Intro
Have you ever seen bundles of trash and sheets under a bridge? Have you ever been asked for money in front of a restaurant? The people involved are victims of a very wide spread epidemic, homelessness. Victims of homelessness usually have a mental illness, go through bankruptcy, or have a drug addiction. Although there are many organizations to help homeless people have a better life, it is still a fast growing epidemic.
History
Homelessness has been prevalent for generations and was first documented in 1640. In the 1640s, homelessness was said to be caused by a “moral deficiency or a character flaw” and that a good Christian will have their needs met by God (The History of Homelessness in America 1640s to Present). The only way one could make it out of homelessness was to go to the wealthy and “prove their wealth (1).
In the early 1800s, there was a large amount of people being displaced due to, industrialization. Many people that lived in rural areas moved to the cities to find jobs and have a better life. This caused a sudden influx of people into cities where there was not enough space for everyone, and started homelessness in industrial cities. For the ones lucky enough to get a job, the harsh working conditions caused illness, disabilities, and even death. This is when more and more children became homeless.
Then the Civil War Era began. Many men injured/died in war leaving thousands of widowed wives and orphaned children. However a new epidemic arose from the Civil War era, the discovery of morphine for injured soldiers. Now patients with amputated limbs have a chance of survival. On the other hand, opiate, a substance in morphine at the time was highly addictive. With the mass use of morphine resulted in thousands of people addicted to morphine and opiate. Criminalization followed this epidemic but left many people deranged and on the streets. During the climax of the opiate/morphine epidemic, a new problem arose, PTSD. “Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder” is a mental illness found in veterans still traumatized by their war experience. At first PTSD victims could not get any sufficient help, and could not get jobs to support their family, leaving thousands more homeless. This age is where the derogatory terms “tramp, hobo, and bum” were born (The History of Homelessness in America 1640s to Present).
During the mid-1900s began the Great Depression, the largest incursion of homeless people in American history. Besides the stock market crash and the massive loss of jobs, there were many environmental disasters causing more homelessness. These disasters include “The Great Chicago Fire, The San Francisco Earthquake, the flooding of the Mississippi River, and Hurricane Katrina”. These natural disasters displaced over 1.3 million people, only adding on to the millions who lost their jobs (The History of Homelessness in America 1640s to Present) .
Over time these issues kept rising beginning somewhat of a trend. Those in poverty do not have the resources or the means of getting out of poverty, only starting an endless cycle .
Effects
There are over 564,708 American citizens left without a home (General Homelessness Fact). As of 2016 there are 17.7 homeless people per 10,000 for the general population (1). The real eye opener is the type of the people homeless. There are over “150,000 homeless veterans”, over 26%, many of which suffer from forms of PTSD and substance abuse (Coalition for Homeless Veterans). These are the men and women who risked their lives for our freedom. What is even worse, “only 25% receive benefit compensation” (1)? Alongside veterans, 25% of the homeless population suffers a mental illness, such as “schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression” (“General Homelessness Facts”). The homeless population also includes those who are “chronically ill”, which means they have a certain disability handicapping them from work, which is 17% of homeless people (1). Lastly, 13% of the homeless population is suffering from substance abuse, or fleeing from domestic violence (1).
Most of the times when people see people sleeping on benches and under bridges, they try to avoid them. Almost as if they are some animal and not the same as the rest of them. Not all homeless people are drug/ alcohol addicts, for some it is far beyond that. For example, a lady named Kimberly had a good normal life, when all of the sudden her job went under and she lost her savings, her insurance, her house, and her car. Soon she lost her state of mind, and then found herself in a homeless shelter and on the streets. She never had any substance abuse problems; she was just caught in a bad situation she could not control (Success Stories).
These causes are becoming more prevalent in today’s society. However, many organizations have arisen in the past decade, aiding homeless and impoverished individuals. These organizations do a wide variety of deeds to help the homeless from simply giving them a meal to giving them a home. Such organizations can be lung throughout many major cities, such as “Houston Coalition for the homeless” (Houston Coalition for the Homeless).
How can we fix this epidemic? We must question our main morals and underlying values on our respect of human life and dignity. This means we need to provide more resources in aiding the homeless, instead of profiling them as “hobos and bums”, remember they are humans, too (“The History of Homelessness in America 1640s to Present.”).
Homeless Solutions
Homelessness is a growing epidemic across the United States, and will not stop until an action is made. How do we cure homelessness? There are a few ways to contribute to reducing the homeless population. Giving a homeless person money or food is going to help them temporarily, but after they are finished what do they do? We need ways to get those sickened by poverty into stable lives, in which they can support themselves. We can acquire this through organizations that find these people jobs, homes, and medical help if needed. Many of these organizations are based out of big cities around the U.S. The first step of reducing homelessness is to find them a home. However, the majority of homeless suffers mental issues and may not be ready or able to support themselves financially or emotionally. So along with finding the homeless a home, they also must be provided a source of inexpensive medical care/counseling.
For example, “The Housing First” (Housing First) project in Boston provides low income housing to the homeless. Within this organization, homeless people are brought in off the streets or out of shelters and placed into long term housing. Removing them from the “chaos of the streets” (1), allows these people to engage themselves with helpful services that can help them to live a more stable and individual life. This project benefits more than just the homeless. The Housing First project saves Boston over “$11,000 a person/per year on health and public safety alone” (1), once they are housed instead of on the streets. So the Housing First project gets homeless off of the streets, and helps them build a connection with health care providers, and reducing their need for care. It can also rebuild and reconnect themselves with friends and family, restarting their individual lives!
However with this plan, about 10% return to the chaos of the streets (Housing First). In some cases, living on their own is not the best decision. Some may be too mentally unstable or disabled to support themselves alone. This big change can’t work for everyone, if all someone has ever known was being on the streets, and then they most likely will eventually return to what they know, the streets. Disregarding this small percentage, the Housing First Foundations main goal is to get as many people as possible out of the streets and shelters!
Albert Camus and Homelessness
Albert Camus published an essay as part of his claim to fame. This essay was called, The Myth of Sisyphus. The main philosophy of this book explains the principles of suicide, judging whether or not life is worth living. This piece also included how bad things can happen to good people. Camus would see homelessness as something bad happening to a good person, and that there is no reason it is happening, it just happens. This goes in hand with the question of, what is the meaning of life? Camus believes there is not true meaning of life, so he would see homelessness as a misfortune and that whether someone is homeless or might become homeless, is random and no one can control it. While in all reality, homelessness is a problem, Camus would think it is one of many of life's misfortunes. For the programs that are dedicated to the helping of the homeless, Camus would be pleased to see good deeds being done, however, would not put fourth effort himself ,whereas, he believes it would be a pointless endeavor and we will all die one day anyway.
Works Cited
Aronson, Ronald. “Albert Camus.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 10 Apr. 2017, plato.stanford.edu/entries/camus/#SuiAbsHapMytSis. Accessed 8 May 2017.
“General Homelessness Facts.” Homelessness Facts & Statistics - National | Green Doors, www.greendoors.org/facts/general-data.php. Accessed 14 Mar. 2017.
“Housing First.” Friends of Boston's Homeless, www.fobh.org/what-we-support/housing-first/. Accessed 6 Apr. 2017.
“Houston Coalition for the Homeless.” Coalition, www.homelesshouston.org/. Accessed 14 Mar. 2017.
“National Coalition for Homeless Veterans.” National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, nchv.org/index.php/news/media/background_and_statistics/. Accessed 14 Mar. 2017.
“Success Stories.” Friends of Boston's Homeless, fobh.org/housing-first-success-stories/?gclid=CI6tx7uArtMCFQO1wAodwMgNlg. Accessed 18 Apr. 2017.
“The History of Homelessness in America 1640s to Present.” Downtown Congregations to End Homelessness, 17 Mar. 2014, www.dceh.org/the-history-of-homelessness-in-america-1640s-to-present/. Accessed 21 Feb. 2017.
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