homelessness are so very salient in nature, the financial and human costs of failing to avert childhood homelessness are perhaps greater than the costs of preventing it in the very first place. Because of this, it very much appears that the resources currently available for preventing and managing childhood homelessness are direly insufficient for achieving their objectives.
Ultimately then, and with American society predicated on the notion of equality of opportunity for all, the consequences of childhood homelessness are far too severe to be ignored. As such, more significant resources must be devoted to providing assistance to homeless children and their families so that homeless children can gain some semblance of access to normal life. With early reintegration into the school system and peer group so crucial for mitigating the significant lifecycle effects of childhood homelessness, additional governmental investment in the housing first approach appears to be critical to putting an end to this crisis.
Works Cited
- Bassuk, Ellen L, Molly K Richard, and Alexander Tsertsvadze. "The Prevalence of Mental Illness in Homeless Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis." Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 54.2 (2015): 86-96. e2. Print.
- Chatterjee, Avik, et al. "Quality Health Care for Homeless Children: Achieving the Aap Recommendations for Care of Homeless Children and Youth." Journal of health care for the poor and underserved 28.4 (2017): 1376-92. Print.
Cutuli, JJ, et al. "Adversity and Children Experiencing Family Homelessness: Implications for Health." Journal of Children and Poverty 23.1 (2017): 41-55. Print. - Herbers, Janette E, et al. "Trauma, Adversity, and ParentChild Relationships among Young Children Experiencing Homelessness." Journal of abnormal child psychology 42.7 (2014): 1167-74. Print.
- Morton, Matthew H, et al. "Prevalence and Correlates of Youth Homelessness in the United States." Journal of Adolescent Health 62.1 (2018): 14-21. Print.
- Narayan, Angela J, et al. "Intergenerational Continuity of Adverse Childhood Experiences in Homeless Families: Unpacking Exposure to Maltreatment Versus Family Dysfunction." American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 87.1 (2017): 3. Print.
- Nelson, Geoffrey, et al. "Life Changes among Homeless Persons with Mental Illness: A Longitudinal Study of Housing First and Usual Treatment." Psychiatric Services 66.6 (2015): 592-97. Print.
- Padgett, Deborah, Benjamin F Henwood, and Sam J Tsemberis. Housing First: Ending Homelessness, Transforming Systems, and Changing Lives. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, USA, 2016. Print.
- Roschelle, Anne R. "Our Lives Matter: The Racialized Violence of Poverty among Homeless Mothers of Color." Sociological Forum 32.3 (2017): 998-1017. Print.
- Snyder, Susan M, et al. "Homeless Youth, Strain, and Justice System Involvement: An Application of General Strain Theory." Children and youth services review 62 (2016): 90-96. Print.
- Vissing, Yvonne. Out of Sight, out of Mind: Homeless Children and Families in Small-Town America. Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky, 2015. Print.
- Whitbeck, L.B. Nowhere to Grow: Homeless and Runaway Adolescents and Their Families. New York, NY: Routledge, 2017. Print.
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Homeless and Criminalization
The homeless face the same dilemma of criminalization around the world. In particular, the U.S., Brazil, and Hungary treat their poor people in an inhumane manner that violates multiple human rights.
Introduction
Every day, countless homeless individuals seek residence on the streets with whatever resources they can muster while being persecuted by every aspect of society. Forced off the streets, laws evict them from park benches and sidewalks. In the U.S., barely within 24 hours of not returning to a shelter, their place there can be taken from them, leaving them to fend off dangerous conditions outside, not knowing from where they will receive their next meal or the next time they will be able to wear clean clothing. Properly accounting for the homeless has proved to be a daunting task because people constantly move in and out of a state of homelessness and having a temporary or permanent place of residence. While it would be unsustainable to attempt to fix the problem by just handing resources to the homeless, many countries in which the burden of homelessness can be alleviated ”such as in industrialized nations that have resources available could adjust their systems to allow more resources to be allocated to the homeless such as food, clean water, shelter, money. People in non-socialist countries would likely fear that such an allocation of resources would be akin to that of communism, so they would likely not support that solution because of their country ideals.
Hungary
According to a new Hungarian amendment, the amendment to Article XXII of the Hungarian constitution, it is now illegal for people to be homeless. The amendment states, In order to protect public order, public safety, public health, and cultural artifacts, an Act or a local government decree may, with respect to a specific part of public space, provide that using a public space as a habitual dwelling shall be illegal. Instead of protecting the order of society, by cracking down on all homeless persons Hungary has eliminated all legal protections for the homeless. Without someone to take regular care of them, they may have no other place to go. The European Union has responded by threatening the removal of Hungary's voice from the EU, however, they await a response from Hungary (Tomlinson n.p.).
United States of America
The United States of America remains among the worst offenders of persecuting individuals without homes on every scale. Politically, America's laws try to incriminate them; economically, they are disadvantaged; socially, they are voiceless. According to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development's Annual Homeless Assessment Report, there are approximately 554,000 homeless in the United States, almost 50,000 of those people are unaccompanied youth people under 25 years old. The U.S. justice system fails to protect their homeless by enforcing vague and cruel laws. Under these laws supported by the Constitution, cities are allowed to keep individuals off the streets, leaving them stuck in a cycle of being fined, not being able to pay the fine, going on trial for their refusal to pay the fine, serving time for infringing upon the law, then losing their place at a shelter for the night(s) they missed while serving jail time and not being able to receive a job because of their record, thus continuing the cycle. One such law found in cities across America forbids people from feeding the homeless. Because of this law, around 12 to 15 people were arrested in El Cajon for distributing food and supplies (Winkley n.p.).
Significance of Research
The laws imposed by these countries blatantly violate the basic human rights of the low income and the destitute unable to establish a permanent residence. In doing so they demonstrate a power dynamic in which their governments suppress the voices of the poor to prevent them from speaking out against officials who may look bad. This is unconstitutional and a human rights violation because it takes away from their freedom of speech, as when they are arrested under arbitrary laws and imprisoned, they can no longer voice their opinions. In situations in which they are imprisoned, they lose their places at shelters, they lose the opportunity to obtain a job, they could lose whatever job they have if they have one, and their future possible career may suffer. This is because corporations and smaller businesses can and more likely than not will deny them job positions based on their record or living status, leaving them with the burden of finding a job somewhere else. This burden is also a weak form of power because their ability to choose the jobs they want are already so limited. Even if they are to obtain a job, their job will likely be insufficient as a living wage, which for Americans ranges from an average of $45,000 to $68,000 (Kolmar n.p.). In the same way, if they wanted to obtain higher education, it would be much more difficult if they have a criminal record, regardless of what laws they violated or what laws violated them. This is a violation of their basic human right to education. Homeless shelters reserve for the homeless the power to avoid being fined for living on the streets and allow them to more easily obtain a job, become more educated, obtain a more permanent residence, and (Kolmar n.p.).
Another important consideration is that the public discrimination they face can wreak havoc on their dignity and self-esteem. Society sees them through critical eyes and treats them as it does criminals. The law forces them into hiding as if they should be accountable for their homelessness, then tosses away their rights in court. Businesses treat them like animals. The public insults them while mocking their disposition, shaming them into submission. Their families if they have them and they are not also homeless see them as failures or burdens that they can no longer afford to bear. Because of the stress, so many lose hope for themselves. As a result of the emotional torment and physical distress, those in destitute situations worldwide have resorted to suicide, self-harm, drugs, alcohol, prostitution.Lastly, all 3 countries are in violation of Articles 1, 3, 5, 9, 10, 12, 17, 23, 24 & 25 of human rights law established by the E.U.
Conclusion
All societies have disappointed the homeless in failing to provide them with what they need to succeed in life. Some have made noble attempts such as Finland, who is seeing its rates of homelessness decreasing. (Busch-Geertsema, ) The solution that it proposed and is employing is giving homes to the homeless. Others like the U.S. and Hungary only make it more difficult for the homeless to come out of their situations by imposing laws that effectively keep those in extreme poverty from advancing in society. It would be in every country's interest to at least consider the longer-term benefits of reducing then eliminating homelessness.
Works Cited
- Robertson, Marjorie J, and Milton Greenblatt. Homelessness: a National Perspective. New York: Plenum Press, 1992.
- Schutt, Russell K., et al. Responding to the Homeless: Policy and Practice. Plenum Press, 1992.
- Violations of the Human Rights of Persons Experiencing ...National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, www.nlchp.org/documents/sr-ep-2017.
- Hungarian Parliament. Hungarian Constitution. 2018, https://www.parlament.hu/irom41/00332/00332-0011.pdf
- Tomlinson, Akira. Hungary Constitution Bans Homeless from Living in Public Spaces. Jurist, 16 Oct. 2018, www.jurist.org/news/2018/10/hungary-constitution-bans-homeless-from-living-in-public-spaces/.
- Winkley, Lyndsay. About a Dozen People Arrested for Feeding the Homeless in El Cajon Park.
- Sandiegouniontribune.com, 16 Jan. 2018, www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/public-safety/sd-me-20180114-story.html.
- Henry, M., Watt, R., Rosenthal, L. and Shivji, A. (2018). The 2017 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress. [online] Hudexchange.info. Available at: https://www.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/2017-AHAR-Part-1.pdf.
- Kolmar, Chris. This Is How Much A Living Wage Is In Each State. Zippia, research.zippia.com/living-wage.html.
- Bonner, A., & Luscombe, C. (2009). Suicide and homelessness. Journal of Public Mental Health, 8(3), 7-19. doi:https://dx.doi.org.jproxy.lib.ecu.edu/10.1108/17465729200900016
- Busch-Geertsema, Volker. (2010) The Finnish National Programme to reduce long-term homelessness.
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Homelessness and the Learning Disabled Student Relationships
The Relationship between Homelessness and the Learning Disabled Student
When we think of homelessness we typically never consider the children that are involved. We see these people in our communities daily. They are often displaced for a variety of reasons. Some have mental illnesses and cannot take care of themselves and others are there for temporary monetary reasons. But what about the children? They are the small victims of something that is out of their control.
More than 1.6 million U.S. children are homeless each year and about 40 % of children residing in shelters are under the age of 7 years (National Center on Family Homelessness 2011), (Haskett, M., Armstrong, J., & Tisdale, J., 2016). Federal law defines children and youth who are homeless as individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence (McKinney-Vento Act, 2009). Could they overcome their mental, behavioral and emotional obstacles if they had a more structured lifestyle?
Poor child health is associated with the timing of homelessness across three specific critical developmental time periods: prenatal only, postnatal only, or both prenatal and postnatal versus never homeless. The hypothesis is that homelessness during any time period would be associated with poor child health outcomes, and those with both prenatal and postnatal homelessness would have the greatest adjusted odds of poor child health compared with those who were never homeless, those with prenatal homelessness only, or those with postnatal homelessness only. (Sandel, M., Sheward, R., Ettinger de Cuba, S., Coleman, S., Heeren, T., Black, M., Casey, P.H., Colton, M., Cook, J., Belker Cutts, D., Jacobs, R.R., & Frank, D.A., 2018). Schooling, however, may ameliorate some of the negative consequences of homelessness, and special education programs with more individualized teaching may be particularly beneficial. (Zima, B. T., Bussing, R., Forness, S. R., & Benjamin, B. 1997).
Youngsters who are homeless are twice as likely to have a learning disability and three times more likely to manifest emotional problems than their classmates who are not homeless. (Gargiulo, R.M., 2006). While we do not have all of the answers, there has been some research done that gives the reader a better sense of knowledge on how children who have learning disabilities may not have such disabilities if their quality of life was better. The research also demonstrates the effects of homelessness and how it effects the learning disabled student. Inadequate transportation may be a barrier in certain geographic areas because families may need to access services that are in more than one physical location, especially in the hypothetical case of a child with physical health needs, behavioral health needs, and educational support needs. (Lynch, S., 2018).
When children start to feel the effects of homelessness their self-esteem tends to dwindle. They often feel useless and become depressed. Addressing risk for mental health problems in homeless children requires insights of child development, psychiatry, mental health services, and social and economic development. (Marcal, K.E., 2017). A number of studies suggest that children experiencing homelessness tend to be characterized by low intellectual functioning, developmental delays, and poor school performance. (Haskett, et.al, 2016). More often than not, the student will have to change schools and they could possibly lose what they have gained in retention and comprehension.
Research indicates that students who change schools due to unplanned residential mobility, such as that associated with homelessness, score lower on standardized tests and have lower overall academic achievement (Kerbow, 1996; Lash & Kirkpatrick, 1990); Mantzicopoulos & Kautson, 2000); (Melman Heinlein, & Shinn, 2000); (Rumberger & Larson, 1998); (Julianelle, P. F., & Foscarinis, M.,2003). The children are often misunderstood due to the delay in school records being sent to the newest school. Determination of eligibility for special education, the first step to accessing programs, may be especially problematic for homeless children because of their transiency and lengthy Individualized Education Program timelines for evaluation and placement. (Zima, B. T., Bussing, R., Forness, S. R., & Benjamin, B. (1997).
In December 2001, Congress reauthorized the McKinney-Vento Act, as part of the No Child Left behind Act. Educators and advocates from across the country, including NLCHP, were directly involved in the reauthorization. In fact, virtually all of the changes in the reauthorization were based on model practices in schools and school districts. Educators, advocates, attorneys, and policymakers united behind these successful practices, working to ensure they would be incorporated into the law for the benefit of schools and students across the country. (Julianelle, P. F., & Foscarinis, M., 2003). The McKinney Act did not establish separate educational program for homeless children, rather it reinforced their right to participate in existing public school programs. (Gargiulo, R.M, 2006). Most of the other changes in the reauthorization of the McKinney-Vento Act were designed to limit the negative effects of school mobility on children and youth experiencing homelessness. They strengthened and clarified the Act's historic emphasis on educational stability, access, and success. (Julianelle, 2002).
Past federal initiatives tailored to address the complex needs of IDEA eligible students suggests that the federal government is equipped with the legislative tools to respond to the plight of homeless students meaningfully. (Abdul Rahman, M., Turner Jr., J. F., & Elbedour, S., 2017). The following are some of the key elements of the reauthorization. (Julianelle, P.F., & Foscarinis, M., 2003). The McKinney-Vento Act requires school districts to allow students in homeless situations to remain in their schools of origin for the entire time they are homeless, regardless of their residential mobility. The McKinney-Vento Act requires schools to enroll homeless students immediately, even if they lack documents typically required for enrollment. This provision enables unaccompanied youth to enroll in school without a legal guardian. The key provision ensuring educational success is a new requirement that every school district designate a McKinney-Vento liaison to work with children and youth experiencing homelessness. (Julianelle, P.F., &Foscarinis, M., 2003). Effective programs that serve youngsters who are homeless and disabled typically address not only the child's educational needs but also their physical and emotional needs as well. (Gargiulo, R.M., 2006). Where the McKinney-Vento Act is being implemented, children and youth are reaping immense rewards. School provides the obvious benefits of intellectual, emotional, and social stimulation, and academic achievement. By offering educational stability and access, the McKinney-Vento Act helps children and youth experiencing homelessness realize these benefits. Yet, even beyond these school-based opportunities, the Act's education provisions are also a critical element in ending the root cause of the students' mobility: homelessness. (Julianelle, P.F., & Foscarinis, M., 2003).
Bronfenbrenner's ecobiodevelopmental framework elucidates the physiological mechanisms namely, stress reactions by which adverse household conditions negatively impact child development and mental health. (Marcal, K.E., 2017). Few studies, however, have described the level of need for special education services among homeless children, the first step toward designing interventions that may improve access to special education programs. (Zima, B. T., Forness, S. R., Bussing, R., & Benjamin, B. 1998). Almost one half of sheltered homeless children have been found to have acute and chronic health problems, including elevated blood lead levels, placing them at additional risk for learning problems (Alperstein, Rappaport, & Flanigan, 1988; Miller & Lin, 1988). Frequent school changes and poor attendance may make it impossible to differentiate an adjustment reaction from signs of an emerging behavioral or learning problem. (Zima, et., al. 1998).
Children who are homeless are a heterogeneous group; therefore, it is difficult to anticipate every need or situation that may arise within the educational environment. (Yamaguchi, B. J., & Strawser, S. 1997). In Los Angeles, almost one half of sheltered homeless children (46%) screened positive for at least one disability requiring special education services, with BD being the most prominent (30%). (Zima, et. al.1998). Less than two percent of the states demonstrated adequate services for promoting the physical and mental health well-being of children and less than 30% met minimum standards for advancing the educational well-being for children in their systems. (Rouse, H., Fantuzzo, J., & LeBoeuf, W., 2011). Children experiencing homelessness often had high rates of grade retention and school mobility and lower than average grades or test scores. (Masten, A.S., Fiat, A.E., Labella, M.H., & Strack, R.A., 2015).
The average homeless school-aged child experiences a number of emotional challenges. (R.A.Hall, 2007). High levels of psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse, and psychosis have been identified in populations of homeless youth (Kamieniecki, 2001). Family situations such as displacement of mother and fathers can also be traumatic for these children. The unbalanced lifestyle of the homeless youth can often lead to more dire circumstances as they get older. The students are not functioning as the typical student their age does and that too can lead to exacerbate the emotional unwellness of the child and impede their learning capability. Some caregivers accept a wide range of behaviors as normal, and might not consider a particular clinical threshold as necessarily worthy of intervention, because other more pressing need for food, shelter, or work may take precedence. (Lynch, S., 2018). The self-esteem of children who are homeless must be considered in the design of educational programs within the school environment. Findings indicate that homelessness occurring during the first 2 years of life is worse for academic outcomes and school attendance, compared to homelessness first occurring after children are 2 years of age (Perlman and Fantuzzo 2010).
Children who are homeless may feel alienated from schoolmates. (Yamaguchi, B. J., & Strawser, S. 1997). Homeless children have significantly higher rates of psychiatric symptom and disorders, predominantly anxiety and mood disorders. (Yu, M., North, C.S., LaVesser, P.D., Osborne, V.A. & Spitznagel, E.L. 2008). Check in/check-out (CICO) often is used as a targeted intervention for youth who display problematic behavior at school and might benefit from receiving additional attention and opportunities for positive reinforcement (Hulac, Terrell, Vining, & Bernstein, 2011). Early intervention partnerships between educators, social service providers, homeless shelter services, and other public health providers create a capacity for better access and better coordination of services for children experiencing multiple risks to their educational success. (Rouse, H., Fantuzzo, J.W., 2009).
However, the lack of knowledge about service availability along with confusion with navigating the healthcare system may prevent homeless youth from seeking services. (Sulkowski, M., Michael, K., 2014). Other factors can include the embarrassment from lack of adequate clothing and personal hygiene needs. Children who do not have the means to take care of their own personal hygiene needs often develop mental health problems. Since personal care is such a basic need, the students often become withdrawn and develop emotional problems. With consent from a custodial guardian or a recognized caregiver, a school psychologist or counselor can identify homeless students who have elevated levels of anxiety and recruit them in a therapy group that follows an evidence-based cognitivebehavioral therapy (CBT) treatment protocol. (Sulkowski, M., Michael, K., 2014). Interventions to address mental health problems in the schools often involve proving individual counseling of therapy. Because of the wide range of psychiatric and mental health problems that homeless youth display, a large percentage of these youth likely could benefit from receiving indicated intervention services. (Sulkowski, M., Michael, K., 2014). Educators must also be prepared to translate their assessment results into immediate instructional goals and objectives due to student's poor attendance. (Yamaguchi, B. J., & Strawser, S. 1997).
There is also a cultural and racial disadvantage to homelessness. In one study of the United States, the population of homeless families is different from the population of homeless individuals. Fewer than half (45.4%) of the overall homeless sheltered individuals in the United States are White and not Hispanic, whereas the largest proportion of homeless sheltered families is African American (47.9%). (Lynch, S.,2018). The largest population are the black families. They are 55.9 percent of the shelter population. (Jones, David, R., 2015). Children from economically disadvantaged and minority families consistently perform below their non-poor, non-minority peers in both reading and mathematics. (Rouse, H., Fantuzzo, J.W., 2009). There are other risks the children face associated with homelessness that may impede their overall cognitive skills. Some of the risks include crime and the mal-treatment of the child because the family is in dire circumstances. For young children living in vulnerable environments, multiple biological and social risk factors interact bi-directionally with the development of early academic and behavioral skills. (Jaffee, S., Caspi, A., Moffitt, T., Dodge, K., Rutter, M., Taylor, A. 2005), (Tremblay, R.E., Nagin, D.S., Seguin, J.R., Zoccolillo, M., Zelago, P.D., Boivin, M., 2004), (Rouse, H., Fantuzzo, J.W., 2009).
The parents of the homeless child's mental state can also factor in how a child gains perspective. If the homeless child has a cognitively impaired parent, the results for the child gaining access to academics can be little to none. Lower educational level of mothers is associated with disruptive behavior disorders in their children. (Yu, M., et.al, 2008). There are also higher rates of psychiatric disorders (especially substance use disorders and PTSD) among homeless than domiciled mothers. (Yu, M.et, al., 2008). Family issues, such as family violence, parental alcohol or other drug use, and parental mental health, also may play a role in causing and prolonging homelessness and, in their interplay, compound poor outcomes for children and families. (Moore, T., McArthur M. & Nobel-Carr, D., 2011).
The newest research models are constantly striving to find the best practices for children who are homeless. The students who have learning disabilities are at the most disadvantaged but there are steps that the educators and administrators are taking to ensure that every child succeeds. Contemporary research has attempted to isolate the effects of homelessness on education, with mixed results. (Tobin, K.J., 2016). New research linking stress to learning difficulties is relevant because the homeless experience is often correlated with great stress. (Tobin, K.J., 2016). While stress can certainly cause a host of problems for individuals, being homeless without knowledge of where you may sleep that night would be one of the toughest problems facing someone. Academics can often be the last thing on a child's mind when they have no idea where their basic needs such as food is coming from. With all of the necessary luxuries life can be touch to manage, it can be tougher if you feel as if you have to fight, prostitute, or haggle someone for a meal or a place to rest. Homeless children are the most vulnerable people. They often face crime, addictions, poverty and feel as if they have little if any chance of survival. Schools need the resources to be able to instill into children the means to get themselves off the streets and integrated into society as productive members. But for some school, the resources to help the disabled homeless child may be too great a feat unless more laws are enacted.
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Main Reasons of Homelessness
There are many reasons individuals and families find themselves without a home. The family or individual may have experienced the loss of a job, an accident, an expensive health diagnosis, or many other unfortunate life events could have caused the loss of a home and stability. This has been a long-standing public issue that needs adjustments in funding and resources.
According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, shelter and security are considered basic needs, second only to food, water, and warmth. If a person is to evolve and grow to be a productive member of society, he or she needs food, water, rest, and security. Without the comfort of knowing there will be food on the table for every meal and a place to rest at night, people are unable to fully function to their best ability. This has a major impact on who these people are able to be in society. Without basic needs met, people are unable to act as volunteers for other causes, to take care of their children, to look presentable for a job, and the list continues.
Some people are able to pull themselves and their families out of homelessness. This could be achieved through hard work and effort, by luck, or a combination of hard work and luck. When people are absolutely unable to help themselves because of financial, health, or other reasons, that is when the community should be able to offer a helping hand.
Humans are naturally social creatures. Contrary to popular current beliefs, we will all need assistance from others in our lives at some point. Some people may only need a friend to listen to their issues, some may need assistance in finding a new job when they have been laid off, and others yet may need financial help because of a crisis. Regardless of what needs a person will have throughout there life, it is important that there are available resources to be utilized in times of crisis.
Not only is falling into homelessness stressful and a strike to one’s ego, it is also incredibly expensive to work out of it. In order to rent or buy a living space, a down payment or security deposit is often required. This amount of savings is usually unattainable for those struggling with homelessness. The money that is earned is used for food and temporary housing, making it incredibly difficult to build a savings account. This is assuming nobody involved is suffering from a substance abuse disorder.
It is often thought that homeless people are all suffering from a drug addiction or alcohol addiction. This is an unfair and critical view that shrouds the actual cause of homelessness. Substance and alcohol abuse can be the cause of homelessness but often happens after homelessness occurs. Regardless of how and when drug and alcohol dependence occurs, it should always be viewed as a mental illness and treated as such.
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Homelessness: an Epidemic or Fault
Every city, in every state, in every country, in every continent has one thing in common: a large population of homeless people. The homeless are categorized into their own social group by most. Those more fortunate created this identity and do nothing to help them. Under the government's close supervision, this needs to stop happening. It is their responsibility to ensure that each United States citizen is able to practice the right to live in peace and feel as if they are secure while keeping their dignity. Scholars argue that the issue of homelessness has derived from a singular problem which most believe is impoverished beings unable to pay for necessities such as housing, food, childcare, health care, and education. Humanitarian help is not the emergency response that this issue needs. It is in my judgment, upon closer examination, that poverty may be one factor but there is a combination of many issues that contribute into the part of homelessness all under the control of the government and leaders of the United States.
To begin, one key reason as to why homelessness has spiraled down the dark path it's in right now is due to the violation of human rights. National and local laws have wrongfully criminalized homeless people categorizing them as lawbreakers rather than protecting their rights. Many laws that are created purposefully leave homeless people invisible, kicking them out of the streets, and out of their makeshift shelters giving them this unrealistic label. Some laws even keep people from sleeping or camping out on any public or private property while others ban citizens from feeding the homeless. One is penalized for trying to help someone have a slightly better night than they are normally used to.
Everyone has a right to housing, somewhere to feel safe and feel secure. It is in the government’s interest and focus that this is followed through on. Seven ideal principles have been beneficial for the right to housing. They include security of tenure, availability of services/materials/facilities/infrastructure, affordability, habitability/decent and safe home, accessibility, location, and cultural adequacy (NESRI). These seven principles should be taken into account to when trying to build or find an ideal home for the less fortunate. There are several documents in which the right to housing is protected in, acting for different races and genders as well. For example, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the American Declaration on Rights and Duties of Man (NESRI).
Each of these documents has voiced a common message: The right to housing is imperative in order for the United States to live up to its prideful equality. In order for each man to be equal, a roof to be under should be a priority. But that's not the case when there are hundreds of thousands of people living on the streets without a place to call home. When there are multiple documents protecting the rights of an epidemic countrywide, then the outcome should be significantly less than it currently is.
There's just not enough housing, or enough shelter to keep the homeless off the streets. There's a been a vicious cycle that the homeless experience: setting up tents, then law enforcers finding them and kicking them out. As a result, some land in jail for fines they can't pay, and others travel to the next location until the next police find them once again (Lee). An idea for lowering the costs of affordable houses was brought up and was even considered by cities, states, and the federal government. But it was quickly shown to fail because of the Low Income Housing Tax Credits that developers compete for. Because of this competition, there aren’t enough credits to build affordable housing for all the people who need it (Semuels). Every idea which is proposed is either disregarded or incapable of working. The leaders should put down a firm hand. If the competition is what is stopping the construction of affordable homes than those competitors should be penalized instead of being allowed to compete.
Discrimination, social exclusion, and criminalizing are all forms of human rights violations as well. The discrimination of homelessness is in terms of access to housing and land. Homeless people are denied opportunities to live in promising locations. Instead, they are told to live in remote, isolated and poorly serviced areas where there are no jobs opportunities. Many businesses have filed complaints when they see homeless people situated near their locations. They claim that they draw their customers away. Instead of ignoring their complaints, officers act upon it and move the homeless away. The sane and realistic option would be to help them and find a safer and more practical place to spend the night. It would make both parties happy. But the solution, as it mostly is, is the homeless suffering while the complainers are sitting pretty.
In addition, the United States has a corrupt economy and welfare system that plays a big role in homelessness. The economy was purposefully constructed to create poverty as well as inequality. In fact, out of every twenty dollars of new wealth created, nineteen of those dollars goes to the top one percent. The top one percent has more wealth than the bottom ninety percent (Fleisher). If the new wealth was evenly distributed then the rates of homelessness would go down significantly. This is where the United States’ corrupt welfare comes into place. If more money was put aside to help homelessness, the problem may slowly abolish.
The United States is by far the richest country in the world who is home to, “262 billionaires, ten times that of its nearest competitor, and an astounding 3.8 million of its households hold assets valued in the millions” (Fleisher). But it can't be said that the government is doing all it can to end homelessness. While still $25 trillion dollars in debt, “Our state and federal governments spend upwards of three trillion dollars a year. Yet at the same time, the United States experiences, by the best estimates, 3.5 million incidences of homelessness a year” (Fleisher). The distinct division in society is abundantly clear when looking at the homeless in the context of equality and economics. The rich continue to get richer and the poor stay poor. With so many unsure where their home will be tonight, it is impalpable to witness the amount of money that all of the upper-class have. But those upper-class citizens believe that wealth is just the logical outcome of a free market system.
Most privileged associate the homeless as incapable humans who are jobless. This stereotype is in fact, one of the worst. Many families that do live in poverty have at least one working member (Fleisher). And most of these jobs are full-time jobs as well. These families aren’t to be considered lazy. But bills such as auto repair and medical do pile up. The savings that most families keep tucked away are spent trying to pay these bills. These poor economic factors disable the homeless’ ability to advance from their situations. And while working these people are most likely receiving a minimum wage which would not be sufficient enough to support themselves and their families.
It is to be believed that due to the financial crisis of 2008 the number of homeless has significantly increased. It was said to be the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression and had affected many. The crisis was due to the collapse of Lehman Brothers bank which was active worldwide. It had affected the overall economy through banks, and federal, state and local government budgets. Unemployment rates increased while mortgage payments also increased past the amount that could be borrowed. That issue could not have been blamed on anyone. But because of it, less and less paid attention to homeless until the crisis was averted. Equal attention should have been given. Especially if the crisis of 2008 brought people into the category of homeless.
The United States is considered to have one of the weakest welfare systems in regards to homelessness compared to other countries. The United States has adopted a liberal like welfare system (Kahachi). The government sees the welfare system as housing provision and homelessness treatments from a narrow economic perspective. This means that they will most likely work on the homelessness treatment when it is beneficial and saves money. The programs also promoted to all Americans but those who can benefit and are paid are those with low income. Other Democratic liberal countries consider housing for the homeless as a human right while conservative countries view housing and proper homelessness treatment necessary, especially to achieve social justice (Kahachi). While the leaders of the United States continue to only think about their own benefits the rest of the country is suffering. Their intent may be vital in their eyes but in others, it isn’t. The government's job is to provide and protect its people while maintaining to protect the citizens’ rights.
In 1996 the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, PRWORA, was passed. It was voted to "block grant" welfare to the states (Fleisher). Some may say this is extremely beneficial and flexible, allowing each state to design its own welfare regime. But others do not believe the adaptable strategy will be successful. Doug O'Brien, vice president of public policy and research at America's Second Harvest, believed that PRWORA was an “unjust ‘transference of responsibility’. He believes that it is the responsibility of the government, as noted in the preamble to the Constitution, to provide for the general welfare of the people, and thus the government should ensure some minimum standard of living” (Fleisher). Others believe that this reform didn’t go far enough. Mike Tanner, director at Cato University believes that the government is just rewarding irresponsibility. Private charities, in his opinion, should offer short-term assistance in place of government handouts (Fleisher). But one must consider what the goals of PRWORA actually were.
If it was to reduce welfare rolls, then the reform was successful, but if the objective was to reduce an issue other than that, the reform has failed. The Welfare Reform of 1996 expected to diminish the problem but for a while now, it can be seen that it has been very ineffective.
The programs that welfare include are said to provide a safety net to families and individuals to keep them from going into poverty. But the safety net that is provided has been proved ineffective due to corruption because those who are eligible for beneficial programs are not receiving them despite federal law. Statistically speaking, “over 40 percent of homeless persons are eligible for disability benefits, but only 11 percent actually receive them. Most are eligible for food stamps, but only 37 percent receive them...Residency requirements, inability to obtain school records and lack of transportation are primary barriers to public education for more than 750,000 homeless children annually” (Fleisher). Those that are eligible for the programs don’t get them, then what’s even the point of them? The funding that does go in is a waste for those that are scammed.
Another reason as to why homelessness has gotten out of control is because of the unequal attention that is given by leaders of the United States. After the Hepatitis outbreak was in full swirl, San Diego's leaders thought that it was the time to act upon the homelessness crisis due to those on the streets with Hepatitis. The idea of bridge shelters, the first step to permanent housing, had been circling around on discussion tables but had only been reinforced when the Hepatitis crisis emerged (Lee). Starting up tents and shelters seem like the easy way out that the city leaders are taking to temporarily try to contain the homeless situation. While these solutions will not solve the issue, it is better than people sleeping on the streets. The Hepatitis A epidemic emerged in San Diego forcing the government to take control over the homelessness problem. But is this what it took to get everyone's attention? In the government's mind, it seems as if they are all thinking “it's time to fix this issue so the rest of the community doesn’t suffer”. But the outbreak of Hepatitis A shouldn’t have been the awakening call. More should have been done and the outbreak shouldn’t have been the catalyst. The mayor of San Diego couldn’t even fulfill his promise. He had said that he would reduce homelessness and it would be his, “No. 1 social service priority”. But the time never came. The plan never went through and was left on the drawing boards (Lee). Consistency is vital when trying to overcome any problem. Divided attention can leave so many quality filled ideas untouched. In general, if more reserved attention was given minor instances of homelessness can be solved eventually leading to the entire problem itself being solved. For example, starting with San Diego and then moving on to a bigger pool.
As mentioned before, the right to housing is protected in many nationally published documents. While these documents specifically cater to children, men, women, and different races, the government fails to recognize the other forms of homelessness. For example, chronically ill and veterans are their top priority. Data shows that the homelessness system prioritizes certain types of homelessness over others. Their focus is on the chronically homeless especially those who have a good employment record. Because of this the other majority of homeless are unable to access and benefit from the full welfare system which is provided (Kahachi). A chronically homeless person is an unaccompanied person with a disabling condition who has been homeless for a year or an unaccompanied person with a disabling condition who has had four or more occurrences of homelessness in three years (Kahachi). The government has set benchmarks throughout the years, each one hoping to end a sector of homelessness. They are ending homelessness for veterans by 2015, chronic homelessness by 2017, and homelessness for families with children and youth by 2020. While it is biased to prefer one type of homelessness to end sooner over another, what they had hoped for did not succeed.
On the other hand, it's not as if the government hasn’t done anything to try and fix this issue. After the crisis of 2008, they realized more steps need to be taken in order to minimize it. If they didn’t step in the wealth system may have collapsed sending homelessness to a whole different level. Policies and strategies were taken into account to stop the pending issue (Kahachi). The steps that were promised that were being taken is the first indicator that the government was trying to help in 2010. Their strategy is called “Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness”. Their four prioritized goals were to prevent and end chronic homelessness, homelessness among veterans, homelessness for families, youth, and children in ten years; and set a path to ending all types of homelessness (Kahachi). But what is the actual value of these steps? On the long term, the goals that the government has will probably make a difference. But on a short term, the issue is still at hand. Having this vision that will hopefully be realistic in 10 years is very unrealistic to imagine in the present.
Some also believe that housing is the solution to homelessness. To this idea, many proposed building more shelters.
The McKinney Act of 1987 is a federal law that provides federal money for homeless shelter programs. Tipper Gore, the wife of the former vice president and advocacy for the homeless, believes that there are solutions to everything and the issue of homelessness is not an intricate problem. All that needs to be done is to allow for more funding (Fleisher). The funding that is given is very low and the time that most residents spent there is not ideal. In fact, many homeless people would say they would prefer staying on the streets than in a shelter. Residents at shelters experience violence, theft, and other forms of abuse. An astounding 826 cases were reported (Semuels). Monthly operating expenses are high and are inconvenient in the eyes of some as well. Many shelters also don’t allow the homeless to bring their own belongings when they check in. This forces residents to leave behind valued items and items of necessity (Semuels). What the homeless need is a stable home-like environment where they feel safe. Not somewhere that can be potentially dangerous and unwelcoming.
To conclude, the numbers of homelessness are constantly growing and the government hasn’t done enough to stop them. They violate human rights, allow for a corrupt welfare and economic system, and don’t maintain a sustained focus when given a problem of homelessness to deal with. While small things like buying someone a meal can make someone's night a life a lot more enjoyable, it will not end the problem of homelessness in the long run. If the government does more for the cause and realizes their mistakes, this ongoing issue will not be an issue anymore. The streets would be happier as would the rest of the citizens affecting the overall moral of the country. If the government truly has interest upon the well being of their citizens, they should be doing more and changing their many mistakes to try and end homelessness.
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Homelessness: An Epidemic or Fault. (2019, Mar 26).
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Spreading Homelessness Problems
It is true that children who are homeless receive inadequate attention, the well-being of homeless children is overlooked because their physical health, mental health, and social- emotional functioning are diminishing. The development of humans within the early years is critical for the way a person is maintained throughout life. Many factors contribute the personal development such as social, emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and physical factors. Development is how a child grows physically and emotionally and learns to communicate, think, and socialize. Many children are not given the ability to receive the help they need to prosper many years forward.
Children are not able to determine the way they are raised, nor how their upbringing may be. Family homelessness is becoming a more common issue today. Homelessness is considered to be the state of living in temporary housing, in a shelter, a home without electricity, or in a place not meant for human habilitation (Park, 2011). More than 1.6 million U.S. children are homeless each year and approximately 40% of children are living in shelters under the age of 7 (Haskett, 2016). With so many children living in poverty, there have been issues about the development of homeless children, because they not only have worries of being a child, but worries of where they will sleep at night, where they will receive food, and even if they will be allowed to stay with their family. This could bring many leading situations that can be detrimental to the entire family.
Many times, things happen that are not supposed to. Some are given as a blessing and others are things to build you into the person you are today. When parents who are already homeless birth a baby, it brings a bundle of joy and a bundle of task and abilities that will need to be completed. It is known that a mother is considered homeless if she does not have permanent housing 12 months before delivery (Doskoch, 2011).Before the child is born they are already less likely to have good health due to insufficient funds and insurance. Mothers who are homeless and pregnant normally do not receive early prenatal care. They are not able to take vitamins and it contributes them to being underweight while being pregnant. Doctor visits are hard to get to if parents lack transportation and hard to pay for, because of the many visits that are needed while pregnant. There are many factors that can attribute to the problems mothers face while carrying their child. They could face obstacles such as chemical abuse, chronic health problems, and lack of personal care. Many women who are homeless are single women who have to make the best of their situations. Despite these developmental delays and emotional difficulties, homeless preschoolers receive fewer services than other children their age (Doskoch, 2011).
Infants who are born into homelessness are not given proper care. Due to this problem they are born with low birth weight that can lead to various problems, especially problems that could be life threatening. Compared to those who are not homeless mothers, they are able to be with their child soon after birth and also have the ability to breast feed the child, rather than the child going to the intensive unit due to lack of health. Infants are not given the opportunity to attend well-baby checkups after being born (Brinamen, 2012). From infancy to the age of about six years old, children who suffer from being under weight endure many health problems that affects their daily activities. With certain limitations, their childhood is altered because they are not able to attend day care or child care and do the things other children are able to do.
As the child ages in the years of 7-18, there are many things they become more aware of that cause them to accumulate more problems. Approximately one student in every classroom has experienced living life homeless or are currently homeless. Many homeless children are separated from their immediate family and they are placed in foster care. Without having their parents, the children are more likely to become sick, go hungry, and have physical, social, and academic challenges. The younger children are more affected by this happening due to the lack of care they are able to have for their self. When the young children are separated from their parents, long-term negative effects are brought up which alters the family's relationship. Another major issue they will endure is the focus they have toward their education. Adverse experiences in early childhood can threaten brain development, learning, and long health. The family may split and go different ways or endure hardships. When they family is separated, it disrupts the structure of the family causing the child to undermine academic achievement (Manstin, 2014). It is known that children who are homeless are at risk of behavior problems. Therefore, they may find more ways to get the attention of the professor.
Homeless children suffer from physical health problems that may include asthma, immunization delays, developmental growth problems, and nutritional deficits. It is common for children who experience homelessness to have a higher rate of physical health problems (Park,2016). A study was conducted to figure out the correlation between children who are homeless and their physical and mental health. In order to study their physical health, the mother's rating of the child's overall health status as fair or poor, any physical disability reported, and whether the child had been diagnosed with asthma (Park, 2016) were tested. There were high levels of physical health problems from asthma, health, and physical disabilities.
Every two in five children who have experienced a homeless episode that has caused suffering from a clinically diagnosable mental health disorder (Marcal, 2017). This comparison is twice the rate of children who are not homeless. Treatment for mental health problems have high rates that make it challenging for homeless families to receive proper treatment to maintain their mental health. The cause of mental health problems may come from long periods of uncertainty, traumatic experience, adverse health effects, the lack the capacity to sustain employment, and having little income. With being homeless, there is a great bit of inconsistency through their lives. Job searching can be difficult when a person does not have transportation or work experience. Therefore, there is no source of income available for the family if they are not able to apply and receive a job (Marcal, 2017).
Also, when people become homeless, they tend to lose family members and friends due to situations that have occurred prior to becoming homeless. It becomes hard to depend on others to due to others not understanding their situation or lack of support. The lack of support they have brings troubles because they have the feeling of being alone. Some who are homeless are not comfortable with expressing their need for help. When there is nowhere else they can turn with lack of resources, it can be difficult to determine good judgment. Having a supportive atmosphere is important to the success of someone going through a phase of homelessness. Services provided by the government, shelters, and churches are safe places for them. The environment creates a non-threatening atmosphere. These resources ease the emotional pain they endure because they have someone they can depend and support them.
The National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) stated 16% of students experiencing homelessness received special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). (Sullivan-Walker,2017).
Student who are homeless already endure certain things due to situations that are out of their hand. Adding disabilities on top of their hardships, add to the hardships they endure such as school failure, lack of transportation, and poor attendance because they constantly change their location. On an educational level, students perform in math and reading are lower than those in stable homes. Students also struggle with completing records, missing paperwork, and behavioral issues. Children who are homeless score lower on standardized testing. It is common for children who are homeless to acquire a disability. The result of this causes low levels of achievement in school regarding math and reading especially. Many students struggle to maintain skills necessary for objectives in the classroom which causes a common a struggle for children experiencing homeless lives to repeat a grade while in school. For children to achieve success and well- being, their physical space and the education provided is vital toward their success. When dealing with children who have a disability, teamwork is crucial.
There are many changes children endure that are homeless. With the many changes they have, their brain development is altered. Different regions of the brain are affected such as the prefrontal cortex. The cortex is responsible for executing functioning of the brain.
Edidin (2012) study found the following:
Research has identified that the prefrontal cortex undergoes a protracted period of development, which continues from early childhood well into the mid-twenties. In addition to overall increases in prefrontal cortical volume, improved coordination between the prefrontal cortex and the limbic system, structures that control memory, emotion regulation, and motivation, also occurs. Because of the numerous changes in the structure and function of the brain that occur during adolescence and young adulthood, there is greater potential for the environment to affect development.
The alteration in the brain will cause the children to make poor decision making, emotional change, and instability in life. It is typical for parents to seek help for children who have these problems. The difference for homeless parents sometimes is that they are not always available to seek treatment for their children. In certain situations, they may not even recognize the problems (Eddin, 2012). It is common for parent, teachers, or other adults around the children to bring the situations to the parent's attention for them to address. Other cognitive difficulties that occur may involve scoring low on verbal test and having deficits in attention. These things all are factors in cognitive development.
Preparing for a family will not promise a healthy upbringing but it would defiantly benefit a child in some type of positive way. Preparing to have children shows that there is some type of cognitive organization between the two parents. Having organization and understanding between parents before a child is born gives the child an advantage before they are given a life. Being organized for sooner of a child provides the child with a solid foundation. Most children or people in general that become homeless do not start off with a solid foundation as a child. Being prepared for a family would include preparation to become financially stable. The mental and emotional state of a parent which in most cases will be a direct transition to the child. The child is one to be a child and want be barred down with trouble of an unprepared pair of parents. In addition it also takes proper financial preparation to ensure some type of stability with a child that will decrease chances or them eventually growing up and becoming homeless.
Parental closeness is an important factor when it comes to raising a child. It is important to create a positive relationship with your child at an early age for them to remember you by as they develop. Establishing and maintaining a positive relationship is a necessity. The more comfortable the child is with you, the more they can trust and depend on you as the parent. This will allow the child to feel like they can come to the parent as an outlet when he has questioned or when something goes wrong. Parents will likely have less time at home with their children getting their selves involved in other things. It is important to stress the close relationship ties between the parents and the children. Any child should be able to go to their parents for any reason. Having a close relationship with your child can prevent homelessness because if anyone else fails the child will be available for them to call. Close relationships with children decrease depth, decreases uncertainty within trouble times and increase the chance the child becomes successful.
Being involved in a child's academic standing while they are in school is completely necessary in today's world. The importance of knowing how your child Is doing in school all substantially help the child in every area of life. They will know and understand that you as a parental figure actuality cares for them. It lets them know the importance of education. It allows you as parent to guide your child in the right direction academically. You can now reward your child for academic greatness which will give them more incentive to perform better in school. In other children this will allow you to seek certain resources if your child is needing. Providing them with help will prevent poor academic performance. Education is the basis of success when it comes to receiving and maintaining a job. Having a job will drastically decrease the chances of the child becoming homeless. Earning a degree will almost guarantee some type of job.
It can be hard for service providers to comprise services for homeless families that engage families, employment, and social conditions. A trial was completed called the Family critical time intervention (FCTI). It combines housing and structured, time limited case management to connect families leaving shelter with community services. The program uses homeless shelters that include a team consisting of a case manager, supervisory staff, and psychiatrist. There are three phases to the intervention. The first stage is transition to community. In this phase, a case manager completes a thorough family assessment that includes caregiver and child strengths. This phase works closely with the mother three times a week introducing her to several resources available for her benefit. The second phase is called try-out. It allows a little less contact from the case manager to allow the family to become more independent. The mother is monitored whether she will need assistance depending on the situation. The third phase is transfer to care. It allows the family to take full responsibility for their actions. At this phase the case manager is used for support and follow up (Shinn, 2015).
There are many services that are provided by the government, churches, and shelters. Homelessness can be minimzed by those who are willing to make change in their life. There are homeless shelters for families who provide food, shelter, case management, and various services. Those who go through homelessness are faced by difficulties of cognitive, emotional, social, academic, and physical changes. Over time, there can be things that can be done to prevent families from being homeless for a long period of time. Services such as WIC, food stamps, and government assistant programs are available to many low-income persons. Receiving these services will allow better development for homeless children. Schools that provide tutoring, after school programs, and food assistance for homeless children should be more willing to reach out to the children in the schools who need the extra help. Programs that provide these things will be beneficial to homeless children because they do not have certain resources at home to help them. It will be beneficial for them to receive the help at school where they are away from distractions they many have while they are at home or other places they sleep at night.
References
- Brinamen, C. F., Taranta, A. N., & Johnston, K. (2012). Expanding early childhood mental health consultation to new venues: Serving infants and young children in domestic violence and homeless shelters. Infant Mental Health Journal, 33(3), 283293. https://doi.org/10.1002/imhj.21338
- Cutuli, J. J., Montgomery, A. E., Evans Chase, M., & Culhane, D. P. (2017). Childhood adversity, adult homelessness and the intergenerational transmission of risk: a population-representative study of individuals in households with children. Child & Family Social Work, 22(1), 116-125. doi:10.1111/cfs.12207
- Doskoch, P. (2011). Homelessness in Year Before Delivery Linked To Reduced Levels of Prenatal and Postnatal Care. Perspectives on Sexual & Reproductive Health, 43(4), 266267. https://doi.org/10.1363/4326611
- Edidin, J., Ganim, Z., Hunter, S., & Karnik, N. (2012). The Mental and Physical Health of Homeless Youth: A Literature Review. Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 43(3), 354375.
https://doi.org.ezproxy.lib.alasu.edu/10.1007/s10578-011-0270-1 - Fowler, P. J., & Farrell, A. F. (2017). Housing and Child Well Being: Implications for Research, Policy, and Practice. American Journal Of Community, 60(1/2), 3-8. doi:10.1002/ajcp.12154
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- Marcal, K. (2017). A Theory of Mental Health and Optimal Service Delivery for Homeless Children. Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, 34(4), 349-359. Doi:10.1007/s10560-016-0464-2
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- Park, J. M., Fertig, A. R., & Allison, P. D. (2011). Physical and Mental Health, Cognitive Development, and Health Care Use by Housing Status of Low-Income Young Children in 20 American Cities: A Prospective Cohort Study. American Journal Of Public Health, 101(S1), S255-S261. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2010.300098
- Shinn, M., Samuels, J., Fischer, S. N., Thompkins, A., & Fowler, P. J. (2015). Longitudinal Impact of a Family Critical Time Intervention on Children in High-Risk Families Experiencing Homelessness: A Randomized Trial. American Journal Of Community Psychology, 56(3/4), 205-216. doi:10,1007/s10464=015-9742-y
- Sullivan-Walker, M. E., Rock, M. L., & Popp, P. A. (2017). Meeting the needs of students with disabilities experiencing homelessness: Federal, community, and educator roles. Preventing School Failure, 61(2), 155162. https://doi.org/10.1080/1045988X.2016.1228596
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Spreading Homelessness Problems. (2019, Mar 26).
Retrieved November 4, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/03/page/6/
Society and Homelessness
Homelessness is the state of having no home or permanent residency. According to The Data Face, there were roughly 554,000 homeless people living somewhere in the United States on a given night [in 2017]. A total of 193,000 of those people were unsheltered,' meaning that they were living on the streets and had no access to emergency shelters, transitional housing, or Safe Havens (Benedict 2018:1). In this paper, homelessness will be discussed through the viewpoints of the three different sociological perspectives; conflict theory, symbolic interactionism, and functionalism.
Conflict theory was born due to the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century and was created Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Conflict theory emphasizes social inequality and suggests that far-reaching social change is needed to achieve a just society (Barkan 2010). A conflict theorist sees social life as a competition for a limited amount of resources that creates conflict. Homelessness is viewed by a conflict theorist as the result of limited resources that have been used up. In their academic journal, Main causes of homelessness and adaptation of homeless to environmental factors, Marta Sarnowska and Sonia Gach interviewed ten people living in homelessness and found that the three most common causes of their homelessness are loss of permanent work, subsequent threats of evictions, and the inability to deal with the new economic situation that came in the 1980's when the economy marketized and collapsed (2018). The authors suggest that when the economy collapsed in the 80's, it left many people homeless due to the new lack of resources available for the working class. This matches up perfectly with conflict theory because there was a subsequent amount of resources available, but once the resources became scarce and more expensive, people were no longer able to afford them: therefore, they became homeless.
Symbolic interactionism came about in the early 20th century due to the theory of Herbert Blumer. Symbolic interactionism is how people construct their roles as they interact. As this interaction occurs, individuals negotiate their definitions of the situations in which they find themselves and socially construct the reality of these situations. In so doing, they rely heavily on symbols such as words and gestures to reach a shared understanding of their interaction (Barkan 2018). A symbolic interactionist can determine their role using symbols and their interaction with others. People who are experiencing homelessness tend to fall under the symbolic interactionist theory. This is demonstrated in Reuben Addo's academic journal, Homeless individuals' social construction of a park: a symbolic interactionist perspective, he conducted interviews in a public park with ten people experiencing homelessness. He asked them to describe the park, and words that they used include, a homeless safety hub, homeless resource hub, and a homeless network hub (2018). Addo infers that his study suggested that homeless individuals' constructed meanings of public parks may be motivated by their interactions with their peers and housed residents (2018). Through this study, Addo found that people living in homelessness view the public park as a place of safety where they can interact with others in their same situation. Addo's study is an example of symbolic interactionism because it highlights that people living in homelessness view themselves and other items, places, or people depending on their interactions with that item, place, or person.
The idea of functionalism arose out of the French Revolution in the 18th century and the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century (Barkan 2018). Both revolutions resulted in major societal change, so the intellectuals of the society began writing about a strong society with strong social bonds and socialization; thus, functionalism was born (Barkan 2018). Functionalism emphasizes the importance of social institutions (family, religion, and education) for social stability and implies that far-reaching social change will be socially harmful (Barkan 2018). Functionalism aims for family, religion, education, and social stability to prevail in society. When someone is experiencing homelessness, it is often hard to keep their family together. In Alex Trillo, Giovani Burgos, and Michael Schwartz's academic journal, Institutional ties and homeless family trajectories: how homeless mothers engage with policy to create opportunities for mobility focuses on how homeless mothers try to better the lives of their family members through actively navigating property and seeking a better place to raise their family (2016). Through actively seeking a better place to raise their family, the homeless mothers are contributing to social stability. They are keeping their family in the center of their lives; therefore, they are maintaining social institutions as well. By maintaining social institutions and social stability, homeless mothers are mirroring functionalism.
Society is based on the three main sociological perspectives; conflict theory, symbolic interactionism, and functionalism. These sociological perspectives can be used to analyze small and large groups. Through conflict theory, one can see a cause of homelessness being the lack of resources for a large group. Through symbolic interactionalism, one can gain insight to the homeless community based on how they view a public park. Through functionalism, one can see the workings of social institutions and social stability through a hardworking homeless mother trying to make the best for her family. With these sociological perspectives, people can gain an explanation for their day to day behaviors and interactions.
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Society And Homelessness. (2019, Mar 26).
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Horrible Experience of the Vietnam War
The novel of The Things They Carried is comparable to the real-life experience of Roger Donlon in the Vietnam War. On the Rainy River is a short story the author never tells because he is too embarrassed. It makes him look like a coward. The main character's name is Tim O'Brien. The only war he participates is in the Vietnam War. He did not agree with this war because he did not have a choice due to being draft. Conversely, Roger Donlon is a veteran who experiences the Vietnam War and survives. However, he is not forcing to be in the war because he volunteers to serve the military. Both O'Brien's novel and Donlon's account of the war mention how they survived the horrible experiences. They have to live with the thought of seeing their comrades die. They will try to help out every comrade they can to save their lives. However, there are comrades that did not seem to make it. Tim O'Brien losses so many friends but still keeps fighting for his life and his soldiers. Going to war should be an option, not an order. Everyone should be able to decide.
The Thing They Carried is about Tim O'Brien experience with his fellow soldiers in the Vietnam War. On the Rainy River begins when he states that he never told his story to anyone. He says, This is one story I've never told before. Not to anyone. Not to my parents, not to my brother or sister, not to my wife (O'Brien 37). He is too embarrassed because he thinks people are going to consider him as a coward. O'Brien is part of the Vietnam War; however, he did not choose to be there. He is only twenty-one years old when he begins the war. He says, I was too good for this war. Too smart, too compassionate, too everything (O'Brien 39). O'Brien also hates seeing blood. He desires to do something else and he did not want to experience the feeling of seeing dead soldiers. He did not want to think that any of his best comrades die. O'Brien will complain, I had the world dicked-Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude and president of the student body and a full-ride scholarship for grade studies at Harvard (O'Brien 39). O'Brien hates being a soldier and he could not stand the dirt nor the boy's scouts. When he gets his draft letter, he thinks there should be a law where they have the ability to decide if they want to be in the war or not.
Conversely, Roger Donlon's dream is to be a pilot, but he had problems with his eyes. Later, him and his brother volunteer for the military. Donlon is chosen to be the leader of the Vietnam War. During this war, he finds out he is the leader of twelve men of a special force near the Nam Dong. Donlon did not want any errors, he makes sure all his men are preparing to fight in the war. Donlon and his men are defending the post. Meanwhile, they get attacked while protecting the post. However, Donlon manages too survived the war. Throughout the terrifying experience, Donlon helps all his injured comrades and brings them to a safe place. During this war, he watches his friend John die in pain. He is able to kill three of his enemies and keeps going on with a mission (Ross). Donlon says, I paused, mentally at least. God, why John? Why not me? (Ross) He still could not believe his friend died in front of him. He questions why God let him die, why could he not just save his life as he saves the other soldiers? Despite his injuries, he still keeps fighting until the war finishes. The United States aircraft drop flares and helps to bring the battle to an end. Donlon says, You killed the enemy because of the love you had for the man next to you? The most powerful emotion on Earth is love (Ross). He will kill anyone who makes his loves one surf. Love is stronger than hate; it can defeat anything and make the person have the energy to get revenge towards their loved ones.
Furthermore, Donlon and O'Brien are both parts of the Vietnam war. However, they both have different dreams before entering the Vietnam War. In the novel, O'Brien writes I was drafted to fight a War I hated. I was twenty-one years old. Young, yes, and politically naive, but even so the American War in Vietnam seemed to be wrong (O'Brien 38). In the article about Donlon, he says he Wanted to serve in the Air Force, but he ultimately couldn't serve as a pilot because of a problem with his eyes. ( Ross) Throughout the war, they both lose comrades. However, they both keep fighting and do not care about the wounds. They are strong soldiers who will give their lives for their comrades. They are not afraid to die. They both care for their soldiers. They will see their soldiers die and will want revenge. They both have a family and they know that the family that is waiting for them at home. Their family knows they will either be back or not.
Meanwhile, they fight to defend their comrades they try to hide. After the war, they will have a story to tell and how it will end. They will regret not being able to help some of their comrades out just as they cure their comrades wound and save their life's. They both have the feeling of not being able to help out the one soldier they mostly care about. They will tell or write about their experience of the war. They both are not proud to say how many men they lose. However, they are both proud that they are able to make it alive. However, many of their comrades did not seem to make it.
Moreover, these soldiers have many differences. Yes, they both experience war but they both have different feelings about it. Roger Donlon wants to be part of a war, so he volunteers in the military. Conversely, O'Brien's story is different, since he is drafted into the war. He did not have a choice; however, he says in the novel all the reasons why he hates the war: I saw no unity of purpose, no consensus on matters of philosophy or history of law (O'Brien 38). He did not find any purpose in this war. O'Brien has different dreams for himself, he never imagines being chosen to be in war. Roger Donlon wins a medal for being part of the war and for defending his team. He wins first place for the Special Forces. Meanwhile, O'Brien and his leader Jimmy still could not get over losing a soldier (comrade). During the novel, it talks about his life. Everyone he meets he tells them about his experience in war. However, his wife and kids are tired of listening to him talk about the war. O'Brien seems to hate being part of the war. However, Donlon passion is serving for the war. Serving for his countries is his dream. That is why he volunteered in the military, so they could prepare him for the war.
Indeed, Roger Donlon fought through the war no matter how injured he is. He covers his wounds with anything he finds. However, Donlon does not have kids or family members waiting for him. Meanwhile, his comrade John who die during the war has kids and a wife. They are waiting for him to come back him but sadly he did not make it. He will question himself why his friend John had to die. He should be the one in his place. Furthermore, O'Brien is so young when he begins the war. The only people that are expecting him at home are his family. During the time, O'Brien did not have kids or a wife.
Lastly, the main characters are both involved in the Vietnam War. The feeling of both soldiers seeing their comrade die right in front of their face. O'Brien hates thinking about war or anything that has to do with it. Thus, Roger Donlon did not have the same thoughts as O'Brien. He did want to be part of a war. He is not trying to lose a soldier or have to give bad news to their family members. The soldiers did their best to help out their people in the war. They would give their lives just to help other soldiers out. They are not thinking about themselves. The novel and article both show how the character did all they could to win the war. They are both strong soldiers who manage to defeat their enemy at war. These soldiers both have a huge experience in war and have a story to tell. They will never know when they will have to serve for their country again. However, O'Brien does not want to be in another war again.
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Horrible Experience of The Vietnam War. (2019, Mar 26).
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https://studydriver.com/2019/03/page/6/
The Vietnam War
The Things They Carried is a collection of stories fiction and nonfiction told by author Tim O'Brian. Through the narratives told through the eyes of his characters, it links them together because of what they carry, but paradoxically it distinguishes them as well. His recollection of short stories conveys the grotesqueness of the Vietnam War, the power stories can have, and the anti-war sentiments felt amongst and other draftees he served with. He emphasizes that war cannot be generalized, and contrasts of the effects of war and what war is like. He has an abundance of major points, often referring to anti-war themes that are seen in many veterans of the Vietnam War. With proclaiming the stories in his novel being untrue in order to emphasize the power of storytelling, there are still underlying messages that are reverberated throughout the story. Themes such the physical and emotional encumbrances, the PTSD and anxiety accompanied from combat, and lives robbed to serve the country. This is further exacerbated by himself and other interviewees of the Ken Burn Series: The Vietnam War, with other primary sources depicting veterans sharing the same feelings.
Tim O'Brian's novel alludes to the many emotional and physical tolls the war has taken on the men in his platoon. The physical toll is the enormous load they carried, their weapons, ammo, ruck sacks, and equipment totaling over 50lbs. The items they carried were of necessity to survive, but often times they would abandon their supplies in order to alleviate their pain. They would dump their rations, set off their claymores, and not wear the issued protective gear such as the helmet and flak jacket because they wanted to become more comfortable. Often times, they would conduct these actions on their marches and during the movements they would operate in extreme heat within the jungles of Vietnam furthering the physical toll.
Along with the gear and equipment they carried, they would also carry with them, their emotions. Early in the book, we are introduced to several characters. Platoon Leader Jimmy Cross carries the letters of his love interest Martha from his home. These letters led him to carry feelings of romance, along with all the hypothetical outcomes that could arise about their feelings. He had an internal struggle with himself because he debated whether the feelings were mutual or if she had moved on as her letters indicated as they were mostly chatty and elusive on the matter of love. Whether it was their faith or their love, this war that they did not understand took them away from their homes transforming these emotions into burdens later on. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross focuses so much on his romance, that he allows for his negligence to lead to the death of Ted Lavender, a soldier under his command. Lavender would be shot because of the lax standard set by Jimmy Cross because of his focus on Martha, and the death of Lavender would be one he never overcome.
All men carry with them a sense of fear, this was seen when they conducted tunnel duty to determine if there were enemy. They would allow imagination to take over and create different situations of peril when conducting tunnel duty such as being crushed or not being heard or seen. Former Prisoner of War Senator John McCain, recounts when he entered Hanoi and was captured when his helicopter was shot down. Following his capture, he experienced the same emotions of fear that the men in Tim O'Brian's novel felt. He was constantly scared because of their lack of medical cleanliness and treatment, this fear was increased because of his injured leg becoming infected. He had heard of other tales of men being captured and dying with similar leg injuries because of the blood becoming toxic, and he was fearful because of their lack of medical ability to treat him. This constant fear even resulted him in almost cracking by wagering military information for medical treatment. Fear, as seen with the with O'Brian's platoon and John McCain made them wary of their survival and carry heavy emotional burdens.
Although the men may have survived and moved on from the war, some continued to fight the battles upon returning home. Some of the men were unable to overcome the grief faced from the Vietnam War and continued to plague them in the form of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Ken Burns has many veterans such as the author Tim O'Brian, John Musgrave, and Bill Ehrhart who still have haunting memories of the conflict. Furthermore, they didn't have an outlet to cope with their anxieties either because society rejected the Vietnam War and its veterans. They would fight feelings of depression and suicidal thoughts, or as seen in Musgrave, a bitterness towards Asians because of the battles he was engaged in. In the novel, Kiowa is well respected and loved by the men of his platoon. His death hit many men hard, but no one took it harder than Norman Bowker. Following the war, he wrote to Tim O'Brian saying that he was unable to fit in, find a stable job, or find meaningful use in his life. Bowker would try to cope with basketball and late-night drives but would ultimately hang himself three years after the war. Rat Kiley was another member of Tim O'Brian's platoon, and he was best friends with fellow soldier Curt Lemmon. They would hang out and become very close until his abrupt death from an explosive. Rat Kiley is devasted and tries to cope, during this time he and other soldiers find a baby water buffalo. After trying to care for it, he pulls out his pistol to shoot the water buffalo and begins to mutilate with multiple gunshots. His PTSD is extreme as he is trying to cope with excessive use of violence.
The Vietnam War instituted a draft to increase and bolster their numbers to deter the spread of communism into southern Vietnam. Norman Bowker deployed to Vietnam enamored with the idea of becoming a sort of war hero by earning awards elicited from valor. He would earn seven combat badges including the Combat Infantry Badge, but the Silver Star eluded him. All the glamour he thought he would receive coming back from the war was absent, and he had a hard time adjusting to civilian life. He would be unable to hold a job and assimilate back into society because everything had changed. His duration in war left him different from the rest of his hometown, and his obligations changed upon returning home with his life now fundamentally removed due to answering the nations call. John Musgrave, another veteran interviewed in Ken Burns The Vietnam War shares similar sentiment with his life changed, as he was also initially eager to serve his country. However, he says that during the war he suffered many injuries and returned home to a country that did not honor him, much like Norman Bowker in returning to his community who didn't honor what he had done. Bowker and Musgrave changed during the war, and both came back to their homes with depression and suicidal thoughts because their communities did not help them. Musgrave's interview echoed other veterans as seen in the responses in the Veterans' review of Apocalypse Now, which was a clip portraying American soldiers deployed to Vietnam as evil, psychotics, and unstable.
This influenced many communities to reject other Vietnam War Veterans to reject their soldiers just as Musgrave was. Many veterans such as Musgrave, wanted the country to know they fought on the government's orders in a cause that was portrayed as noble, and they were not what society was painting them to be. Another instance was in June of 1968, Tim O'Brian had just graduated Macalester College with plans to attend Harvard's Graduate School. These plans were changed because he was called into the Vietnam War through the draft. Believing he was too good to serve and not acknowledging the reasons for U.S. intervention, he began to have anxiety over his looming service. Tim O'Brian's life was altered profoundly, his plans were voided because of his mandatory service, and he even thought of escaping into Canada like others had. His situation represented a large majority of Americans who had gone to college, they had to abandon their goals for a war they did not believe in nor understand. Sharing Tim O'Brian's belief, Bill Ehrhart shared the same feelings when interviewed in the Ken Burn series. He did not believe in the war's cause like Tim because the agenda wasn't to save Southern Vietnam but out of refusal to admit the Johnson administration had messed up.
Stories have the power to tell a narrative. Tim O'Brian's The Things They Carried was an anti-war novel focusing on the burdens carried by soldiers, the PTSD that lingered with soldiers following the war, and the impact the draft on the lives of many young Americans. There is a bitterness through the different stories that illustrate why not only the Vietnam War but war in general is unnecessary. He argues that the war irreversibly changed the lives of many men because they lost their futures or were unable to function again in normal society. Tim O'Brian was a participant in the Ken Burns series, and in the last episode he bitterly questions why we participated in the Vietnam and shed the blood of so many young Americans in a cause that he did not believe in. The book he wrote furthers that sentiment to caution and influence the U.S. that war is problematic.
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The Vietnam War. (2019, Mar 26).
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Summary about Vietnam War
The civil war between North and South Vietnam was known as the Vietnam War which started on November 1st, 1955 and lasted until April 30th, 1975. North Vietnam was supported by the Soviet Union, China, and North Korea and South Vietnam was Supported by the United States, Thailand, Australia, New Zeeland, and the Philippines which was really just communism against capitalism as well. In the Vietnam War there were many different battles varying from little skirmishes to huge and heavy actioned battles and in this paper we will be exploring the bigger battles and the battle with the most importance to the war in terms of how it affected the outcome of the war. Battle of Ap Bac The Battle of Ap Bac happened on January 2nd, 1963 in Mekong Delta in paddies north of hamlet Ap Bac. Before this day arrived the Viet Cong spent a little over two day preparing the battleground for the Battle of Ap Bac.
Something very crucial they did to prepare for this fight was cut down bamboo and some branches, so they can lay a false roof over themselves. At about 10:30 a.m. the Viet Cong spotted movement 400 meters to their south which were about 100 ARVN puppet soldiers that walked out of the tree line. The ARVN expected to just walk towards the Viet Cong and just scare them into running away with their tails between their legs, like the previous battles in late 1962. Except that in this battle is the US spotter plane could not tell what the strength of the Viet Cong really was, which left the ARVN and the US advisors that were on the ground without any intel on the enemy, so they were going in blind. The Viet Cong knew what the word patience meant, and they let the ARVN soldiers get within 50 meters of them and then opened fire using small arms and autoptic weapons to attack the ARVN. Just when everything seemed to be going right for the Viet Cong the South Vietnamize had eight troop carrier helicopters coming to their aid filled with over 100 men in each plus four tadpole gunships. Again the Viet Cong patience would pay off as they waited for the first carrier to make its descent and as soon as the cabin doors opened on the carrier they fired gunning down some of the troops coming out of the choppers well the ones that got out looked for cover.
The gunships that the South Vietnamize had made strafe runs firing into the tree line were the Viet Cong were with their M134 Gatling guns, but they had little to no effect. Then the ARVN artillery started to fire which wasn't aimed properly and it landed were the rest of the troop carrier helicopters were making their landing which was next to the first ship that got gunned down and they made the same mistake because they landed within the range of the Viet Cong's range putting five of the carries out of action. During this battle the Viet Cong displayed fire control and conserved ammo for the rest of the day. They survived the enemy artillery, dive bombers and gunships; and even a late in the day cavalry charge by a dozen M-113 APCs with .50 caliber machines guns and one flame thrower (Rooney). The Viet Cong also went and inflicted four times more casualties to the Southern forces killing 80 ARVN and they fought all day against an army four times their size withstanding all the artillery, machine gun and helicopter fire from the Sothern force and still they were able to win. The Battle of Ap Bac was a big for the Viet Cong because it showed that the southern Vietnamize army had no fighting ability and that they couldn't cope with the strategy or the fighting spirit of the Viet Cong even with their larger force and support from the United Sates.
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Summary about Vietnam War. (2019, Mar 26).
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