A mother looks at her children. She is all they have. She is struggling to make ends meet and they have nowhere to go. This scene is not uncommon. Homelessness in families is a social problem which can oftentimes be misunderstood. Studies show families who are homeless or are living in poverty are in these situations because of an unforeseen financial challenge. This could be caused by losing a job, suffering domestic abuse, single parenthood, limited education or the factor of unavailable affordable housing in urban areas ( Homelessness 1011). In the United States there is an estimated 600,000 families with 1.35 million children making up about 50% of the homeless population each year (1). These families deserve a chance to get back up when life has pushed them down.
American History Of Homelessness
Homelessness reached immense growth during the Great Depression in the 1930s ( American History of Homelessness 1). During this time many families were unable to afford their homes. They oftentimes left everything they had in order to seek work elsewhere. The financial crisis left many families in severe hunger and poverty. The struggles of the era can be represented by the Pulitzer Prize winning photo ‘Migrant Mother’. This photo is one in a series taken by Dorothea Lange of Florence Owens Thompson and her family ( Dorothea Lange’s “Migrant Mother” Photographs in the Farm Security Administration Collection; An Overview” 1).
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Lange was photographing migrant farm labor in March of 1936 (1). She recalled “ I saw and approached the hungry and desperate mother, as if drawn by a magnet. She said that they had been living on frozen vegetables from the surrounding fields, and birds that the children killed. She had just sold the tires from her car to buy food.” (1)
The administration of Franklin D Roosevelt started with his famous words “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”, which gave optimism and hope to the people who felt abandoned by the government within the country. His new deal was a series of reforms for economic and social issues. They reduced the number of people suffering in the United States from unemployment and other economic issues through welfare and work relief programs ( The Great Depression and the New Deal 1).
Years later in 2008 the Great Recession under the administration of Barack Obama saw a mounting number of homeless families. This was due to the ground breaking low activity in the economy that resulted in high unemployment and poverty rates ( Number of Homeless Families Climbing Due to Recession 1).
As seen before no precautions had been taken to prevent the cycle of poverty. Many children had to live in unstable housing that gave to a cycle of poverty for them and their families (1). These problems have continued on. Many people do not realize that these issues of homelessness and poverty are major issues the American people face today.
Effects
The homelessness population is roughly 34% of the United States population ( Family Homeless Facts 1). Approximately 1.6 Million children will experience homelessness over the course of a year (1).
The most common homeless family is identified as a mother in her late twenties and her two children (1). The most continuous causes for homelessness in families like these include financial issues led by limited education or domestic abuse (1). Studies show single parents of these homeless families have yet to receive a high school diploma (1). Without the essential education skills they are forced to limited work that further engraves the cycle of poverty.
Moreover, domestic violence is also a primary factor for single mother homeless families. As much as 1 in 4 women are homeless because a violence crime was committed towards them (1). Family violence is more than physical appearances. Many women feel the need to stay in abusive relationships due to the hardships of inadequate shelter options, evictions, discrimination, substance abuse, and poverty. All theses factors are walls that potentially could isolate these women from help they can receive within the crisis of homelessness.
Examples
Among all homeless about 41% of men have children although only 7% live with at least one child. On the other hand, 65% of women live with at least one child. Therefore, homeless women are more likely to have suffered from physical, emotional, or sexual abuse ( Family Homelessness Facts 1). Therefore, homeless mothers experience many overwhelming emotions. Through their minds is anger, self blame, sadness, fear, and hopelessness. As the head of the family it can be difficult and hurtful not being able to provide their children a proper home. As a result homeless children experience high rates of chronic health problems (1). Studies suggest by age 12 an estimated 83% of these children have witnessed a serious violent event. This makes it more likely for them to be aggressive, fearful, anxious, and depressed ( Army, Salvation 1) .The constant barrage of stressful and traumatic experiences also causes them to lose focus in school and can drive them towards addiction and poverty (1). Their safety, stability, and and security are all at risk.
Solutions
Homelessness is fought as communities across the nation come together. There are many solutions that can help end homelessness in your community. These include housing first, rapid re-housing, solutions focus areas, prevention and diversion (Solutions 1).
Housing first helps families obtain permanent and stable housing as soon as possible. They not only provide the resources but help make these homes stable ones. This means providing help for those who seek a well being recovery. This aid is not mandatory, but it is available for the individuals who believe they need it to keep a stable home. Since therapy is non mandatory standard lease agreements are the way of home assurance (1). Overall housing first is a program designed to be a fast way of helping families for a short time period.
The National Alliance to End Homelessness also provides training and workshops to guide the communities leaders in expanding their help (1). These workshops provide skills and effective strategies in understanding and implementing rapid re housing in the community. This type of aid is developed with the help of Congress and states to make policies that will successfully end homelessness.
In the case of homeless families the most common solution is rapid re housing. This is because most families come to be homeless for a short period of time due to a sudden unforeseen economic difficulty.
Funding towards resources for decreasing homelessness has resulted in a drop of homeless families (1). In all cases prevention programs and shelter diversion assistance is a necessary step towards eliminating the root of homelessness.
Homelessness in families is a social problem which can oftentimes be misunderstood. Studies show families who are homeless or are living in poverty are in these situations because of an unforeseen financial challenge. This could be caused by losing a job, suffering domestic abuse, single parenthood, limited education or the factor of unavailable affordable housing in urban areas ( Homelessness 1011). There are still many things we can do to further decrease the statistics of homelessness within families. An example would be gaining more political assistance to help and provide more policies to assert housing for families in poverty and in need of stable homes (Solutions 1) . Every family deserves a chance to get back up when life has pushed them down.
Works Cited
"American History of Homelessness." Npach.org. N.p., n.d. Web.
"Antiques Roadshow." PBS. Public Broadcasting Service, n.d. Web.
Army, Salvation. "Why are people homeless?" The Salvation Army. N.p., n.d. Web.
"Dorothea Lange's "Migrant Mother" Photographs in the Farm Security Administration
Collection: An Overview." Dorothea Lange's "Migrant Mother" Photographs in the Farm
Security Administration Collection: An Overview (Library of Congress). N.p., n.d. Web.
"Family Homelessness Facts." Family Homelessness Facts | Green Doors. N.p., n.d. Web.
"Homelessness 101." Coalition. N.p., n.d. Web.
“Number of Homeless Families Climbing Due to Recession.” Center on Budget and Policy
Priorities. N.p., 10 June 2015. Web.
“Solutions.” National Alliance to End Homelessness. N.p., n.d. Web.
“The Great Depression and the New Deal.” The Great Depression and the New Deal. N.p.,n.d.
Web.
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