Homelessness is one of the major problems faced by the United States, and is believed to have become a serious problem since the 1980s during Ronald Reagan’s presidency (1981-1989). This time period was characterized by a lot of budget reductions which led to the poor becoming poorer. Consequently, many among the poor population became homeless. Simultaneously, many mental-health hospitals were deinstitutionalized, which saw many of the released patients joining the homeless population (Abad). As a result, mental illness became one of the detrimental causes of homelessness, especially among the adult population.
The mentally ill therefore, contribute greatly to the chronically homeless population. In 2013, the Annual Homeless Assessment Report
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Firstly, when a person suffers from memory loss, job loss is usually inevitable. This often leads to bankruptcy, which may result in a person being kicked out of his/her apartment due to failure to pay rent and bills. Secondly, the person becomes poor and he/she can no longer fund vital daily expenses, which in turn makes survival a bit tough. It is therefore, ethical for the community to engage themselves in helping the mentally ill, so that they do not suffer as much depression. Such people with mental disorders are usually not eligible to find and keep jobs in order to take care of themselves. With that in mind, I believe it is our role as a community to come into the picture and make the world a better …show more content…
The reason being that in most cases, the mentally disturbed tend to undergo very long periods of depression or hyperactivity. At the same time, these people won’t be in their full thinking ability; so they can easily vandalize the house property within a short space of time when they are frustrated. Therefore, when dealing with the chronically homeless, it is vital to start by seeking treatment and medication for those with mental disorders. The reason why medical treatment should be a priority is that untreated mental disorders ultimately lead to homelessness. Therefore, to reduce the number of such people from among those who have the streets for a home, I think it is crucial that we as a society come in and help in funding for their
The purpose of their study was to establish a better understanding of the characteristics of the mentally-ill homeless adults. Upon the collection of data through a review of the archived shelter medical records of the 74 subjects included in the study, the researchers aggregated and analyzed the data, calculating the medication adherence rates for the previous 30days. Mental illness and substance use disorders in the study were identified in 67.6 percent and 44.6 percent of the participants respectively. These findings prompted the acknowledgement that homeless individuals suffering from mental illness that specialized transitional shelters serve constitutes of population whose psychiatric, social and mental needs are complex. Thus, the characteristics of homeless populations are complicated by the numerous needs that need systematic assessment and thoughtful addressing to enhance the likelihood of successful outcomes (Viron, Bello, Freudenreich, & Shtasel, 2014).
A few weeks ago on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver there was a piece covering mental health. It highlighted the lack of transparency in dealing with mental illness in the United States and the overall negative connotation mental diseases have. Currently, it is estimated that of the homeless population in the US, at minimum, 26% of the homeless have a serious mental illness (Homeless Mentally Ill Facts, Figures and Anecdotes- MENTAL ILLNESS POLICY ORG). Furthermore, according to the video, because of the large percentage of mentally ill on the streets, many are ending up in penal system instead of receiving treatment.
If we work together, share our knowledge, and pool our resources, we can develop and implement more effective programs to reduce and eliminate homelessness. Best Solution The best approach is to help with substance abuse and mental health. According to an atricle written by Peter Tarr, “Most researchers agree that the connection between homelessness and mental illness is a complicated, two-way relationship. An individual’s mental illness may lead to cognitive and behavioral problems that make it difficult to earn a stable income or to carry out daily activities in ways that encourage stable housing.”
Untreated mental illness is dangerous and over time we have learned that locking people with a mental illness is not the solution but makes it worse. People with untreated mental illness face many consequences. “People with untreated psychiatric illnesses comprise 250,000 people, of the total homeless population” (mentalillnesspolicy.org). The quality of life for these individuals is extremely heart breaking, and many are victimized regularly.
Some homeless individuals are so mentally ill that pedestrians assume this person must be on drugs. Yes, some do drugs, but most homeless individuals who use drugs started using them after they have lost their home. For most, drugs were not the leading cause of their loss of housing but can potentially give them trouble finding a spot within a homeless shelter since “Many shelters will not admit anyone who is drunk or high. Those who do not have shelter or enough income come join us here daily to eat or take a nap”(Gretchen, St. John’s Kitchen). Many of them suffer from mental illnesses, “25.6% were diagnosed with anger management problems, 19.1% with ADHD, 15.2% with hyperactivity, 4.5% with dyslexia”(Toronto Star Newspaper).
As time goes on, the rate of homelessness rises as the population rises. Homelessness then was mostly caused by a family’s history of being homeless, drug abuse, mental disorders, and tyrannical leaders forcing his people into poverty. In modern times, several organizations are now trying to end homelessness by building cheaper housing projects more affordable to the poor and homeless shelters; these projects usually cost a fair amount of money.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 20 to 25% of the homeless population in United States suffers from a form of severe mental illness (National Institute of Mental Health, 2009). Mental illness is the third largest cause of homelessness for single adults. (National Coalition for the Homeless). People with mental illness who become homeless lack both proper medications for the illness and suffer from extreme psychological problems. It is often a challenge hosting and caring for individuals with mental illness because they suffer from mental issues such as delusions and bizarre conduct.
Homelessness has become a widespread issue throughout the United States, yet California is taking the cake regarding homelessness per capita. As of 2022, 30% of all people in the United States experiencing homelessness resided in California, including half of all unsheltered people reaching numbers as high as 115,491 individuals in California (Herrera and Paaluch). Despite California's reputation as a prosperous and thriving state, the persistent issue of homelessness continues to plague the region due to a combination of economic factors, a lack of affordable housing, and inadequate mental health care. Within the past four years, the sheltered homeless population in California has skyrocketed, experiencing a 33% increase in sheltered individuals,
It is stated that thirty-eight percent of homeless people abuse alcohol and twenty-six percent abuse drug. Some drug addicts and alcoholics become addicts when they are homeless already. However, some become homeless because of being dependent on drugs and alcohol most of their lives. Since they are dependent on drugs and alcohol their family will give up trying to help them, leaving them homeless and without any way of getting help. There are over forty-seven thousand American veterans who are homeless and seventy percent of those veterans are suffering from some form of mental illness.
In the United States homelessness has been a substantial problem for decades. The reason for homelessness is greatly debated especially
The issue of homelessness in America has been evident since the early 1600’s. Across the country men, women and children spend their nights on the streets not knowing when or if they will ever find a permanent home. States and federal officials or city councils have tried to alleviate or at least reduce the number of homeless over the last several decades at a city, state or national level but it continues to be an ongoing problem. There is a multitude of factors that account for the growing homeless population that affects each state in the country differently. Though there are many contributing factors that contribute to the amount of people living on the street at any given night in the U.S.
making Mental illness the third major cause of homelessness. C. Most people believe it 's their own fault or it is over drug and alcohol abuse or just being lazy period, but according to rock center by Jessica Hopper believe it or not 20% of people that have jobs who are not on any alcohol substance or drug abuse are also homeless, which leads us to the requirement wages in order to afford a place to stay in. Not just in TN but in every state more than minimum wage is needed, Families need to earn a housing wage of 15$ an hour in order to afford a two-bed room apartment. Transition: it is very clear to us that homelessness is a major problem in our society, and that we need to take action, let 's look at some ways we can help to aid these types of situations. II.
Increase the number of the free clinics that will provide some health issue. Homeless population are at risk for chronic illness making them vulnerable to volience and substance abuse. This population has limited access to resources; difficulty in essentials of daily living: food, clothing, shelter. Often these individual has an underlining mental health issues or substance abuse problems. They do not have support outside their homeless community.
Women and children are overwhelming affected by this, with one in two homeless women with children in homeless services are escaping domestic violence (Homelessness in Australia 2012). In addition to domestic violence the other frequent seen causes of homelessness are, lack of affordable housing, intergenerational poverty, unemployment, mental illnesses and young people exiting state care (Homelessnessaustralia.org.au, 2015). A common misconception is that mental health and drug addiction are the main circumstances for people being homeless(Roger, June 2015) .Although there is a link between the two circumstances most homeless individuals develop mental health issues and drug addiction after living on the streets for a long period of time (Homelessness in Australia 2012).
Homelessness is more than just the absence of a permanent address. It is a condition in which a large, growing percentage of people in the United States and most likely the rest of the world find themselves. It means being cut off from relatives, social groups, and community organizations and losing a sense of belonging to society (Brown&Casey, 2014). Homelessness in America is a long-standing and pervasive social issue. Health care, in particular, poses a challenge as homeless individuals struggle to obtain even the most basic care.