Homelessness
Homelessness Defined
(Re)Defining Homelessness – A Synthesis of Thoughts
Homelessness is a temporary condition that people fall into when they cannot afford to pay for a place to live, or when their current home is unsafe or unstable. Other factors, such as job loss, physical and mental disability, various hardships—including personal, and drug addiction can accelerate people’s slide into poverty, and for some, eventual homelessness, especially in the absence of proper social services. The lack of housing, access to healthcare, and supportive services, then act as others barriers that keep individuals from moving into homefullnesss.
Homelessness is also a state of vulnerability – to health risks, violence, and harassment by police; heightened exposure to the elements; and the absence of privacy. Homelessness can turn into a more permanent condition when people become alienated from society and/or it becomes increasingly difficult and frustrating to reintegrate into the “mainstream”. However, homelessness is not an inherent quality of trait and it is not linked with any particular identity, nor does it define the people experiencing it. Each individual is unique and must be addressed in that way, and each person is worthy of being treated equally in society and should be given the utmost opportunity to succeed and transition out of a state of homelessness. Homeless people are also not a “population” of their own; they are individuals who have every right to the access afforded to people in society. Thus, it is important that we recognize that the greatest contribution one can make towards ending homelessness is acknowledging someone with a smile or a nod and showing that we recognize them—most importantly, that we recognize them as human beings.
Here, it is imperative that we think and talk different about his multifaceted and complex issue. To start, it is important to talk more positively about homelessness. We should refer to people experiencing
(Re)Defining Homelessness – A Synthesis of Thoughts
Homelessness is a temporary condition that people fall into when they cannot afford to pay for a place to live, or when their current home is unsafe or unstable. Other factors, such as job loss, physical and mental disability, various hardships—including personal, and drug addiction can accelerate people’s slide into poverty, and for some, eventual homelessness, especially in the absence of proper social services. The lack of housing, access to healthcare, and supportive services, then act as others barriers that keep individuals from moving into homefullnesss.
Homelessness is also a state of vulnerability – to health risks, violence, and harassment by police; heightened exposure to the elements; and the absence of privacy. Homelessness can turn into a more permanent condition when people become alienated from society and/or it becomes increasingly difficult and frustrating to reintegrate into the “mainstream”. However, homelessness is not an inherent quality of trait and it is not linked with any particular identity, nor does it define the people experiencing it. Each individual is unique and must be addressed in that way, and each person is worthy of being treated equally in society and should be given the utmost opportunity to succeed and transition out of a state of homelessness. Homeless people are also not a “population” of their own; they are individuals who have every right to the access afforded to people in society. Thus, it is important that we recognize that the greatest contribution one can make towards ending homelessness is acknowledging someone with a smile or a nod and showing that we recognize them—most importantly, that we recognize them as human beings.
Here, it is imperative that we think and talk different about his multifaceted and complex issue. To start, it is important to talk more positively about homelessness. We should refer to people experiencing