conclusion essay on homelessness

Home — Essay Samples — Social Issues — Homelessness — The Conclusion and Effect of Homelessness

The Conclusion and Effect of Homelessness

• Categories: Homelessness

About this sample

Words: 570 |

Published: Mar 20, 2024

Words: 570 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

Table of contents

Root causes of homelessness, the societal impact of homelessness, potential solutions to homelessness.

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Prof. Kifaru

Verified writer

• Expert in: Social Issues

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

1 pages / 620 words

3 pages / 1318 words

4 pages / 1781 words

2 pages / 967 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Homelessness

Imagine walking down the street and seeing a person huddled under a blanket, with a cardboard sign asking for help. What would you do? Would you walk past them, pretending not to see their suffering? Or would you stop and offer [...]

Homelessness is a pressing issue that affects individuals across all walks of life, including college students. In Eleanor's essay "Homeless On Campus," this important topic is explored in depth, shedding light on the challenges [...]

Social work is a profession that is dedicated to helping individuals, families, and communities navigate through challenging circumstances and improve their overall well-being. It requires a unique combination of empathy, [...]

Homelessness is a pressing issue that affects millions of individuals worldwide. It is a complex problem that arises from a variety of factors, including economic hardship, lack of affordable housing, mental illness, substance [...]

Introduction to the problem of homelessness in America Mention of the scale of the issue, including veterans, children, and adults Historical overview of homelessness in America Discussion of factors [...]

Throughout history, societies have grappled with the issue of homelessness. The United States, often considered a land of opportunity, is no exception. In this essay, we will delve into the complex issue of homelessness in [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free

5 Essays About Homelessness

Around the world, people experience homelessness. According to a 2005 survey by the United Nations, 1.6 billion people lack adequate housing. The causes vary depending on the place and person. Common reasons include a lack of affordable housing, poverty, a lack of mental health services, and more. Homelessness is rooted in systemic failures that fail to protect those who are most vulnerable. Here are five essays that shine a light on the issue of homelessness:

What Would ‘Housing as a Human Right’ Look Like in California? (2020) – Molly Solomon

For some time, activists and organizations have proclaimed that housing is a human right. This essay explores what that means and that it isn’t a new idea. Housing as a human right was part of federal policy following the Great Depression. In a 1944 speech introducing what he called the “Second Bill of Rights,” President Roosevelt attempted to address poverty and income equality. The right to have a “decent home” was included in his proposals. Article 25 of the Universal Declaration also recognizes housing as a human right. It describes the right to an “adequate standard of living.” Other countries such as France and Scotland include the right to housing in their constitutions. In the US, small local governments have adopted resolutions on housing. How would it work in California?

At KQED, Molly Solomon covers housing affordability. Her stories have aired on NPR’s All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and other places. She’s won three national Edward R. Murrow awards.

“What People Get Wrong When They Try To End Homelessness” – James Abro

In his essay, James Abro explains what led up to six weeks of homelessness and his experiences helping people through social services. Following the death of his mother and eviction, Abro found himself unhoused. He describes himself as “fortunate” and feeling motivated to teach people how social services worked. However, he learned that his experience was somewhat unique. The system is complicated and those involved don’t understand homelessness. Abro believes investing in affordable housing is critical to truly ending homelessness.

James Abro is the founder of Advocate for Economic Fairness and 32 Beach Productions. He works as an advocate for homeless rights locally and nationally. Besides TalkPoverty, he contributes to Rebelle Society and is an active member of the New Jersey Coalition to End Homelessness.

“No Shelter For Some: Street-Sleepers” (2019)

This piece (by an unknown author) introduces the reader to homelessness in urban China. In the past decades, a person wouldn’t see many homeless people. This was because of strict rules on internal migration and government-supplied housing. Now, the rules have changed. People from rural areas can travel more and most urban housing is privatized. People who are homeless – known as “street-sleepers” are more visible. This essay is a good summary of the system (which includes a shift from police management of homelessness to the Ministry of Civil Affairs) and how street-sleepers are treated.

“A Window Onto An American Nightmare” (2020) – Nathan Heller

This essay from the New Yorker focuses on San Francisco’s history with homelessness, the issue’s complexities, and various efforts to address it. It also touches on how the pandemic has affected homelessness. One of the most intriguing parts of this essay is Heller’s description of becoming homeless. He says people “slide” into it, as opposed to plunging. As an example, someone could be staying with friends while looking for a job, but then the friends decide to stop helping. Maybe someone is jumping in and out of Airbnbs, looking for an apartment. Heller’s point is that the line between only needing a place to stay for a night or two and true “homelessness” is very thin.

Nathan Heller joined the New Yorker’s writing staff in 2013. He writes about technology, higher education, the Bay Area, socioeconomics, and more. He’s also a contributing editor at Vogue, a former columnist for Slate, and contributor to other publications.

“Homelessness in Ireland is at crisis point, and the vitriol shown towards homeless people is just as shocking” (2020)#- Megan Nolan

In Ireland, the housing crisis has been a big issue for years. Recently, it’s come to a head in part due to a few high-profile incidents, such as the death of a young woman in emergency accommodation. The number of children experiencing homelessness (around 4,000) has also shone a light on the severity of the issue. In this essay, Megan Nolan explores homelessness in Ireland as well as the contempt that society has for those who are unhoused.

Megan Nolan writes a column for the New Statesman. She also writes essays, criticism, and fiction. She’s from Ireland but based in London.

You may also like

16 Inspiring Civil Rights Leaders You Should Know

15 Trusted Charities Fighting for Housing Rights

15 Examples of Gender Inequality in Everyday Life

11 Approaches to Alleviate World Hunger 

15 Facts About Malala Yousafzai

12 Ways Poverty Affects Society

15 Great Charities to Donate to in 2024

15 Quotes Exposing Injustice in Society

14 Trusted Charities Helping Civilians in Palestine

The Great Migration: History, Causes and Facts

Social Change 101: Meaning, Examples, Learning Opportunities

Rosa Parks: Biography, Quotes, Impact

About the author, emmaline soken-huberty.

Emmaline Soken-Huberty is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon. She started to become interested in human rights while attending college, eventually getting a concentration in human rights and humanitarianism. LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, and climate change are of special concern to her. In her spare time, she can be found reading or enjoying Oregon’s natural beauty with her husband and dog.

Essays About Homelessness: Top 8 Examples Plus Prompts

Everyone has heard of homeless people at some point in their lives; if you are writing essays about homelessness, read our top essay examples and prompts.

Poverty is one of the greatest evils in the world. Its effects are seen daily, from people begging on the streets to stealing to support their families. But unfortunately, one of the most prominent and upsetting diversity is homelessness. Homelessness is a significant problem in even the most developed nations, including the U.S. and Canada. Despite all the resources used to fight this issue, countries often lack the means to reduce homelessness significantly. With the proper aid, homelessness can be entirely eradicated in the future. 

If you want to write essays about homelessness, keep reading to see our essay examples and helpful writing prompts.

2. A journey with the homeless by Sujata Jena

3. i chose to be homeless: reflections on the homeless challenge by emily kvalheim, 4. my experience being homeless by scott benner, 5. what people get wrong when they try to end homelessness by james abro, 1. causes of homelessness , 2. how can homelessness be reduced, 3. mental illness and homelessness, 4. reflection on homelessness, 5. is homelessness a “personal problem”.

Are you looking for more? Check out our guide packed full of transition words for essays

1. That Homeless Man is My Brother by Megan Regnerus

“But the subtext of my friend’s statement is really Why should I give money to someone who’s lazy; who isn’t willing to work for money like I do?’ And to that I say, her opinion that people who ask for money are freeloaders who could work but choose not to, is based on assumption. It relies on the notion that the two things that shape us into able-bodied adults who can hold down a regular job, nature and nurture, are level playing fields. And they’re not.”

Regnerus writes about a friend’s claim that the homeless are “lazy,” reminding her of her homeless brother. She cites genetics and circumstance as contributing factors to homelessness. Despite the other woman being her friend, Regnerus strongly refutes her belief that the homeless are non-disabled freeloaders- they should be treated with empathy. For more, check out these articles about homelessness .

“I realize that the situation of poverty and homelessness is a huge social problem around the world. But when I meet them, I face fellow human beings, not some abstract “social problem.” The very phrase, “What would Jesus do at this scene?” haunted me.  I ventured to ask their names, age, where they came from, where they live (street, bridges, cemetery) and the reason they are on the streets. Their stories are poignant. Each one has a unique story to tell about his/her reason to be homeless, how they were forced to leave distant rural villages to live on the city streets. I tried to listen to them with empathy.”

In her essay, Jena remembers the homeless people in Manila, Philippines. She can see them beyond some “aspect of society” as human beings. She empathizes with them extensively and recalls the words of Jesus Christ about loving others, particularly the neediest.

“I, too, have not been compassionate enough, and I have allowed my prejudices to distort my view of the homeless. One woman, who sat across from me at a feeding program, talking to herself erratically, may have seemed strange to me before the Homeless Challenge. But when I really saw myself as her equal, and when I took the time to watch her get up and laugh as she danced to the music playing in the background, I thought she was beautiful. She had found her own happiness, amidst despair.”

Kvalheim details her experiences during an immersion challenge with the homeless. She recalls both the discrimination and generosity she experienced and her experiences with other homeless people. She was amazed to see how they could stay positive despite their terrible circumstances. We should be thankful for what we have and use it to help others in need. 

“As my funds dwindled, and the weather got colder, I sought shelter at Father Bill’s in Quincy Ma. When you are homeless, sometimes very small things mean a lot. A dry pair of socks, shoes without holes, a pocketful of change. You begin to realize how much you value your personal space. You begin to realize other people want space too. A lot of people have issues or have suffered in one way or another and you can see their pain. I think that there are people who for a variety of issue are chronically homeless and a larger portion of homeless are transitioning through a series of bad events.”

Benner’s essay, written for the company ArtLifting, reflects on his experience of being homeless for a brief while. Then, he and his wife grew ill, and Benner sought refuge at a homeless shelter after his company shut down. After that, he realized how his struggles were very different from those of others and the value of the more minor things he previously took for granted. Luckily, he escaped homelessness by making art with the help of ArtLifting. 

“The court denied my sister’s request and named me our mother’s legal guardian, but it appointed my sister as guardian of her property.  In 2009, when my mother passed away, my sister evicted me. The day I was scheduled to move out, I stood in a convenience store, dazed, as I stared at microwaveable meals.  These would be my new staple when I moved into the motel room. My phone rang—my sister.  She told me she needed me out of the house in a couple of hours—she was a real estate agent and a client wanted to see the house. ‘No hard feelings,’ she said.”

Similar to Benner, Abro narrates the circumstances surrounding his homelessness. After his mother’s death and a conflict with his sister led to his eviction, he ended up homeless. While his situation was unfortunate, he believes that there are many people worse off than him and that something must change to address the housing and poverty crises in America.

Top 5 Prompts On Essays about Homelessness

For your essay, it would be interesting to write about how people become homeless in the first place. Research the different causes of homelessness and elaborate on them, and be sure to provide sources such as statistics and anecdotes. 

What solutions to homelessness can you think of? In your essay, propose at least one way you think the homelessness problem can be solved or at least reduced. It must be concrete, realistic, and defensible; be sure to explain your solution well and defend its feasibility, backing up your claims with facts and logic. 

Homelessness and mental health can be linked—research into declining mental health and how homelessness can impact a person’s mental well-being. Make sure to use research data and statistics to show your findings. Conclude whether poor mental health can cause homelessness or if homelessness causes poor mental health.

You can write about what homelessness means to you in your essay. Perhaps you’ve heard stories of homeless people, or maybe you know someone who is or has been homeless. Use this essay to highly the effects of homelessness and how we can work together as a society to eradicate it.

Many say that homeless people “choose to be homeless” and are underachievers; otherwise, they would simply “get a job” and lift themselves out of poverty. Is this true? Research this topic and decide on your stance. Then, write about whether you agree with this topic for a compelling argumentative essay.

If you’re still stuck, check out our general resource of essay writing topics .

Martin is an avid writer specializing in editing and proofreading. He also enjoys literary analysis and writing about food and travel.

View all posts

Permanent Supportive Housing: Evaluating the Evidence for Improving Health Outcomes Among People Experiencing Chronic Homelessness (2018)

Chapter: 9 conclusions and recommendations, 9 conclusions and recommendations.

Homelessness, and especially chronic homelessness, is a highly complex problem that communities across the country are struggling to address. Despite the diligent efforts of federal agencies and nonprofit and philanthropic organizations to develop and implement programs to address the challenges of homelessness, the large number of Americans who continue to experience homelessness makes clear that much remains to be done to solve this pressing societal problem.

Permanent supportive housing (PSH) is a housing model designed to primarily serve individuals and families experiencing chronic homelessness, a population having different needs from those individuals and families who experience acute episodic or temporary homelessness. This committee was charged to examine the connection between PSH and improved health outcomes, addressing the primary question, “To what extent have permanent supportive housing programs improved health outcomes and affected health care costs in people experiencing chronic homelessness?” This chapter offers the committee’s overall conclusions about the evidence on the effect of PSH on health outcomes, as well as research and policy recommendations.

CONCLUSIONS

Evaluating the impact of psh on health: assessment and limitations of the evidence.

During the course of the study, the committee examined the published and unpublished literature and conducted a variety of other data-gathering efforts, including site visits. The committee found that interpreting the research relevant to PSH and health outcomes was challenging because, as discussed in the report, common terms have different meanings within and between homelessness lexicons used by various agencies, nongovernmental organizations, researchers, and advocates ( USICH, 2011 ). The lack of precise definitions of the housing models

reported upon and the paucity of detail about the exact nature and extent of supportive services provided in different housing models and in control or comparison groups further complicated the interpretation of reported findings.

In addition, data about PSH programs are generally siloed, uncoordinated, and fragmented. There are multiple barriers to collecting and sharing these data across agencies or programs, and there is a need for much greater interoperability of the data. The paucity of comparable data available across agencies makes it difficult to assess a variety of outcomes, and complicates efforts to provide the array of housing and social services that may be needed by individuals experiencing homelessness ( Culhane, 2016 ). See Chapter 8 for an in-depth discussion of related research gaps.

On the basis of currently available studies, the committee found no substantial evidence that PSH contributes to improved health outcomes, notwithstanding the intuitive logic that it should do so and limited data showing that it does do so for persons with HIV/AIDS. There are significant limitations in the current research and evidentiary base on this topic. Most studies did not explicitly include people with serious health problems, who are the most likely to benefit from housing. Of the studies that were more rigorous, the committee found that, in general, housing increases the well-being of persons experiencing homelessness.

The committee found no substantial published evidence that PSH improves health; however, PSH increases an individual’s ability to remain housed and plausibly alleviates a number of conditions that negatively impact health. However, few randomized controlled trials or other methodologically rigorous studies have evaluated the role of PSH in producing improved health outcomes. Consistent data in this regard are presently lacking. While the committee recognizes that there are moral and ethical reasons that make it problematic to carry out randomized controlled trials with this population, an overarching finding of this study is that more rigorous research is needed to determine how health outcomes per se are influenced by PSH. Different types of studies might pose fewer ethical concerns, such as stepped-wedge study designs, which are increasingly being used in the evaluation of health care research ( Simmons et al., 2017 ).

Housing has long been acknowledged as a key social determinant of health, and extensive literature has accumulated over the past two centuries showing that housing is foundational for good health. The United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Paris in 1948 in response to the devastation of World War II, declaring that the right to housing was among the rights to which all humans should be entitled. The United States was among the 48 signatories of this declaration. More recently, safe housing was noted as fundamental to the health of populations by the World Health Organization’s Commission on Social Determinants of Health ( CSDH, 2008 ).

While safe, secure, and stable housing contributes to good health, there is extensive literature also showing it is not sufficient. The quality and location of housing make a difference. Robust public health studies have shown the untoward health consequences of inadequate housing, including asthma, the spread of communicable diseases, exposure to toxins such as lead and radon, injuries, childhood

malnutrition, mental health conditions, violence, and the harmful effects of air pollution. Population studies have also shown that a person’s neighborhood matters a great deal with regard to health outcomes, with safe streets, safe schools, and economic opportunity essential for good health and well-being.

The committee acknowledges the importance of housing in improving health in general, but it also believes that some persons experiencing homelessness have health conditions for which failure to provide housing would result in a significant worsening of their health. Said differently, notwithstanding that housing is good for health in general, the committee believes that stable housing has an especially important impact on the course and ability to care for certain specific conditions and, therefore, the health outcomes of persons with those conditions. The committee refers to these conditions as “housing-sensitive” conditions and recommends that high priority be given to conducting research to further explore whether there are health conditions that fall into this category and, if so, what those specific conditions are. The evidence of the impact of housing on HIV/AIDS in individuals experiencing chronic homelessness may serve as a basis for more fully examining this concept. Chapter 3 describes the current research and the concept of housing-sensitive conditions in more detail.

Scaling Up PSH: Policy and Program Barriers

As part of its charge, the committee was asked to identify the “key policy barriers and research gaps associated with developing programs to address the housing and health needs of homeless populations.” While the committee found no substantial published evidence that PSH improves health, the intervention increases an individual’s ability to remain housed and that plausibly alleviates a number of conditions that negatively impact health. Based on its position that PSH holds potential for reducing the number of persons experiencing chronic homelessness and for improving their health outcomes, the committee describes the key policy and program barriers to bringing PSH and other housing models to scale to meet the needs of those experiencing chronic homelessness (discussed in greater detail in Chapter 7 ).

There are many barriers to bringing PSH to scale to meet the current level of need. As is often the case with housing and social service providers generally, PSH programs operate in an environment of scarcity with often inadequate and unreliable funding. The siloed nature of the programs and funding streams for PSH is an important barrier to scaling up. PSH providers working at the ground level to fulfill an already challenging mission are further challenged by the need to pool or braid together funding from multiple agencies and levels of government, each with its own requirements.

Multiple barriers also exist at the local level in meeting the need for PSH. As highlighted in the committee’s site visits in Denver and San Jose (see Appendix D ), operationalizing PSH programs is a very complicated and lengthy process, often taking many years to complete single-site projects. The high capital costs

and long development process are a substantive barrier to the replicability of successful programs. In the case of single-site PSH developments, myriad local land-use, permitting, and other regulatory barriers, which may be undergirded by prejudicial stereotypes and neighborhood opposition, makes land unavailable, leads to protracted delays, drives up development costs by as much as 20-35 percent, and generally impairs the efficiency of government assistance programs (see, e.g., van den Berk-Clark, 2016 ). Experts and government officials across the political spectrum have long recognized these barriers, but few of the many recommendations over the years for eliminating unnecessary regulatory barriers, streamlining processes, and more vigorously enforcing anti-discrimination laws have been implemented. Until such recommendations are effectively implemented, single-site PSH will not be a sufficient answer to address the need.

Scattered-site approaches, which generally make use of Housing Choice Vouchers (HCV) to lease existing housing stock, avoid some of the barriers relevant to single-site PSH and appear to offer promise for scaling up PSH in a shorter time. But scattered-site programs also face challenges when operating in high-priced housing markets and markets where state and local laws allow property owners to refuse to accept vouchers. It also can be more difficult for residents to access supportive services when not directly available on-site. Moreover, federal funding for the HCV program has been at best stable and at worse declining, forcing PSH providers and clients to compete with others on long waiting lists for vouchers.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The committee developed the following recommendations based on its assessment of the evidence that it hopes will guide research and federal action on this issue. The recommendations flow from the specific questions posed to the committee in the statement of task, including research needs related to assessing PSH and health outcomes, the cost-effectiveness of PSH, and key policy and program barriers to bringing PSH and other housing models to scale to meet the needs of those experiencing chronic homelessness.

Recommendation 3-1: Research should be conducted to assess whether there are health conditions whose course and medical management are more significantly influenced than others by having safe and stable housing (i.e., housing-sensitive conditions ). This research should include prospective longitudinal studies, beyond 2 years in duration, to examine health and housing data that could inform which health conditions, or combinations of conditions, should be considered especially housing sensitive. Studies also should be undertaken to clarify linkages between the provision of both permanent housing and supportive services and specific health outcomes. (See Chapter 3 .)

Recommendation 3-2 : The Department of Health and Human Services, in collaboration with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, should call

for and support a convening of subject matter experts to assess how research and policy could be used to facilitate access to permanent supportive housing and ensure the availability of needed support services, as well as facilitate access to health care services. (See Chapter 3 .)

Recommendation 4-1: Incorporating current recommendations on cost-effectiveness analysis in health and medicine ( Sanders et al., 2016 ), standardized approaches should be developed to conduct financial analyses of the cost-effectiveness of permanent supportive housing in improving health outcomes. Such analyses should account for the broad range of societal benefits achieved for the costs, as is customarily done when evaluating other health interventions. (See Chapter 4 .)

Recommendation 4-2: Additional research should be undertaken to address current research gaps in cost-effectiveness analysis and the health benefits of permanent supportive housing. (See Chapter 4 .)

Recommendation 5-1: Agencies, organizations, and researchers who conduct research and evaluation on permanent supportive housing should clearly specify and delineate: (1) the characteristics of supportive services, (2) what exactly constitutes “usual services” (when “usual services” is the comparator), (3) which range of services is provided for which groups of individuals experiencing homelessness, and (4) the costs associated with those supportive services. Whenever possible, studies should include an examination of different models of permanent supportive housing, which could be used to elucidate important elements of the intervention. (See Chapter 5 .)

Recommendation 5-2: Based on what is currently known about services and housing approaches in permanent supportive housing (PSH), federal agencies, in particular the Department of Housing and Urban Development, should develop and adopt standards related to best practices in implementing PSH. These standards can be used to improve practice at the program level and guide funding decisions. (See Chapter 5 .)

Recommendation 7-1: The Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Health and Human Services should undertake a review of their programs and policies for funding permanent supportive housing with the goal of maximizing flexibility and the coordinated use of funding streams for supportive services, health-related care, housing-related services, the capital costs of housing, and operating funds such as Housing Choice Vouchers. (See Chapter 7 .)

Recommendation 7-2: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should clarify the policies and procedures for states to use to request reimbursement for allowable housing-related services, and states should pursue opportunities to ex-

pand the use of Medicaid reimbursement for housing-related services to beneficiaries whose medical care cannot be well provided without safe, secure, and stable housing. (See Chapter 7 .)

Recommendation 7-3: The Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, working with other concerned entities (e.g., nonprofit and philanthropic organizations and state and local governments) should make concerted efforts to increase the supply of PSH for the purpose of addressing both chronic homelessness and the complex health needs of this population. These efforts should include an assessment of the need for new resources for the components of PSH, such as health care, supportive services, housing-related services, vouchers, and capital for construction. (See Chapter 7 .)

Chronic homelessness and related health conditions are problems that require an appropriate multidimensional strategy and an ample menu of targeted interventions that are premised on a resolute commitment of resources. More precisely defined and focused research to refine the menu of needed interventions, and a materially increased supply of PSH are part of the multidimensional strategy. The committee hopes that this report will help to stimulate research and federal action to move the field forward and further efforts to address chronic homelessness and improved health in this country.

Chronic homelessness is a highly complex social problem of national importance. The problem has elicited a variety of societal and public policy responses over the years, concomitant with fluctuations in the economy and changes in the demographics of and attitudes toward poor and disenfranchised citizens. In recent decades, federal agencies, nonprofit organizations, and the philanthropic community have worked hard to develop and implement programs to solve the challenges of homelessness, and progress has been made. However, much more remains to be done. Importantly, the results of various efforts, and especially the efforts to reduce homelessness among veterans in recent years, have shown that the problem of homelessness can be successfully addressed.

Although a number of programs have been developed to meet the needs of persons experiencing homelessness, this report focuses on one particular type of intervention: permanent supportive housing (PSH). Permanent Supportive Housing focuses on the impact of PSH on health care outcomes and its cost-effectiveness. The report also addresses policy and program barriers that affect the ability to bring the PSH and other housing models to scale to address housing and health care needs.

READ FREE ONLINE

Welcome to OpenBook!

You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website.

Do you want to take a quick tour of the OpenBook's features?

Show this book's table of contents , where you can jump to any chapter by name.

...or use these buttons to go back to the previous chapter or skip to the next one.

Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book.

Switch between the Original Pages , where you can read the report as it appeared in print, and Text Pages for the web version, where you can highlight and search the text.

To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter .

Share a link to this book page on your preferred social network or via email.

View our suggested citation for this chapter.

Ready to take your reading offline? Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available.

Get Email Updates

Do you enjoy reading reports from the Academies online for free ? Sign up for email notifications and we'll let you know about new publications in your areas of interest when they're released.

• Write my thesis
• Thesis writers
• Buy thesis papers
• Bachelor thesis
• Master's thesis
• Thesis editing services
• Thesis proofreading services
• Buy a thesis online
• Write my dissertation
• Dissertation proposal help
• Pay for dissertation
• Custom dissertation
• Dissertation help online
• Buy dissertation online
• Cheap dissertation
• Dissertation editing services
• Write my research paper
• Buy research paper online
• Pay for research paper
• Research paper help
• Order research paper
• Custom research paper
• Cheap research paper
• Research papers for sale
• Thesis subjects
• How It Works

How To Write Essay About Homelessness

Homelessness remains a severe crisis among the low-income earners in most parts of the world. Statics reveal that in the United States alone, over 500,000 people are homeless every single night. That said, writing an excellent essay on homelessness to your examiner not only awards you a top grade but also positions you as a student passionate about everything that revolves around homelessness.

How to Organize an Essay on Homelessness

What matters most in your homelessness essay, what to write in your homelessness essay: essay topics on homelessness, common types of essay about homelessness, are homelessness essay examples helpful.

But here’s the thing: writing solutions to homelessness essay, homelessness essay cause, and effect, or any other topic you settle on is not a walk in the park. You need to research extensively, follow the necessary instructions, and exhaust the topic in a precise and detailed approach. Luckily, our essay for homelessness writers will make everything easy for you.

What Is Homelessness Essay?

A homelessness essay is a piece of writing that allows the students to showcase their thoughts on homelessness without deviating from their chosen topic. A good example is writing a homelessness solutions essay or what causes homelessness essay to your professor. It must come out nicely from the start to the conclusion of the homelessness essay.

Your essay about homelessness might address the episodic, transitional, or chronic types of homelessness. It’s because people are considered homeless whenever they lack a roof over their head, whether staying with friends, on the streets, or in a shelter. But how do you structure your homelessness essay?

Your homelessness essay needs well-written thoughts expressed in a way your examiner finds it easy to read all the sections, understand your idea, and internalize to see whether you present facts appropriately. All this is possible if you use the recommended format. Here’s what you need:

• Attractive introduction: Your homelessness essay introduction should have the reader’s attention from the word go. It’s here where you claim your idea and create some anticipation. Your last introductory sentence is a debatable thesis statement you’ll be arguing.
• Idealistic main body: Support your cause and effect essay on homelessness or anything else you’re writing with well-researched data. Write and cite your logical ideas. Your examiner will primarily focus on the facts and flow of your solution to homelessness essay.
• Satisfactory conclusion: Do you know that homelessness essay conclusions are the most assumed sections? Your conclusion paragraph homelessness essay’s main goal is to summarize the essay. If you write your homelessness conclusion essay right, the examiner knows how to end homelessness essay is not a problem to you and awards you a high score.

Whether you are writing a one-page problem solution essay about homelessness, the cause, and effect of homelessness essay, or a longer essay on homelessness in America, there are things you can’t assume. It’s because they define your prowess and determine the quality of your final paper. Here’s what we’re talking about:

• Homelessness essay sources
• Homelessness essay outline
• Homelessness essay conclusion
• Homelessness essay referencing
• Homelessness essay proofreading

Are you looking for homelessness essay topics to write for your professor? There’s a lot to write about. You can get a topic idea from the following types of homelessness essays:

• Mental illness and homelessness essay . Topic idea: how homelessness results in mental illness in young street mothers.
• Essay about homelessness cause and effect . Topic idea: to what extent does the shortage of affordable homes in America contribute to homelessness?
• Causes of homelessness essay . Topic idea: fundamental reasons why evictions continue to cause homelessness severely.
• Solution for homelessness essay . Topic idea: is there’s a need for changing policies on homelessness where a whole family is involved?
• Youth homelessness essay . Topic idea: factual prove that mandatory drug testing will reduce homelessness in youths.
• Homelessness social problem essay . Topic idea: homelessness vs. settled citizens concerning the view on community responsibilities.
• Homelessness in America essay . Topic idea: how can discrimination reduce homelessness in America?
• Poverty and homelessness essay . Topic idea: government rental assistance and its effectiveness in solving the modern homelessness crisis.

Every student must understand different essays to write what suits the examined context. High school, college, and university examiners are very concerned about the essay you choose to write because it helps them weigh your understanding and skills. These essays include:

• Argumentative essay on homelessness: a homelessness argumentative essay must convince anybody who reads the essay. The secret here is to give both sides of the story and let your professor see your reasoning.
• Persuasive essay about homelessness: looking forward to writing a persuasive essay on homelessness? A homelessness persuasive essay without expert touch, opinions, logic, and facts won’t earn you a good grade. Do the necessary.
• Descriptive essay on homelessness: Sometimes, you might need to describe specific issues revolving around homeless people. In such an essay, focus on the event and visualize it in detail to bring out your imagination and creativity.

A resounding yes! You can depend on previous examples to learn what a homelessness essay requires. It doesn’t matter whether you’re writing a homelessness and mental illness essay, causes, and effects of homelessness essay, essay about homelessness in America, or essay on homelessness in Ireland; examples make your writing easy and clearer.

However, make sure you can deliver a sample homelessness essay that even exceeds the quality of the reference examples. A quality homelessness essay must have a clear idea, focus on context, coherent points. Do you feel you have limited time to go through various samples online and deliver a masterpiece? Worry not!

Engage Our Professional Essay Writers for Quality Results

For many years we’ve been writing homelessness essays, thesis, and dissertations. We understand what your examiners expect, and we’ll deliver and guarantee excellent grades. Irrespective of your essay homelessness topic, upload your paper and let our writers work on it.

We only deliver custom and plagiarism-free essays on time and at affordable charges. In addition, expert free features like outlines, Turnitin reports, and proofreading. Order your people today!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Homelessness in the United States

A comprehensive examination of the crisis of homelessness in the U.S., discussing root causes, systemic challenges, and potential solutions, while humanizing the often overlooked struggles of those affected. You can also find more related free essay samples at PapersOwl about Adolescence topic.

How it works

Homelessness is a social problem that has long plagued the United States and surrounding Countries for centuries. It is an economic and social problem that has affected people from all walks of life, including children, families, veterans, and the elderly. Kilgore (2018). States homelessness is believed to have affected an estimated amount of 2.5-3.5 million people each year in the United States alone. Recent evidence suggests economic conditions have increased the number of people affected by homelessness in the United States.

Biel, M.G., Gilhuly, D.K., Wilcox, N.A., & Jacobstein, D. (2014). Family homelessness: A deepening crises in urban communities. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 53, 12, 1247-1250. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/j.jaac.2014.08.015

Related article

Collins, C.C., D’Andrea, R., Dean, K., & Crampton, D. (2018). Service providers perspective on permanent supportive housing for families. Family in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 97, 27

Retrieved from https://doi/10.1606/1044-3894.2016.97.27

Authors, Biel, Gilhuly, Wilcox & Jacobstien, provides a significant amount of information that addresses and support the issues of homeless families, children, and young adults, the reasons of how people become homeless, the risk factors related homelessness, as well as the challenges confronting teenagers and young adults who are living on their own. The authors explain when families are bounded and emotionally displaced from their foundational support they become homeless, causing them to live in shelters or conditions not suitable for human habitation. The authors’ data and references provided explain what they believe a model family comprises. They feel a model family consist of a single parent household usually a young mother with possibly two kids under the age of six. The authors express that about 90% of these young women were victims of violence. The references provided underpins the title and addresses the circumstances and results of homelessness with families, children, young adults, and the hazardous factors and difficulties related to homeless in the United States.

Brush, B., Gultekin, L.E., & Grim, E.G. (2016). The data dilemma in family homelessness. Journal of Healthcare for the Poor and Underserved. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 27(3), 1048-1052, Retrieved from https://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1353/hpu.2016/0122.

In this article, Brush, Gultekin, & Grim in their report stated that the U.S. Division of Housing and Urban Development distributed its first national profile of vagrancy in 1984, featuring the greatest of the issue over the U.S., the creation of America’s impoverished, and the degree to which asylums and programs were meeting their needs. The authors state regardless of whether more substantial ways to deal with checking the quantity of vagrant family’s growth, there is yet the matter of tending to the novel issues and conditions of families encountering vagrancy. The majority of which have stayed steady during recent decades. They believe the literature provided supports the associations between relational injury, neglect, and family vagrancy. Domestic brutality (DV), specifically, remains one of the primary sources of vagrancy and lodging precariousness for single mothers today. Families and kids encountering vagrancy and unreliable lodging have a higher than average chance of being exposed to mishandling and negligence and is prone to observe brutal actions more often than their peers. The authors state there is additional proof that unending and extreme savagery, restricted encountering groups of people, and poor collaborations with those in positions to assist or anticipate progressing lodging. However, perennial exposures of injury and viciousness show in continuous cycles of household viciousness, the improvement of injury-related wellbeing conditions, incessant lodging insecurity, family interruption, precariousness, and debilitated social networks.

Kilgore, P.E. (2013). Epidemiology of homelessness in the united states, (2013). Annals of Epidemiology, 23, 9, 594. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annepidem2013.06.070

This article provides references that articulate and support of the causes and effects of incidence, distribution and possible control of homelessness in the United States. The information provided a clear understanding of how the author believes that homelessness has affected approximately 2.5-3.5 million have expanded the number of people in the United States alone. However, recent proof has indicated that financial stipulations have expanded the number of individuals affected by homelessness. The objective of her analysis was to d escribe trends in homelessness and discuss the methodological methods to evaluate the comorbidity associated with homelessness. Considering the reviewed information in 2009, 63% of American people were affected by homelessness, and an approximate 62% of those affected lived in safe-houses with the the title as well as the methodological approaches evaluating homelessness in the United States.

Mago, V.K., Morden, H.K., Fritz, C., Wu, T., Namezi, S., Geranmayeh, P., Chattopadhyay, R., & Dabbaghian, V. (2013). Analyzing the impact of social factors on homelessness: A Fuzzy Cognitive Map approach. BMC Medical Informative and Decision Making, 13,94, Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6947-13-94

Through utilizing the fuzzy cognitive map, the authors were able to permit scientists to build digital worlds in which some of the composite and interdependent concepts of a framework captured and their intercommunication or causal relationships modeled. The FCM is a system utilized for demonstrating reliance between ideas and reality. Which was accomplished graphically speaking to the causal thinking connections between vague or un-fresh ideas? Through system examination of the fuzzy cognitive map, the authors were able to verify that education applies the most power in the model and subsequently impacts the action and multifaceted nature of a social issue, for example, homelessness. They found the system worked by displaying the perplexing social arrangement of homelessness represented the reality for the example situation created. The analysis affirmed the system worked and investigated peer-reviewed, academic literature is a responsible establishment at which point to construct the model.

Martin, E.J. (2015). Affordable housing, homelessness, and mental health: What health care policy needs to address.

Journal of Health and Human Services Administration, 38,1,67-68. Retrieved from: https://www.jstor.org/stable/24459676

Throughout this article Martin, provided a significant amount of compelling references that links affordable housing, homelessness, poverty, mental health, and health care to the United States economic crisis that caused many of Americans to become homeless. These references linked and provided detailed information on the, policies, issues and reasons of how many American citizens failed into economic hardship. A hardship that left many families, children, individuals, and veterans homeless. The article references give detailed descriptions of how each of these policies, issues and causes of poverty, affordable housing, homelessness, mental health, and health care connects and relates to one another. Giving a clear and concise understanding of the articles title, policies, causes and effects of the economic crisis that plagued the American people.

Morton, M.H., Dworsky, A., Matiadho, J.L., Curry, S.R., Schlueter, D., Chavez, R., & Farrell, A. F (2018). Prevalence and correlates of youth homelessness in the United States. Journal of Adolescent Health, 62(1), 14-21, Elsevier Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth2017.10.006.

In this article, the authors address the prevalence and incidence of youth homelessness. The pervasiveness and frequency of youth vagrancy uncover a unique requirement for aversion and youth-driven frameworks and administration, and besides, methodologies to address the unbalance dangers of specific subpopulations. By utilizing this type of broad-based telephone review, the authors requested family units and individual reports on various kinds of youth vagrancy. They were able to solicit families and own reviews on adolescent homelessness. They accumulated reviews on youth 13-17 in ages and young adults 18-25, and a follow-up review with a subsample of (n=150), supplied additional records on formative experiences and enabled adjustments for inclusion errors. The results showed predominance rates were comparative crosswise over rural and nonrural provinces. A higher danger of vagrancy was among youthful parents, black, Hispanics, and lesbians, gays, promiscuous, or transgender (LGBT) youth, and the individuals who did not finish their education. Occurrence rates were about half as high as predominance rates.

Schinka, J.A., Leventhal, K.C., Lapcevic, W.A., & Casey, R. (2018). Mortality and cause of death in younger homeless veterans. Public Health Report, 133(2), 177-181. Retrieved from https://eprozy.liberty.edu/10.1177/0033354918755709.

In this article, the authors investigated the records of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs on homelessness and health care. They were able to identify the status of 23,898 homeless veterans living’ opposed to 65,198 non-veterans ages 30-54, from 2003-2004. To determine the status of their survival, the National Death Index used for the statistical purpose of comparing the survival rates and causes of death for the two groups during a ten year follow up review. The National Death Index is a database of death records on the document in state vital statistics offices for the descriptive purposes in medicinal and wellbeing research. In their findings, they found young and moderately aged homeless veterans had a higher death rate than non- homeless veterans. Their results showed vagrancy considerately increased 34.9 % opposed to 18.2 mortality rate in non-homeless veterans, with the lowest survival rate at 58% among older homeless veterans age 60.1%.

Somerville, P, (2013). Understanding homelessness. Housing, Theory, and Society, 30(4), 384-415, Retrieved from https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14036096.2012.756096.

In an article, Somerville, states homelessness is no longer just a matter of lack of shelter or residence. It entails deprivation throughout a range of different dimensions and defined with references to the manner in which changing the structural stipulations influence most severely upon precise groups, either because of a natural role of fundamental drawbacks or because of some additional vulnerability that renders individuals ill-equipped to cope with these changes. Homeless people face risk because of personal environment, health care factors, and because of these issues homeless people have a higher risk for medical treatment of substance abuse disorders psychological illness, and low social support. Which are all contributing factors for readmission due to the environmental health challenges they face?

Tsai, J. & Rosenheck, R.A; (2015). Risk Factors for Homelessness Among US Veterans, Epidemiologic Reviews, Volume 37, Issue 1, 1 January 2015, Pages 177″195

Retrieved from https://doi.org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1093/epirev/mxu004. After the Civil War, homelessness has always been a significant issue in the United States especially over the last 30 years. It is a social issue that has impacted the lives of many United States veterans for decades. In this article, the authors utilized a comparative study of homeless veterans opposed to the non-homeless veteran to identify the risk factors associated with vagrancy amongst veterans in America. In their studies, they found several risk factors across both thorough and less thorough investigations. They found the most sever to be Substance abuse disorders and psychological illnesses to be the most common factors of the 15 the studies, and poverty, low income. And a lack of family, friends, and community support to be less severe. In this article, the authors provided a significant amount of proof to support their findings as well as their title.

Tyler, K.A. & Schmitz, R.M. (2013). Family histories and multiple transitions among homeless young adults: Pathways to homelessness. Children and Youth Services Review, 35(10), 1719-1726. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/jchildyouth.2013.07.014

Related cite https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/elsevier/family-histories-and-multiple-transsitions-among-homeless-young-adults-V6GJUJqhWy

In a longitudinal research project led by Tyler & Schmitz, they aimed to discover and understand the reasons why young people become homeless. In their study, they researched and followed 40 homeless young adults ages 19-21, for three years with follow up meeting led at three-month interims. In their finding, three vital topics rose, topics that were important for understanding the pathways of young adults to vagrancy. The first topic addressed was the early history of the family which gives the catalyst to why numerous young people chose to leave home looking for other living conditions and along these lines helped sort and purpose their different transitions. The second topic discussed the kinds of transitions and gives explanations behind why young people leave home. The third topic investigate the different pathways to vagrancy that young people encounter. The data provided supported the authors title and the information provide was clear and concise.

Homelessness is a social concern that has changed the lives of millions of innocent children, causing them to live without food and shelter that we all at one time or another have taken for granted. Biel, Gilhuly, Wilcox & Jacobstein, (2010). States about 1.6 million kids in the United States will encounter vagrancy, and families at present make up more than 33% of the destitute populate. There are numerous reasons why individuals turned out to be destitute, an absence of pay is by all accounts one of the significant reasons for vagrancy in the United States. Martin, (2015). States the United States economic emergencies have significantly influenced the lives of numerous individuals in the United States alone and has brought pay decrease, work cutbacks, liquidations, and soring dispossessions, that has dived numerous people and families into serious monetary hardship, especially those in low pay networks. Homelessness is a painful reality that has affected many individuals in the United States, regardless of race, age, gender, or religious belief, and has plagued the United States citizens for many centuries. However, scientists contend in spite of programs that aim to give brief and transitional safe haven to vagrancy’s, there should be an expansion in open perpetual lodging and in government lodging assets.

Cite this page

Homelessness in the United States. (2019, Apr 18). Retrieved from https://papersowl.com/examples/homelessness-in-the-united-states/

"Homelessness in the United States." PapersOwl.com , 18 Apr 2019, https://papersowl.com/examples/homelessness-in-the-united-states/

PapersOwl.com. (2019). Homelessness in the United States . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/homelessness-in-the-united-states/ [Accessed: 21 May. 2024]

"Homelessness in the United States." PapersOwl.com, Apr 18, 2019. Accessed May 21, 2024. https://papersowl.com/examples/homelessness-in-the-united-states/

"Homelessness in the United States," PapersOwl.com , 18-Apr-2019. [Online]. Available: https://papersowl.com/examples/homelessness-in-the-united-states/. [Accessed: 21-May-2024]

PapersOwl.com. (2019). Homelessness in the United States . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/homelessness-in-the-united-states/ [Accessed: 21-May-2024]

Don't let plagiarism ruin your grade

Hire a writer to get a unique paper crafted to your needs.

Our writers will help you fix any mistakes and get an A+!

Please check your inbox.

You can order an original essay written according to your instructions.

Trusted by over 1 million students worldwide

1. Tell Us Your Requirements

2. Pick your perfect writer

3. Get Your Paper and Pay

Hi! I'm Amy, your personal assistant!

Don't know where to start? Give me your paper requirements and I connect you to an academic expert.

short deadlines

100% Plagiarism-Free

Certified writers

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Israel and Gaza: Despair and What-Ifs

More from our inbox:, trump, oil and big money in politics, ‘journey’ as metaphor, providing help for the homeless and the mentally ill.

To the Editor:

Re “ In Israel, ‘the Darkness Is Everywhere,’ ” by Megan K. Stack (Opinion guest essay, May 18):

I appreciate Ms. Stack’s essay, in which she makes several important observations about current attitudes among Israelis. However, she leaves out the tragic choices that Palestinians have themselves made in Gaza and the West Bank.

In particular, after the Israeli withdrawal in 2005, Gazans had the opportunity to use huge amounts of international aid to build new residential communities and seaside commercial and tourist destinations.

Instead, they diverted essentially all investment into war preparations, including the rocket and tunnel technology that has proved so formidable in several wars with Israel since then. The extremism of attitudes in this conflict isn’t limited to one side.

Stephen Hall San Francisco

I am grateful to The New York Times for publishing Megan K. Stack’s essay. We need more articles on what it is really like on the ground in Israel, and, as disheartening as it may be, we are all better and more informed for reading it.

Only when Jews in the United States (I am one of them) obtain a greater understanding of the horrible plight of the Palestinian people and what they have been subjected to over decades will we be able to affect our government’s policies to produce a more hopeful outcome for the region.

Until then, this vicious cycle will continue, because, as Ms. Stack so eloquently described, “there is no wall thick enough to suppress forever a people who have nothing to lose.”

Roy Friedland Greensboro, N.C.

I am dismayed at Megan K. Stack’s one-sided analysis of Israeli policy toward the Palestinians. I am a lifelong supporter of Israel, but I share Ms. Stack’s concern regarding Israel’s extreme right-wing government. Placing all, or even most, of the responsibility at the foot of Israeli Jews, however, is disingenuous.

Consider a counterfactual history in which Arab and Palestinian leaders had said “yes” to any of the opportunities to live next to Jewish neighbors in peace. A simple Arab “yes” might have resulted in two separate states, for two separate indigenous peoples, living side by side.

There might have been no rise of Hamas and Hezbollah, suicide bombings or defensive barriers. Both parties could have lived in peace, dignity and prosperity.

Perhaps the next time an olive branch is offered, if there is a next time, the Palestinians will reply “yes.” What do they have to lose?

Stephen E. Green San Jose, Calif.

Re “ Trump Solicits Billion Dollars at Oil Dinner ” (front page, May 10):

It is a clarion call to get big money out of politics.

You report that Donald Trump “told a group of oil executives and lobbyists gathered at a dinner at his Mar-a-Lago resort last month that they should donate $1 billion to his presidential campaign because, if elected, he would roll back environmental rules that he said hampered their industry.”

Fossil fuel interests already pour tens of millions of dollars into political campaigns, mostly to Republicans, pushing that party’s congressional delegation and presidential nominee to oppose action against climate change.

This push for contributions and profits is in the face of the virtual unanimity of climate scientists that burning fossil fuels is the main cause of global warming.

Big contributions from gun, pharmaceutical, insurance, financial and other wealthy interests also powerfully influence our system in their favor, usually to the disadvantage of ordinary people. When one or a few big donors can buy more political speech than tens of millions of ordinary people combined, the system is rigged in favor of those who already have the most.

Public funding of election campaigns has worked well at the state, county and city levels. It elevates merit and the public interest in government decision-making and builds confidence in our system.

Richard Barsanti Western Springs, Ill.

Re “ When Did Everything Turn Into a ‘Journey’? ” (front page, May 16):

Name the journey — infertility, breast cancer, weight loss, motherhood or a cathartic vacation — and I’ve been on it.

“Journey” has become a euphemism for struggle, often a long, winding road with ups and downs. Some people may reach the finish line and celebrate triumphantly. Others may never get there, leaving loved ones to wonder how their “choose your own adventure” could have followed a different chapter. No journey is ever truly complete.

Infertility may be behind me, but its wake — a stillborn son, a ruptured uterus, a C-section scar, new family members in our surrogates who carried our daughters — will reverberate for my lifetime.

Many individuals will face infertility for the first time today, tomorrow or someday in the future. I always make time for those who reach out to me, hoping my experience can help them — or, at the very least, give them a chance to talk to someone on the metaphorical “other side.”

Journeys can break us or make us into someone new. Whatever euphemism we use, the important thing is don’t make it your ending when you get to the other side. Make it a new beginning to help those who follow in your footsteps.

Lia Buffa De Feo New York

With respect to cancer, its patients and their families — and all those dismayed by what linguists call “semantic drift” — let’s agree to call cancer a “situation.” Not a sentimental, self-help journey. Not a grim or rousing battle. Definitely something fraught and serious: a situation that compels utmost attention and action over time, time that makes no promises.

Karin Halvorson Hillhouse Washington

Re “ Citing Safety, New York Moves Mentally Ill People From the Subway ” (news article, May 11):

As New Yorkers daily enter our transit system, the sight of men and women sleeping on station benches or in subway cars causes mixed emotions ranging from dismay to fear to disgust. The mantra from the riders, either mumbled or spoken aloud, usually goes: “Why can’t the mayor clean this up?”

And it’s a mantra that has, for decades now, moved mayors, under the guise of compassion, to take aggressive action to remove from the subways those who are poor, more often than not homeless, and desperately struggling with mental health issues.

Of course, the cynics in us understand the politics of the moment and the need for mayors to show strength and resolve, even if their actions provide only a short-term fix.

Yes, these are difficult and seemingly intractable problems. But we’re never going to find lasting solutions unless we begin to understand and address the root issues.

As a start, we need to understand how these folks were allowed to fall deeper and deeper into the cracks. How community-based health and mental health systems — often nonexistent or, at best, bare-bones in poor communities — were unable to provide any real, meaningful support before they became so lost to us.

Most immediately, though, the city should engage with high-quality mental health teams to inundate the subway system, offering more than just a stay in a dilapidated shelter or an involuntary commitment to a psychiatric facility. And it should study the work of other cities, which have used programs such as Housing First to help address the mental health issues of those living on the streets by providing permanent housing.

Arnold S. Cohen New York The writer is an adjunct professor at Fordham Law School and former president of Partnership for the Homeless.

On How to Eradicate Homelessness Essay (Speech)

Introduction, causes of homelessness, homelessness associated with hunger, how to eradicate homelessness, works cited.

The ugly state of homelessness is present and clearly visible in every street in most parts of the United States. It is devastating to see the homeless people trying to survive the hard life surviving the harsh weather conditions. Many people who have never had a firsthand experience would assume that only the alcoholics, drug addicts and the poor are the homeless. This is unlike what is reality. Anyone can be homeless despite a person’s class, level of education and sanity. Homelessness is a national catastrophe that should be well addressed to help in eradicating in society.

Many times homelessness has been misinterpreted to be an experience that happens to wicked and evil people. The notion that society has adopted is that homelessness happens to people who have no vision and dreams in life. The truth of the matter is that majority of the homeless are people with dreams, ambitions and desire to succeed. The barriers are the constraints that surround them making it impossible for them to rise up go beyond their limits. Society has played a big role in neglecting and despising the homeless. Society fails to understand that the homeless need care, support, and nurturing.

Understanding homelessness is very important when working to eradicate it in our society. This enables a person who has not been in this situation to understand how it feels to lack a place to call home. The general understanding is that homelessness is brought by negligence and through events that could have been prevented (Urban Institute). This is not true as there are people who have jobs, are educated, and with stable families but still are homeless. Hence, the biggest reason to understand homelessness and the best way possible to eradicate if not minimize the rate it’s in the country.

There are many causes of homelessness. According to the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, paucity has been the key issue that has rendered many families to the street. There are many families that have succumbed to life on the street due to lack. With the shortage of job opportunities and resources, many families cannot afford housing facilities (Maide). Domestic violence has been a factor that leads to homelessness. The violence that erupts in a home can result in the destruction of properties and separations. There are many broken families who are on the run with no place to call home. Eviction from homes to pave way for the construction of other facilities has been a factor that has contributed to homelessness. Often, families have been evicted from houses without a proper settlement plan. These families are left stranded with nowhere to go.

Teenage homelessness is widespread. Young girls run from their homes the minute they realize they are pregnant. They lack a place to live and they resolve to live on the street. Teenagers are also at risk of being homeless when they fall victim to vices like drug addictions and immorality. They tend to move out of their homestead to live in the street where they could easily access their hobbies. The other major factors that have contributed to homeliness are family disputes, expenses incurred in a divorce procedure, and the death of a loved one (Brendan).

Another aspect that has contributed to homelessness is the natural disaster. These disasters are beyond humanity and cannot be prevented yet they have rendered many homeless. The devastating hurricane Katrina is a good example where many families were left with no place to call home. The destruction of housing was rampant. The sight of young children, mothers and elderly people with no shelter was heartbreaking. These natural calamities cannot be prevented, unlike the other factors that lead to homelessness (Sommer).

Homelessness is closely associated with hunger, crime, child mortality and death (Bredan). When people are living in the street it is very hard for them to acquire other basic needs such as food and clothing. Young mothers on the street cannot be able to shield their young children from the harsh weather conditions. As a result, child mortality is at a high rate for the homeless. Diseases are easily spread among the homeless people in the street. Some become sick due to the unfavorable weather conditions cause deaths to the individuals in the street. A homeless person in the street has the highest chance of getting involved in an accident more than a person safely tacked in the house. Crime is rampant as the homeless opt to do anything to survive.

There is a need for society, government, and well-wishers to team up to help stamp out homelessness in the United States. This can be achieved by the provision of shelter homes for those hit by natural disasters like hurricanes, tornados and floods. The poor people in society should be given an opportunity to own a home (Burt, Carpenter and Hall). This can be attained by the provision of cheap houses that they can afford. It is very hard to get a house that is not expensive that suits an average person. The government should help in the construction of cheap but comfortable homes and place a fee that the poor in society can afford.

The lack of education which plays a bigger role in homelessness should be well tackled. More should be done to end ignorance on youths and adults by working with the cooperation that helps to end poverty. Such organizations include the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty. This one educates and provides homes for the poor in society. Another organization is the National Alliance to End Homelessness. This organization works hand in hand with other Nongovernmental organizations to eliminate homelessness in the country.

It is evident that some churches are working very hard to eradicate homelessness. These churches include the Salvation Army and Catholics. The churches help in building shelters for the homeless while providing them with basic needs. The churches although working all round the clock cannot be able to manage the overwhelming number of the homeless in society. There is a need therefore for every individual to work together and give aid to this organization (Bredan). It is wise to give the organization any aid possible than offering money to a homeless person who in turn uses the money to buy drugs.

In conclusion, homelessness is a national disaster that should be tackled quickly possible before it goes out of hand. It is wiser to understand that homelessness is not reserved for a particular group of people. Anyone can be homeless and therefore measures to end homelessness need to be taken care of by all people. Giving the homeless people on the street money and food are not enough. Efforts are needed to ensure that every human being has a roof on top of their head. By understanding the effects of homelessness the society would understand that what the homeless need is care, education and nurturing. A little help can go a long way to help the homeless.

Bredan, Coyne. New Report Shows Increase in Urban Hunger, Homelessness. 2005. Web.

Burt, Martha, R., Jenneth, Carpenter, and Sam Hall. Strategies for improving Homeless People’s Access to Mainstream Benefits and Services. 2010. Web.

Maide, Jeff. Top Causes of Homelessness in America. EzineArticles. 2010. Web.

Sommer, Heidi. Homelessness in Urban America: A Review of the Literature . 2001. Web.

Urban Institute . A New Look at Homelessness in America. 2000. Web.

• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2022, January 4). On How to Eradicate Homelessness. https://ivypanda.com/essays/persuasive-speech-on-homelessness/

"On How to Eradicate Homelessness." IvyPanda , 4 Jan. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/persuasive-speech-on-homelessness/.

IvyPanda . (2022) 'On How to Eradicate Homelessness'. 4 January.

IvyPanda . 2022. "On How to Eradicate Homelessness." January 4, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/persuasive-speech-on-homelessness/.

1. IvyPanda . "On How to Eradicate Homelessness." January 4, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/persuasive-speech-on-homelessness/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "On How to Eradicate Homelessness." January 4, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/persuasive-speech-on-homelessness/.

• Homelessness in the US
• Mumbai Great Problem: Homelessness Problem in Cities
• Homelessness as a Global Social Issue
• Poverty in America: A Paradox
• Economic Crisis: Social & Psychological Impact
• War and Poverty Connection in Developing Countries
• Poverty in United States. Facts and Causes
• Social Security Strategies Reform Plan