Homelessness and Personal Reliance

Introduction

Homelessness is a serious problem in US that requires considerable attention at the state and national level. Considerable measures have been taken by government in past few decades to control the homelessness as a dramatic increase is observed in the homelessness condition. The population of homeless people includes individuals and families, who left parental homes, escaping domestic violence due to diverse characteristics and circumstances. Homelessness is 'universalistic' in the context of the welfare system.

Homelessness, gentrification, and the displacement of the urban poor have become major issues in public policy debates over the last decade. Homelessness is a crucial social problem skeptical to the role of state and their concern towards public welfare. It is often viewed as a result of interwoven systemic and personal problems (Marsh, 29). Government bodies suggest that the main cause of increasing homelessness among its citizen is the increasing gap between income level and housing costs (Daly, 25). 

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development stated that country is now passing through worst-case housing needs period at an all-time high rate. However, few public and private agencies see reductions in chronic homelessness conditions prevailing across country (Daly, 46). Homelessness is increasing in families having a large family size and considerable low income below poverty threshold. This family segment is the rapidly increasing segment of the homeless population. Homelessness is not an inherent concept; different factors contribute towards to the increasing homelessness issues.

Thesis Statement

Personal reliance is a subjective matter related to addressing the homelessness condition. Homelessness in perspective of self-reliance and resilience approach enables people to manage themselves in difficult situations instead of relying on external forces. The way homelessness condition is affected by self-reliance behavior and the assessment of constituents of self-reliance with resilience is the main objective of this thesis.

Definition of Homelessness

Homelessness is a prime concern of some major policies. Broad range of definitions has been used to classify the people in homeless category under relative categorization of poverty. This requires reassessment of criteria to define the people who need to be viewed in homelessness category. Homeless people are categorized based on access to proper housing, low-cost housing construction policies, and the quantity of funds given to them (Allen, 19). All sociologists agree that homelessness is a social problem in need of a remedy. Assessment on the basis of these dimensions does not define a clear path of resources allocation, funding, and services to be given to control problem.

Under abstract terms, a homeless person is one who does not have reasonable access to sufficient accommodation. Homeless person is one, who does not have access to proper habituation. If a person is living in place that is below the standard specified in the government legislation regarding population standard and housing policy, then he is to be categorized as homeless (Glantz, 21).

The term homeless is also used for people who share house at the whim of other persons on an interim or emergency basis. People who spend their night at publicly or ...