Homelessness Essay ⋆ Political Science Essay Examples ⋆ EssayEmpire

The term homelessness implies the lack of a fixed, regular, stable, and adequate nighttime abode. The homeless, as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, include persons whose primary nighttime residences are in transitional housing. In most societies, cultural perceptions determine the terms used to label the homeless. Labels such as hobo, tramp, transient, bagman or bagwoman (United States), sturdy beggar (Nigeria), vagabond, and bum have been used to categorize a person with no permanent residence, often with negative societal connotations. By the late twentieth century, the terms houseless and no fixed abode (NFA) emerged to refer to homelessness and the homeless in a way that avoided the undesirable stereotypes of other terms. Similarly, the use of houseless deemphasizes the negative connotations generally associated with the homeless—unemployment, mental unbalance, drug addiction—and instead stresses the concrete problem of not having a house or apartment in which to reside. Advocates and persons who have experienced homelessness tend to use these terms as well, while NFA is used for legal purposes. Furthermore, terms such as family homelessness, youth homelessness, veteran homelessness, domestic violence homelessness, and reentry homelessness have evolved to classify different categories of the homeless.

Considered an urban phenomenon, homelessness, a global problem, has existed since at least the sixteenth century, when England first tried to address the problem of vagrants on its streets. The industrial revolution in the eighteenth century, which greatly influenced the socioeconomic conditions of society, also intensified the occurrence of homelessness. Homelessness affects all genders, regardless of socioeconomic status, race, age, or geographical location. In 1995, the United Nations classified six hundred million people as homeless or residing in low-quality housing, most of them women and dependent children. However, a census of the homeless is problematic. Double counts, hidden homelessness, mobility of homeless persons, and service-system paradox (where service providers tend to report higher counts) all affect homeless estimates.

Mitigating or eliminating homelessness requires understanding and identifying its causes. Researchers have largely identified three principal questions in the effort to resolve homelessness: What causes homelessness? Why does homelessness exist? And, who is at risk of becoming homeless?

In some cases, homelessness can be voluntary. Religion, culture, and an established way of life constitute the decisional basis to live without a permanent residence or place of abode. For example, the spiritual convictions of yogis in Asia, social customs of nomads in Africa, and lifestyle preferences in the developed world signify a conscious resolution to be homeless. In the United States, however, greater poverty and the lack of affordable housing since the 1980s are the principal reasons contributing to the increase in the number of homeless individuals in the early 2000s. On a global level, political conflicts and natural disasters, continued urbanization, economic programs resulting in an uneven distribution of wealth, and the collapse of traditional family support systems are all causes for homelessness. Other causes can include domestic violence, unemployment, low-paying jobs, lack of affordable housing, substance abuse, mental illness, changes and cuts in public assistance, and the difficulty of reentering society after incarceration.

The interaction between these complex sets of circumstances forces many people into poverty and drives them to prioritize and make difficult choices between provisions, shelter, and other essential human needs. As housing costs increase, more and more people cannot afford to pay for a permanent abode nor for other important provisions, such as child and health care. Policies and programs that concentrate on reducing poverty not only help the homeless find a stable residence; they also help increase access to other necessities.

Resolving homelessness relies on effectively addressing the responsible factors. The costly endeavor of homelessness management once was the exclusive domain of the public sector. However, by the end of the twentieth century, the public, private, and nonprofit sectors had formed broad partnerships to address issues of homelessness. Subsequently, there have been shifts in strategies to resolve homelessness, primarily to focus on its prevention. Economically, it is more efficient to prevent homelessness than to resolve it later. As a result, strategies to ensure livable incomes, improved availability of affordable housing, rapid rehousing, and systems that facilitate the provision of required services for low-income people are now prevalent.

Bibliography:

Arnold, Kathleen R. Homelessness, Citizenship, and Identity: The Uncanniness of Late Modernity. Albany: SUNY Press, 2004.
Kyle, Ken. Contextualizing Homelessness: Critical Theory, Homelessness, and Federal Policy Addressing the Homeless (New Approaches in Sociology: Studies in Social Inequality, Social Change, and Social Justice). New York: Routledge, 2005.
National Coalition for the Homeless. Homelessness in America. Washington, D.C.: Oryx Press, 1996.
United Nations Centre for Human Settlements. Strategies to Combat Homelessness. Nairobi, Kenya: United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), 2000.

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