The book The American Way of Poverty: How the Other Half Still Lives enhanced my understanding by reading on Abramsky explore poverty in the United States over a fifty year period. His detailed perspective on how poverty, social attitudes, and public policy have changed over the years. It was also helpful that Abramsky studied all over the United States and didn’t only research a few states. He looked at inner cities to rural areas, as well as, families suffering from intergenerational poverty. All in all, this is a good read if you are concerned about the current state of our
Nickel and Dimed, by Barbara Ehrenreich, explains the hidden truth behind low-income citizens in the United States. However, more rather than writing about this situation she actually goes undercover to determine if it is indeed possible to be living in a low-income lifestyle. By traveling in various locations across the country that is exactly what she does. In each location, she sets parameters explaining her economic changes such as living in the cheapest home or apartment she could find, as well as finding the highest paying job that does not t require any advanced skills.
Economists believe that the hardships many poor people face like homelessness or slums are a result of a wealth gap that has been exponentially diverging the rich from the poor since the seventies. Studies show that “over forty
Rank explains, “households in poverty can be found throughout a variety of unban and suburb landscapes, as well as in small towns and communities across rural America,” (Rank 2 of 3). One may conclude that many destitute families are confined to certain places, which divide them between the rest of the population. This creates barrier that prevents these families from improving their living conditions. There are many small regions where poverty is common. Jade Walker, the author of “Number Of Homeless Children In America Surges To All-Time: Report”, is a veteran journalist with twenty-five years of experience covering international/national affairs, crime, the publishing industry, new media, and obituaries.
When we talk about poverty we only talk about those who spend year in poverty not, but we don’t realize that there are so many more people that live in poverty, whether or not it’s only a couple months or a couple years. He shows that poverty affect more people than we are really aware of. This helps us understand that poverty doesn’t just affect a small number of Americans but rather a larger number that what we are of. He also reports that “only approximately 10% of those in poverty live in extremely poor urban neighborhoods. Households in poverty can be found throughout a variety of urban and suburban landscapes…this dispersion of poverty has been increasing over the past 20years particularly within suburban areas” (1).
While circumstances can vary, an individual’s first choice is rarely to choose homelessness due to the inability to afford housing or other unforeseen circumstances. The support of friends, family, and community programs/shelters are first suggestions when a person becomes displaced. When these suggestions become inadequate, living on the streets is the next favorable/affordable option. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, on a night in January of 2015, there were 564,708 people homeless in the United States (para 3).
It gives me a better perspective on what homeless students have to go through. It makes you think about how hard school already is and how adding being homeless on top of that would be extremely challenging. I could not imagine what teens like Adriana and Johnny went through at a young age. It also makes the reader think about the kids who got kicked out of their houses at a young age and do not have the opportunity to attend school. The biggest takeaway I got from this article is that homeless students do not have enough money to pay for housing.
Homelessness in Kansas City Homelessness is an epidemic that can affect anyone at any time. The issue of homelessness is varied and complex: “Some people experience homelessness temporarily, while others may be subject to chronic homelessness” (Homelessness). People who are homeless lack basic necessities such as food, shelter, and hygiene. The problem affects every city in every country; this includes Kansas City. Homelessness is a big issue in the Kansas City metropolitan area, and one solution is supplying permanent housing for the homeless until they can regain a place in society.
As homelessness becomes a normalcy in the United States, there is less attention focused on the issue of child and family homelessness. As more families fall into financial hardships, affordable housing has become less attainable. Between 1981 and 1986, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development was forced to reduce their budget from $33 billion to less than $10 billion. This represented an extreme decrease in the building and maintenance of housing, imposing more difficulties on hopeful individuals in need of affordable housing.
As property values rise and rents soar, lower-income individuals and families, including marginalized communities, often face the risk of eviction and forced relocation. This displacement not only disrupts the lives of those directly affected but also fragments the social networks and community bonds that have been established over generations. The loss of these connections can have a profound impact on the well-being and sense of belonging of individuals and
Group Project Health disparities are common contributors to homelessness. A homeless person’s risk of being ill or injured increases between two and six times that of persons who are housed (Wright, 1990). The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) (2011) estimates 26% of homeless adults living in shelters are living with serious mental illness and nearly another 46% live with severe mental illness and/or substance use disorders (“The 2010 Annual, 2011). Homeless populations are at increased risk of; injury, hypothermia, dermatological problems, violence, and infectious diseases such as; hepatitis, tuberculosis, and HIV. (Kushel, Evans, Perry, Robertson, & Moss, 2003).
Homelessness is one the most ignored problems in the United States with citizen and politician. Homeless people are walked by and ignored. Nobody ever thinks that they will be homeless. Due to the economy, people live paycheck to paycheck making house payments very difficult. Most people will want to believe most homeless people are drug addicts or alcoholics, but most people will be surprise to know that it is no all true.
The homeless problem costs society millions of dollars, predominantly through medical bills. Society assumes homelessness is normally distributed. However, that is not the case. Homelessness follows a power-law distribution, meaning the problem is not concentrated in the middle but rather at one extreme. This distribution pattern is also evident in police violence allegations.
The issue of homelessness in America has been evident since the early 1600’s. Across the country men, women and children spend their nights on the streets not knowing when or if they will ever find a permanent home. States and federal officials or city councils have tried to alleviate or at least reduce the number of homeless over the last several decades at a city, state or national level but it continues to be an ongoing problem. There is a multitude of factors that account for the growing homeless population that affects each state in the country differently. Though there are many contributing factors that contribute to the amount of people living on the street at any given night in the U.S.
Goodman 4 Richard Goodman English Comp II S. Cravens 5 March 2018 Ending Homelessness Homelessness is everywhere and it’s a growing problem in America. There are many reasons in which become homeless, and many of us ask ourselves should we help the homeless. We must remember that they are people too, and some time or another in life we all need help, even then homeless. In order to end or prevent homelessness, there are a number of things we must fix, the main thing being the affordable housing.
