Homelessness in America

Homelessness in America

Introduction

Homelessness is a situation that is defined to be a challenging situation for people. Self-reliance and resilient behavior enables person to take an independent approach to improve their position and manage them financially in situations like homelessness instead of looking for other people help. Self-reliance has a strong positive impact on people and derives them to look for opportunities to come out of homelessness situation. 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 (Bachrach, 2004). Change in classification criteria has increased the number of people who are viewed as homeless. This requires reassessment of criteria to define the people who need to be viewed in homelessness category. Homeless people are classified based on the access to proper housing, low-cost housing construction policies, and the quantity of funds given to them. To classify people under these factorial dimensions is a divisive task. All sociologists agree that homelessness is a social problem in need of a remedy. Assessment on the basis of these dimensions does not define clear path of resources allocation, funding, and services to be given to control problem.

Discussion

Homelessness is a serious problem in US that requires considerable attention at state and at national level. Considerable measures have been taken by government in past few decades to control the homelessness as dramatic increase has been observed in the homelessness condition. This paper examines the homelessness in perspective of self-reliance and resilience approach that is shown by people to manage themselves in difficult situations instead of relying on external forces (Fischer, 2006).

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 result of interwoven systemic and personal problems. Government bodies suggest that the main cause of increasing homelessness among its citizen is the increasing gap between income level and housing costs.

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. Homelessness is increasing in families having large family size and considerable low income below poverty threshold (Craig, 2006). This family segment is the rapidly increasing segment of homeless population. Homelessness is not an inherent concept; different factors contribute towards to the increasing homelessness issues.

Homelessness has been a significant problem for USA in the recent past. It has created severe problems for government officials and policy makers. Number of homeless persons has been increasing since 1980s. Cut in housing and social expenditure deteriorated the economy. America is home to people belonging from diverse cultures. The different cultures have given rise to the formation of communities, each distinguished through a peculiar set of traditional values they practice ...