Communities all over the world have similarities on socio-economical structure and have some original differences based on their geographical nature and historical background. Regarding their diversity, each community has its own way of solving domestic economic and social problems, to bridge out obstacles and attains its dreams; dealing the argument, some emphasis on internal factors, while others put their effort on external issues. Still in every system, while trying to decrease community suffering, there should be disadvantages that cause the side effect of the society; creating homeless, drug addicted, alcoholics’ prostitution, gangs etc.
In this article, with the help of various ideas from interviewed individuals, (both teenager and adults,) we discuss about the “Homelessness,” in this country the United States, looking deep to its nature and developments made towards possible solution.
Asking a Somali citizen (teenager,) who broke with parents, about the homelessness? He responded: ‘though being homeless was not my choice, I am already in the mid-way. But still me and my friends are not like the Americans, because we are traditionally tribal dependents, and can get food and shelter from relatives.”
Absolutely, nobody wants to land into this miserable situation. But, yet people cannot predict the future nor can they avoid disasters that could happen unexpectedly. For example, the recent tragic terrorist acts in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania was a typical unexpected man made disaster (first of its type) that completely ruined hundreds of homes. As a result, thousands of people were temporarily homeless. This shows that not only natural disaster what we can expect; but also man made disorders can occur any time, at anywhere and effect everyone.
However, as citizens, it is essential that we should know the causes of homelessness as well as whom that unfortunate can be and especially how the government and the public have to confront this serious problem.
Every city in America or elsewhere inevitably has homeless people who are known as individuals without a roof over their heads. “ Homeless” means: sleeping on the ground of the hard concrete of side walk, said one of the interviewed persons; being dirty with no place to get clean; being sick with no place to lay their sleepy child’s head, having no kitchen or food to cook in it. They are those who are night residents in streets, doorways, train stations, bus terminals, public plazas, parks, subways, and abandoned buildings or other hidden places.
People from other countries would be wondering why such a social phenomenon exists among civilized and industrialized countries like the United States, which are considered one of the richest and highly developed nations in the world.
Another person mentioned, that since the civil war in 1860s and the depression of the 1870s, followed by the building of the rail roads, homelessness became wide spread and seemed to appear; so that “many poor Americans began to have life without shelter. “The same thing is happening in my own country Somalia, where the worst civil war ever heard, erupted the country more than a decade and homelessness had largely affected its citizens”.
Moreover, the industrial development creates a considerable part of the homelessness, while many people leave the small towns and countrysides, start gathering around the big cities, lastly many of them after finishing contracts, become jobless, and desperately join the field and that increases homelessness.
On the other hand, economic instability can cause such disorders; women ”widows,” elderly, children, mentally ill and the retarded peoples are mainly effected in this situation becoming portion of the homeless.
In the early days, the homeless gravitated into the rundown inner city neighborhoods, known as “skid rows” which were common places in America. Later in 1900s, they often resided in Almis-Houses, where they could get food and subsidies.
Today’s homeless population not only drugs addicted, alcoholic, mentally ill, widows, children and disabled. Also young healthy, transient, unemployed and under employed people influenced by economic downs are accountable among the homeless.
National studies made in the 1980s, said one of the individuals, shows; the number of the people without home ranges from 200.000 to 3 million and are divided proportionally as following: 46 percent are single men; 36 percent were families with children; 14 percent were single women and 4 percent were unaccompanied youth. The racial proportion was 51 percent black, 35 percent white, and 14 percent others. Among them, 24 percent were period employed in fulltime of part time jobs, and 26 percent were veterans. Mostly half of the homeless have not finished high school; and lack of education has limited them in finding jobs, which require skills and education. On these studies, a growth of 5% was mentioned.
Worrying much about the increasing homeless population and trying to find out possible solution, late 19th century the U.S. government reformed a system, which assists the children, legalizing the adoption, and foster care of the children, this was a good initiative and one-step forward assisting homeless.
In 1990, a national telephone survey over formerly homeless and five-year prevalence estimates showed; seven of the interviewed reported being literally homeless at some point in their live and three percent being homeless between 1985-1990. The Clinton Administration’s Priority Home. The Federal Plan Breaks the Cycle of Homelessness uses this data corrected to include children, to estimate that between 4.95 million to 9.32 million people (with a mid-point of 7 million) experienced homelessness in him later half of the 1980s.
Obviously, since 1930, the government has had many assistance programs, providing shelter, food, medical care, clothing even cash and jobs for transients and he homeless. Programs like social security and Community Health Centers that prolonged until 1963, when the Congress passed the Community Health Center Act, more than 430,000 mentally ill people were institutionalized. Stewart B. McKinley Homeless Assistance of 1987, authorized nearly 20 programs to address homeless issues; not only providing emergency shelter and food, but also covered medical care, mental-health care, permanent housing, education and job training. Among, these programs, housing program seemed to be the most necessary.
In underdeveloped countries, such as: Africa, Asia and Latin America, where, as a result of economic problems the rate of joblessness is very high, homelessness is one other most serious issues authorities debate. However, besides their governments, International Assistance Agencies are involved helping poor people, especially, orphan children, disabled etc.
On the other hand, public is gradually becoming less compassionate towards the homeless. A survey in 1989, shows that, taxpayers were willing to increase spending on the government programs to help the homeless, even though this would mean paying higher taxes. However, according to recent studies, public opinion begins to change as the homeless become overwhelmed by the problem, especially in the metropolitan cities like New York, Washington etc.
However, to my opinion, whether we are citizens or migrated aliens from elsewhere, can we ignore the unfortunate people who have nothing in hands, neither food nor shelter and often are being rejected by anyone or anywhere they turn to? They are human like us, and once had a home and hot meal; they should be treated like us. Instead of spending on arrivals, it is better to settle the homeless problem in the country (charity begins at home.)
I like to hear your views and possible effect that Homelessness my pose to our society in overseas.
