According to The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, homelessness has increased for the first time in seven years; in 2017, almost 554,000 people were homeless (The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 2018, 1). The population for America in 2017 was over 324,459,000 people (Worldometers 2018). This means for every 10,000 people there are 20 who are homeless. Out of the homeless people in the United States, 40,000 were homeless veterans, and 35% of them are living in “places not suitable for human habitation” (The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 2018, 52). This essay will illustrate the sociological perspectives – symbolic interaction, functionalism, and conflict theory; as well was, considering how they apply to homelessness in our veterans. …show more content…
Upon seeing someone, you are creating symbolic meanings over their appearance. When you think of a homeless person, you may think of a thin dirty person with long unkept hair and facial hair wearing old, dirty, torn clothing. Some may put a label on them saying they are a scammer or a druggy. You may think of someone pushing around a shopping cart, carrying a book bag, or holding up a cardboard saying “WELL WORK OF FOOD.” All of these are symbols we have created, and we really on these symbols to decide if we help them or keep walking. The symbols we have created also apply to homeless