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Structural Functionalism And Homelessness

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Looking at society as a whole with individual units that work together to make society function efficiently is the structural functionalism concept. Each unit has a part and is describe as institutions such as family, religion, education, politics, economy and inequality. Because structural functionalism looks at social structure and patterns of behavior it is able to create values for society. As well as, distinguish between visible and suppressed problems within the social structures that may need to be addressed. For instance, homelessness is indication of dysfunction in structural functionalism system.
In the United States homelessness has been a substantial problem for decades. The reason for homelessness is greatly debated especially
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Homelessness is not a new issue as it has already existed for many years ago and the existence of homeless people is often being ignored. The reasons why they end up sleeping on the streets is largely because of individual factors (Main, 1998), which is contributed by structural factors (Cyndy Baskina, 2007). It is unsure whether homeless people choose to end their lives in this way or are among the victims of situations? Many researchers contribute homelessness to structural factors but advocates of human rights debunk this and highlights that the main reason for homelessness is due to mostly individual

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As time goes on, the rate of homelessness rises as the population rises. Homelessness then was mostly caused by a family’s history of being homeless, drug abuse, mental disorders, and tyrannical leaders forcing his people into poverty. In modern times, several organizations are now trying to end homelessness by building cheaper housing projects more affordable to the poor and homeless shelters; these projects usually cost a fair amount of money.

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Homelessness and Functionalism      The social problem that I chose was homelessness. Homelessness has increased by 8% since 2011-2012 to more than 225,000 people in 2014-15 and in 2011 censers 105,237 people where homeless.   As also the unemployment rate and the domestic violence rate which both are increasing as well as these are some of the big factors . The biggest reason homelessness is  domestic violence.

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Homelessness is a product of social inequalities. Karl Marx stated that the capitalist society produces two prominent classes which are in conflict with each other, bourgeoisie and proletariats. The bourgeoisie are the oppressors who own the means of production and the proletariats are the oppressed workers who labor for the bourgeoisie. Capitalism is distinguished not by privilege but instead by individuality of property ownership and that those who create the conditions of the oppressed group express this power in the form of laws that function to serve the bourgeoisie’s interests (Marx, 2004, p.129).

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Homelessness is a complex social issue with a variety of economic and social factors such as poverty, lack of affordable housing, physical and mental health, addictions, and community/family breakdowns. Homelessness has increased its number by at least a 1% since last year, reached nearly 554,000 people who are living in harsh conditions. The government and its policies/bans only harm the homeless instead of being beneficial to them. With the “City wide bans on camping in public have increased [along with the]… city wide bans on sleeping in public…, sitting or lying down in particular places… [and,] bands on sleeping in vehicles have [all] increased”(Wiltz).

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Homelessness effects many individual’s health, but the most severe is with infants and children. The infants and children are relying on the parent(s) to take care of them, and when they are unable to afford housing, it causes the children to not trust the parent(s) and are put under more stress than they are already feeling by trying to grasp reality. There is also the issue with domestic abuse victims with women and men that cause serious issues and tension with trust and security between individuals. The society is barely doing anything to help prevent homelessness and are instead complaining that it is a governmental issue and they have to solve it. When this occurs, it just becomes one large bickering battle that does not get anything solved.

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Unfortunately, homelessness is still a major issue in many American cities. The issues that lead to this circumstance could include anything from substance abuse, disabilities or mental illness. The Glass Castle explores several causes and effects of homelessness. More specifically, Jeanette discusses how poverty can prevent someone from affording basic necessities.

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It is indiscriminate and has no concern for one’s status, race, ethnicity, background, religion, and so on. Therefore the fear of homelessness is the fact that it can happen at any time.. As a result of the United States economic situation, there is a lack of jobs and livable wages provided for growing communities. The insufficient provision of financial aid is among the factors that cause homelessness. Unable to be financially independent, the homeless tend to meet their financial needs through illegal avenues. These avenues involve the interaction with drugs and

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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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During the recent years homelessness has increased eminently. Although homelessness is not a new phenomenon it has become a huge social issue in today’s society. In urban areas homelessness is visible by the masses but ignored by society’s negative perception. Characterized as unstable individuals, alcoholics and criminals by society, these negative stereotypes have only escalate the issue. Homeless can occur at any stage of life for multitude of factors.

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The existence of homeless people in our society is evident everyday. By the turn of the twentieth century the percentage of Americans defined as homeless or as “an individual without permanent housing who may live on the streets, stay in a shelter, or abandoned building” has increased (nhchc.org). In January 2014, there were 578,424 people experiencing homelessness on any given night in the United States (endhomelessness.org). Homelessness is important because having a shelter is associated with a sense of safety. It represents the place in which work, friendship, family and all other activities can be preserved (Wilkinson, 1995).

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Structural Functionalism is a sociological theory that tries to clarify why society functions the way it does by concentrating on the connection between the different social institutions that make up society (e.g., government, law, education, religion, etc.). In Animal Farm the first example of structural functionalism is when the boar thinks the ordinances of their society are ruled by the oppressor humans. The second example is when the traditional structure is arranged to keep the animals in captivity. Lastly, the third example is when the arrangement allows humans to always be on the receiving end.

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Structural Functional Theory Structural functional theory is a macro sociological theory that is based on the characteristics of structures, social patterns, social systems and institutions such as education, religion, leisure, media, economy and politics. If all these social institutions are organized and co-operate with one another around a set of core values functionalist theorists assume that the entire social system will function properly and efficiently. Society in structural functional theory has a view that it is an organized system of interrelated parts that are held together by shared values and established social arrangements that help maintain the system to be in a state of balance and equilibrium. Structural functional theory is a broad perspective in sociology and anthropology which sets out to interpret society as a structure with interrelated parts. Functionalism addresses society as a whole in terms of the function of its constituent elements; namely norms, customs, traditions and institutions (Vibha Desai, 2013).

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Homelessness is more than just the absence of a permanent address. It is a condition in which a large, growing percentage of people in the United States and most likely the rest of the world find themselves. It means being cut off from relatives, social groups, and community organizations and losing a sense of belonging to society (Brown&Casey, 2014). Homelessness in America is a long-standing and pervasive social issue. Health care, in particular, poses a challenge as homeless individuals struggle to obtain even the most basic care.

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