PSY 101 Introduction to Psychology

Thousands of men, women, and children are without a home each night in the United States and around the World. This is a complex issue with a number of contributing factors, but one primary issue is that of mental illness. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s fact sheet titled Current statistics on the prevalence and characteristics of people experiencing homelessness in the United States (2011), on a given night in January of 2010, 26.2% of all sheltered persons who were homeless had a severe mental illness and 34.7% had chronic substance use issues (p.2).  

Review the fact sheet.  Assume you are altruistic (self-sacrificing with a desire to engage in helpful behavior) and have unlimited resources. Describe what you would do to combat the issue of homelessness.  How would you close the revolving door of people in and out of treatment and shelters? Indicate how your plan is truly altruistic.