Societal Classification Of Homelessness

Homeless, Not Hopeless: A Look into the Effects of Societal Classification and Location

The prevalence of homelessness in America has become so mainstream that it is no longer something surprising to see. How tragic is it that when a child witnesses a person sleeping on the ground outside, there is no reaction because this is normal for them? Many studies report that the majority of homeless populations are made up of the mentally ill. These people are the ones who are unfortunate enough to live in an area which underserves the low-income population. How can one expect to thrive when they are being tormented mentally - and sometimes physically - without the option of treatment to ease their minds? Community based research and community action

This is especially true for those who come from nothing, for example, the homeless. Living in homelessness or in poverty impedes overall health in more ways than one. Unemployment usually equals no health insurance. With this, how can one be expected to keep up with their own health - or worse, the health of their children? Visits to the doctor are expensive without insurance and forget about prescription medications. One reason people may experience lack of access to care most definitely stems from societal classification, but another reason is place - or how one defines home. No matter where someone is from, they have just as many stories to tell and just as much of a voice as anyone else. No one person’s voice matters more than anyone else’s. The truth is, “...story is the most powerful force in the world - in our world, maybe in all worlds. Story is culture…”, and no matter how much someone may get mistreated or made to feel small, the power of their story cannot be taken away from them (Miranda

The value of “...CBPR [is that it] entails academic-community collaboratives in which power is shared among partners in all aspects of the research process—the doing, interpreting and acting on science. This process elevates community knowledge, challenges traditional power dynamics in the research process, and can directly benefit the communities involved” (Balasz & Morello-Frosch 9). In other words, when the community in which the issues being researched are found gets to take part in the research, they feel empowered and most importantly, heard. The power of community-based participatory research or CBPR, is that instead of statistics being collected and stored in a file cabinet, the statistics are actually put to good use. For example, in Merced County, there is a large issue regarding children living in poverty. It is obvious and hopefully well-known, that children have no control over what lifestyle they are raised in. One way CBPR could create a wave of change - at least in Merced County - could be to involve the community in realizing this problem, as well as addressing it. Children should not be arriving at school dirty, hungry, and even sick. This type of research is different from other styles because it actually allows the community to be a part of the solution to the issues that directly affect them