Propose a Solution for the Social Issue Homelessness

Homelessness as a Social Problem

Introduction

Homelessness can be said to be a complex social problem caused by underlying social factors such as poverty, lack of affordable housing, addictions, uncertain physical and mental health, and community and family breakdown. All these factors in one or another affect the degree type and duration of homelessness. Many instances of homelessness are partial where the shelter is either temporary or substandard. Full homelessness occurs when one has no shelter completely. Considering the complexity of homelessness as a social problem, it is difficult for the government alone to come up with policies to eradicate the problem.

The problem of homelessness

Homelessness can also be defined as a societal barrier where the society fails to ensure that there is adequate funding and support to enable every individual has access to housing (Neale, et al, 430). This mostly affects vulnerable groups who might be undergoing physical, mental, and behavioral or addiction issues. Homelessness is a crisis and there's need for communities to come together and implement plans to eradicate the issue.

Homelessness is a problem because it not only affects the homeless individual but the society. This is because homelessness leads to rise of anti-social behavior in the society. This is because homeless people have a higher chance of participating in various form of assault which can be a problem to the society. Besides disrupting the social cohesion in the society, homelessness also places a burden on public services which has an influence the wider society. Therefore, homeless people are bound to use drugs due to isolation or depression.

Effects of homelessness

Homelessness has both direct and indirect effects to the society and the homeless people themselves. One of the main effects of the problem to homeless people is diseases and infections. This is due to poor hygiene and lack of access to healthcare. Homeless people mostly stay in unfavorable conditions which may cause infections such as hepatitis, sexually transmitted infections and chronic illnesses such as cancer. Lack of awareness and family support is another contributing factor to this problem. Poor nutrition also affects their health as they mostly eat leftovers and unhygienic foods.

Another effect of homelessness is crime and violence which affects the society and the homeless people as well. Homeless people can be a source of violence which in many instances leads to loss of life. They also commit other crimes such as kidnapping, theft, murder and rape. This can be said to be a psychological issue since they feel empty and have nothing to lose in life. It could also

be something that may have happened to them in their past lives. Their cruel reaction towards people could be due to feelings of rejection, hate and discrimination towards them by the society. In Stephen King’s short story “Chatter Teeth”, a customer named Bill is interesting in purchasing a pair of unusual looking metal teeth in a convenience store. A boy who was in the store asked for a ride and Bill was skeptical about giving the boy a ride because of what happened before when he gave a hitchhiker a ride. The boy tried to kill him but the chattery teeth save his life. I used this short story because most hitchhikers are homeless so therefore, this is a good example of violence and shows that a person may have a psychological issue.

Besides lack of food and housing, homeless people are affected by this problem in such a way that they are not considered for jobs and even lack the motivation to work. Feelings of loneliness also come about due to absence of family members which affects them spiritually, physically and emotionally, this feeling also lead them to substance abuse, hostility, anxiety and depression.

When the problem of homelessness is not solved, it is bound to have short term and long- term effects on the individual and the society. It affects the economy, environment, health care and criminal justice systems and the lives of other citizens (Amster, et al, 325). The short-term effects include increase in substance abuse which increases the rate of social crimes. Long term effects can be seen especially on children long term effects especially on children who grew up in homelessness include effects on their behavior, employability and brain development. Low social economic status caused by lack of stability and traumatic events affects the child’s ability to succeed in life.

Since homelessness places a burden on public services, the taxpayer is bound to be affected in the long-term. This is because the government also needs to spend a lot of money on rehabilitation programs and social services. Homelessness is thus costly and eradicating it will help the taxpayer to save money in the long term. The cost increases if an individual stay homeless. The cost to the community per person has been estimated to be around 25,000 dollars per person.

Conclusion

In conclusion, homelessness is a complex and expensive social problem that needs to be addressed as soon as possible. It requires efforts of not only the government but also the civil society and economists. This issue is sensitive at all levels of the community and has either or indirect impact on thousands of individuals in every country. Citizens are also required to be sympathetic with the homeless families because any form of charity, support or institutional help will go a long way in eradicating homelessness in the society. Despite the complexity of the issue, every citizen has a role to play.