How Homelessness Has Changed Since The Great Depression

The image of homelessness has changed since the Great Depression, when many homeless people were elderly and white. Today a growing number of women and families, including young children, are homeless because of insufficient housing and resources (Bassuk Rosenberg, 1988). As the number of homeless people has continued to rise over the past decade, homelessness has become a central feature of life in America. Homelessness tends to be associated with images of people who sleep in the streets, parks, subways, and sidewalks; who lack shelter of any kind, and are transient throughout the year, moving from place to place. The homeless are sometimes considered as undeserving of support; they are frequently stigmatized as being mentally ill, out of control, and are viewed by some as personally responsible for their situation (Phelan, Link, Moore Stueve, 1997). Homelessness began to emerge as a US national public policy and global issue in the 1980s, as a consequence of widening income disparities in the developed world, and in the developing world, growing urbanization and natural disasters (Daiski, 2007). In the US, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) defines homelessness as: Lacking a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence; and Having a primary nighttime residence that is a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations (including, for instance, welfare hotels, congregate shelters, andShow MoreRelated Rural Homelessness871 Words   |  4 PagesRural Homelessness As the Joad family lost its farm and hit the road in Steinbecks classic, The Grapes of Wrath, so to did America lose its ability to plead ignorance to the problem of rural homelessness. 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English Iii Honors. 6 April1619 Words   |  7 PagesHonors 6 April 2017 Homelessness Imagine what it would be like not knowing what to do or not knowing where to sleep for the night. There is no where to go and once again sleeping outside on the cold, hard ground is the only choice. This ground becomes a bed and some nights it may be located under a bridge or even on a park bench. The smells that linger from other homeless people sleeping close by is nauseating but soon goes away because it becomes a way of life. Hunger has set in and beggingRead MoreCauses And Effects Of Poverty1511 Words   |  7 Pagesas 17.2 percent in 2012 (â€Å"Poverty in North Carolina,† 2014). Nationally and locally, poverty is a significant social and economic problem. This analysis will focus on the types, causes, and impacts of poverty. Needs Analysis Types of Poverty Poverty has been an issue for many years. 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With this thought process inRead MoreAnalysis On Historical Period Of Song Essay1523 Words   |  7 Pagesunderstanding as how the great depression took place in addition to how a simple song made broken Americans feel better. II- Analysis of Historical Period of Song: During this difficult time, many Americans tried to balance with the transition of all the changes happening caused by the great depression. Although for sure didn’t characterize or yet represented all the obstacles America were experiencing at the time, however, â€Å"Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?† hit home for many Americans. Since the end ofRead MoreAfrican Americans : A Great Depression1282 Words   |  6 PagesAfrican Americans didn’t know that is was a Great Depression. African Americans have always been poor and knew how to survive. By 1932, approximately half of black Americans were unemployed, blacks always felt unemployed and under paid. Whites attempted to keep blacks out of work by not hiring African Americans. 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A single mother with two to three children is among the fastest growing homeless demographic (Bassuk, 2010). Research shows that root causes for homelessness among families with children include, a lack of affordable housing, unemployment, domestic violence and substance abuse. Furthermore, studies support that homelessness negatively affects families with children by resulting inRead MoreHomelessness, By John Grisham Essay1800 Words   |  8 Pagesof is controversial contemporary social issues. There are many topics that are considered to be taboo and one thing that has changed is that there is no lack of those that are willing to voice and share their beliefs and ideals on these controversial social topics. One of these topics that has received quite the spotlight recently is that of the levels of poverty and homelessness that plague our social infrastructure today. There are many different thoughts and ideals as to what is the major root cause