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Homeless And Substance Abuse Essay

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Substance Abuse Amongst the Homeless Community
Homeless people on the streets are abusing substances day by day and it is worsening. The reason may be that they don’t have the proper resources to avoid turning to these substances. Most people in stable households tend to have emotional support from family such as parents, grandparents, and even friends to stay somewhat stable. For someone who is homeless, they may not have anyone to go to for help or to talk to about what they are going through. This can lead to abusing drugs as they may see it as a coping mechanism. Another problem is that homelessness can be a result from abusing drugs. When someone is constantly taking substances while being stable, they can lose that money that could be …show more content…

A very common way people can end up homeless is from addictive disorders. According to Substance Abuse and Homelessness from the National Coalition for the Homeless, one thing the homeless population have in common is that most of them are alcoholics or drug abusers. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration estimates, 38% of homeless people were dependent on alcohol and 26% abused other drugs. This proves that people who are dependent on drugs and not focusing on work or prioritizing all housing payments, they can lose their homes. Furthermore, addictive disorders damage friendships and family ties and frequently result in job loss. The start or worsening of an addiction may result in a person who is already having financial difficulties losing their housing. In a Ted Talk “The Year I was Homeless” by Becky Blanton, she talks about how she was depressed and was living in a van with her dog. She felt that being homeless is an attitude, not a lifestyle. She was doing fine as she was working and taking care of herself as much as she could but when her father died, she got really depressed and things took a turn. It was hard living in the van and the weather as well was not good and parking the van in places was difficult because the police wouldn’t allow her to for long periods of time. She later on started writing and things slowly fell into place and she ended with learning that hope can bring you places as long as you have it. This can result in how people end up in the streets as they have no one to help them and can feel like they lost

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In truth, most people in the homeless community do not live as drug addicts. In fact, those individuals simply cannot afford housing with the minimal pay they receive. Quindlen explains that “the hourly income necessary to afford the average two-bedroom apartment was around $12. That’s more than twice the minimum wage” (332). This shows that single parents would also have a very difficult time supporting for themselves and their kids without another form of financial aid.

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Did you know most homeless people don’t become homeless because of a drinking problem? Most homeless people go homeless because social and economic factors intervene! A Lot of the homeless live in poverty. They don’t make a lot of money. Only about 25 to 50 dollars a day.

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Homelessness is usually a result of several of complicated issues. First, domestic and family violence is considered to be the most common reason why people become homeless. Domestic and family violence is that one person uses abuse and/or violence to control his/her spouse or other family members through fear (Domestic Violence Prevention Centre, 2016). Therefore, victims prefer to stay outside all day in order to avoid being at home which is considered as nightmare. Second, financial difficulty is another major cause for homelessness.

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If we work together, share our knowledge, and pool our resources, we can develop and implement more effective programs to reduce and eliminate homelessness. Best Solution The best approach is to help with substance abuse and mental health. According to an atricle written by Peter Tarr, “Most researchers agree that the connection between homelessness and mental illness is a complicated, two-way relationship. An individual’s mental illness may lead to cognitive and behavioral problems that make it difficult to earn a stable income or to carry out daily activities in ways that encourage stable housing.”

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Personal Causes: This can include mental illness, learning difficulties, problematic alcohol or/and drug use. If a person has one or more of these problems, they may find it difficult to manage the home they are in or it may lead to other problems such as losing job and inability to pay mortgage/rent or relationship breakdown and have to leave the home. Generally it is a combination of these factors that result in a person becoming homeless. For example, if someone lost their job and their relationship broke down, they may have to leave the family home but not be able to afford to rent alternative

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Importantly, it is evident that mental illness and addiction that can be attributed to substance abuse are common phenomena among the homeless populations. These prompt the study to recommend integrated and patient-centered treatment services with emphasis being given to addiction

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Society believes that just because these individuals are poor, they lack ethics, or have trouble understanding what is morally right and wrong. Stealing is sometimes necessary for these individuals to survive, but it does not mean all homeless people steal. “They are drug addicts,” is another example of a stereotype. “Homelessness is caused by a lack of resources and a safety net like family and friends,” said Leanne Drieberg, CEO of Inland Temporary Homes. "If drug addiction caused homelessness, then wouldn’t we see more rock stars homeless?”

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Although building affordable houses will help solve homelessness, it won’t help so much if the drug-related problem is taken care of. A positive and possible solution to the homelessness problem is finding solutions to the drug-related problem that leads to homelessness. As is true of homeless people in general, homeless substance abusers and mentally ill persons are characterized by extreme poverty; underutilization of public entitlements; isolation from family, friends, and other support networks;

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making Mental illness the third major cause of homelessness. C. Most people believe it 's their own fault or it is over drug and alcohol abuse or just being lazy period, but according to rock center by Jessica Hopper believe it or not 20% of people that have jobs who are not on any alcohol substance or drug abuse are also homeless, which leads us to the requirement wages in order to afford a place to stay in. Not just in TN but in every state more than minimum wage is needed, Families need to earn a housing wage of 15$ an hour in order to afford a two-bed room apartment. Transition: it is very clear to us that homelessness is a major problem in our society, and that we need to take action, let 's look at some ways we can help to aid these types of situations. II.

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Some people may think that homelessness is a trouble because they assume that the individual is lazy and just wants life to be handed to them. Further assumptions are made about drugs causing individuals to become homeless. While that sometimes happens, many times it is the other way around. Individuals who have become homeless feel helpless and give into the release from their reality that drugs can give them (Thompson, 2011). People that do not consider factors outside of the individual are overlooking the breakdown within many institutions including school and the family that could lead an individual to become homeless.

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Many people believe that it is not easy for homeless people to restart their lives and have a job. Because homeless people may have drug or alcohol problems, which make it very difficult to have a long-term job. As a result, they cannot makes enough income to support themselves. Homelessness is a very serious complex issue to which there are no simple solutions. Moreover, the young adults have the highest risk of becoming homeless in today word (Paulsen, 2007).

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According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 20 to 25% of the homeless population in United States suffers from a form of severe mental illness (National Institute of Mental Health, 2009). Mental illness is the third largest cause of homelessness for single adults. (National Coalition for the Homeless). People with mental illness who become homeless lack both proper medications for the illness and suffer from extreme psychological problems. It is often a challenge hosting and caring for individuals with mental illness because they suffer from mental issues such as delusions and bizarre conduct.

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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.

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