Substance Abuse In The Mississippi Delta

Southern culture, plantations, Blues, cotton, and catfish are all images that come to mind when we hear “Mississippi Delta”. The Mississippi Delta has been described as the most southern place on earth and one of the most fertile agricultural areas in the United States. Yet it is that of extreme poverty in the Deep South. It is one of the poorest regions in the United States with poverty seen in housing, roads, health care, schools, and education. The Delta has been commonly thought of as, “too black, too poor and too uneducated.”
The Delta’s global population continues to decline. Education achievement levels are too low and the number of residents living in poverty is too high. Middle class income is the lowest in the state. The percentage of personal income resulting from government funds is too high. Illiteracy seems to be at its highest and kids dropping out of school has become more common
Rutherford, Hillmer, and Parker, (2011). These are a few of the escalating problems in this area and have been for years.
Substance abuse and being homeless are indistinguishably intertwined. One triggering factor of substance abuse is the consequence of being homeless. Most adolescents who are homeless usually have other disorders such as; serious mental illnesses, chronic physical health problems, and some even have a history of trauma. They need safe housing, appropriate interventions, and client-centered care. It is estimated that half of all people who are homeless have diagnosable substance use disorders at some time in their lives. It is also estimated that alcohol abuse occurs in half of the homeless and drug abuse in a third of this same