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Helping The Homeless Essay | 800+ Words Essay on Helping The Homeless Essay

August 11, 2021 by Prasanna

Helping The Homeless Essay: People are categorized as homeless if they are living on the streets or are moving between temporary shelters, including houses of friends and family. However, the legal definition of homelessness may vary between countries or jurisdictions in the same country. Regardless, being homeless is detrimental to one’s physical and mental health. It has been even linked to higher usage of illicit substances a greater risk of suicide attempts. Such individuals also have limited access to resources and are more susceptible to extreme weather events. Even the current pandemic has left many of the homeless either deceased or facing severe repercussions of the virus. Hence, these individuals need help to get back on the right track. Doing so will at least enable them to have a near-normal life. We shall take a look at the ways we can help the homeless and the needy.

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Moral Support: Homeless individuals often lack access to basic needs and necessities such as food, clothing and education. Moreover, they might be socially, economically and politically deprived. This can cause mental distress and resentment towards others. Giving such individuals moral support and empathy might alleviate their troubles to some extent. It makes them feel like someone actually cares about their condition and wishes to change some aspects of it. Doing so will also open up opportunities that may help them live better lives. Moreover, such people will need help in order to discover their strengths and capabilities. A little moral support can help turn them into self-sufficient individuals who will be able to stand on their own two feet.

Social Platforms: In today’s day and age, the internet has become a platform for connecting with people around the world. Hence, it can also be used to create awareness about certain things. Various social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter helps to spread awareness as well as to reach out when people are in need. Granted, a homeless person may not have access or have limited access to the internet or a smartphone. Hence, helping these individuals to create an online presence is the least one can do. Such social groups can lend a helping hand to the downtrodden and homeless. Moreover, the internet is a place of opportunities and if given proper training, these individuals might be able to make some money to keep themselves from starvation.

Financial Help: Granted, financial help might not be very feasible in the long run, but it might temporarily alleviate the basic problems of living. This can include buying clothing, food, temporary shelter or medications for such individuals. Moreover, taking care of one or two homeless individuals might be feasible, but one should consider associating themselves with charitable houses to donate money or supplies to a large number of homeless individuals. However, the main goal of financial help must be to transform these homeless individuals into self-reliant and useful members of society through skill training or other productive activities.

Raising Funds: Another way we can help the homeless is by raising funds. There are many charitable organizations whose sole purpose is to help homeless individuals relocate and provide assistance so that they can become self-sufficient. Such organisations also impart skill development and training which might enable these individuals to become financially independent.

Collection Drive: One might consider organising a collection drive for food, clothing, or other essentials which might benefit the homeless and the needy. Collection drives can be done at places of public gathering such as offices, schools and even colleges. It is also considered to be one of the most feasible ways to provide help for the poor and downtrodden. People can drop off donations at predetermined locations, and these will be redistributed among the homeless. Even books that might educate or entertain the homeless can be donated as it might improve their morale.

Volunteering: People with marketable skills can volunteer their time and effort to help the homeless. Such noble acts may not bring in monetary incentives but are sure to leave people with boosted morale, empowerment and a sense of gratitude. Many homeless children do not have access to basic education or even learning resources, hence, individuals who can volunteer to teach these children can make a meaningful difference in society. Similarly, homeless individuals lack access to basic healthcare, hence doctors or medical professionals can volunteer to treat these individuals and make their lives a little more tolerant. Granted, volunteering takes a lot of precious time and effort, but sparing just a few hours in a week can make a lot of difference to these homeless individuals. Regardless of the type of volunteering work, any kind of help is a welcome change for this group of people.

Empathy: Showing empathy and understanding is basic human nature. This is due to the fact that nobody chooses to become poor. It is their circumstances and course of action that led to them being homeless. Moreover, making mistakes is human nature, hence, one should see through stereotypes and understand a person before passing judgment. Granted, there are people who never change their behaviour, attitudes and opinions regardless of their situation. But for the people who are willing to change their ways after seeing the error in their ways, all they need is a helping hand to get back on their feet.

In conclusion, homeless individuals are a part of society and they are also the weakest links. Hence, in order to help improve our society, we need to help the homeless and needy. Doing so not only makes our lives better, but it will improve the lives of others and this makes a meaningful difference to society.

FAQ’s on Helping The Homeless Essay

Question 1. Why should we help the homeless?

Answer: Homeless individuals are still humans and they might not be able to live their lives without our help. They may not have access to resources or finance, without which they might perish. Moreover, helping these individuals is like helping society.

Question 2. What are some ideas to help the homeless?

Answer: One can help the homeless through any means. For instance, they can directly donate essentials or provide financial assistance to the homeless. We can also organise awareness drives and perform volunteering work to alleviate the condition of the homeless. Furthermore, we can also use social media to reach a wider audience or to raise funds for the homeless.

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Essays About Homelessness: Top 8 Examples Plus Prompts

Everyone has heard of homeless people at some point in their lives; if you are writing essays about homelessness, read our top essay examples and prompts.

Poverty is one of the greatest evils in the world. Its effects are seen daily, from people begging on the streets to stealing to support their families. But unfortunately, one of the most prominent and upsetting diversity is homelessness. Homelessness is a significant problem in even the most developed nations, including the U.S. and Canada. Despite all the resources used to fight this issue, countries often lack the means to reduce homelessness significantly. With the proper aid, homelessness can be entirely eradicated in the future. 

If you want to write essays about homelessness, keep reading to see our essay examples and helpful writing prompts.

2. A journey with the homeless by Sujata Jena

3. i chose to be homeless: reflections on the homeless challenge by emily kvalheim, 4. my experience being homeless by scott benner, 5. what people get wrong when they try to end homelessness by james abro, 1. causes of homelessness , 2. how can homelessness be reduced, 3. mental illness and homelessness, 4. reflection on homelessness, 5. is homelessness a “personal problem”.

Are you looking for more? Check out our guide packed full of transition words for essays

1. That Homeless Man is My Brother by Megan Regnerus

“But the subtext of my friend’s statement is really Why should I give money to someone who’s lazy; who isn’t willing to work for money like I do?’ And to that I say, her opinion that people who ask for money are freeloaders who could work but choose not to, is based on assumption. It relies on the notion that the two things that shape us into able-bodied adults who can hold down a regular job, nature and nurture, are level playing fields. And they’re not.”

Regnerus writes about a friend’s claim that the homeless are “lazy,” reminding her of her homeless brother. She cites genetics and circumstance as contributing factors to homelessness. Despite the other woman being her friend, Regnerus strongly refutes her belief that the homeless are non-disabled freeloaders- they should be treated with empathy. For more, check out these articles about homelessness .

“I realize that the situation of poverty and homelessness is a huge social problem around the world. But when I meet them, I face fellow human beings, not some abstract “social problem.” The very phrase, “What would Jesus do at this scene?” haunted me.  I ventured to ask their names, age, where they came from, where they live (street, bridges, cemetery) and the reason they are on the streets. Their stories are poignant. Each one has a unique story to tell about his/her reason to be homeless, how they were forced to leave distant rural villages to live on the city streets. I tried to listen to them with empathy.”

In her essay, Jena remembers the homeless people in Manila, Philippines. She can see them beyond some “aspect of society” as human beings. She empathizes with them extensively and recalls the words of Jesus Christ about loving others, particularly the neediest.

“I, too, have not been compassionate enough, and I have allowed my prejudices to distort my view of the homeless. One woman, who sat across from me at a feeding program, talking to herself erratically, may have seemed strange to me before the Homeless Challenge. But when I really saw myself as her equal, and when I took the time to watch her get up and laugh as she danced to the music playing in the background, I thought she was beautiful. She had found her own happiness, amidst despair.”

Kvalheim details her experiences during an immersion challenge with the homeless. She recalls both the discrimination and generosity she experienced and her experiences with other homeless people. She was amazed to see how they could stay positive despite their terrible circumstances. We should be thankful for what we have and use it to help others in need. 

“As my funds dwindled, and the weather got colder, I sought shelter at Father Bill’s in Quincy Ma. When you are homeless, sometimes very small things mean a lot. A dry pair of socks, shoes without holes, a pocketful of change. You begin to realize how much you value your personal space. You begin to realize other people want space too. A lot of people have issues or have suffered in one way or another and you can see their pain. I think that there are people who for a variety of issue are chronically homeless and a larger portion of homeless are transitioning through a series of bad events.”

Benner’s essay, written for the company ArtLifting, reflects on his experience of being homeless for a brief while. Then, he and his wife grew ill, and Benner sought refuge at a homeless shelter after his company shut down. After that, he realized how his struggles were very different from those of others and the value of the more minor things he previously took for granted. Luckily, he escaped homelessness by making art with the help of ArtLifting. 

“The court denied my sister’s request and named me our mother’s legal guardian, but it appointed my sister as guardian of her property.  In 2009, when my mother passed away, my sister evicted me. The day I was scheduled to move out, I stood in a convenience store, dazed, as I stared at microwaveable meals.  These would be my new staple when I moved into the motel room. My phone rang—my sister.  She told me she needed me out of the house in a couple of hours—she was a real estate agent and a client wanted to see the house. ‘No hard feelings,’ she said.”

Similar to Benner, Abro narrates the circumstances surrounding his homelessness. After his mother’s death and a conflict with his sister led to his eviction, he ended up homeless. While his situation was unfortunate, he believes that there are many people worse off than him and that something must change to address the housing and poverty crises in America.

Top 5 Prompts On Essays about Homelessness

For your essay, it would be interesting to write about how people become homeless in the first place. Research the different causes of homelessness and elaborate on them, and be sure to provide sources such as statistics and anecdotes. 

What solutions to homelessness can you think of? In your essay, propose at least one way you think the homelessness problem can be solved or at least reduced. It must be concrete, realistic, and defensible; be sure to explain your solution well and defend its feasibility, backing up your claims with facts and logic. 

Homelessness and mental health can be linked—research into declining mental health and how homelessness can impact a person’s mental well-being. Make sure to use research data and statistics to show your findings. Conclude whether poor mental health can cause homelessness or if homelessness causes poor mental health.

You can write about what homelessness means to you in your essay. Perhaps you’ve heard stories of homeless people, or maybe you know someone who is or has been homeless. Use this essay to highly the effects of homelessness and how we can work together as a society to eradicate it.

Many say that homeless people “choose to be homeless” and are underachievers; otherwise, they would simply “get a job” and lift themselves out of poverty. Is this true? Research this topic and decide on your stance. Then, write about whether you agree with this topic for a compelling argumentative essay.

If you’re still stuck, check out our general resource of essay writing topics .

5 Essays About Homelessness

Around the world, people experience homelessness. According to a 2005 survey by the United Nations, 1.6 billion people lack adequate housing. The causes vary depending on the place and person. Common reasons include a lack of affordable housing, poverty, a lack of mental health services, and more. Homelessness is rooted in systemic failures that fail to protect those who are most vulnerable. Here are five essays that shine a light on the issue of homelessness:

What Would ‘Housing as a Human Right’ Look Like in California? (2020) – Molly Solomon

For some time, activists and organizations have proclaimed that housing is a human right. This essay explores what that means and that it isn’t a new idea. Housing as a human right was part of federal policy following the Great Depression. In a 1944 speech introducing what he called the “Second Bill of Rights,” President Roosevelt attempted to address poverty and income equality. The right to have a “decent home” was included in his proposals. Article 25 of the Universal Declaration also recognizes housing as a human right. It describes the right to an “adequate standard of living.” Other countries such as France and Scotland include the right to housing in their constitutions. In the US, small local governments have adopted resolutions on housing. How would it work in California?

At KQED, Molly Solomon covers housing affordability. Her stories have aired on NPR’s All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and other places. She’s won three national Edward R. Murrow awards.

“What People Get Wrong When They Try To End Homelessness” – James Abro

In his essay, James Abro explains what led up to six weeks of homelessness and his experiences helping people through social services. Following the death of his mother and eviction, Abro found himself unhoused. He describes himself as “fortunate” and feeling motivated to teach people how social services worked. However, he learned that his experience was somewhat unique. The system is complicated and those involved don’t understand homelessness. Abro believes investing in affordable housing is critical to truly ending homelessness.

James Abro is the founder of Advocate for Economic Fairness and 32 Beach Productions. He works as an advocate for homeless rights locally and nationally. Besides TalkPoverty, he contributes to Rebelle Society and is an active member of the New Jersey Coalition to End Homelessness.

“No Shelter For Some: Street-Sleepers” (2019)

This piece (by an unknown author) introduces the reader to homelessness in urban China. In the past decades, a person wouldn’t see many homeless people. This was because of strict rules on internal migration and government-supplied housing. Now, the rules have changed. People from rural areas can travel more and most urban housing is privatized. People who are homeless – known as “street-sleepers” are more visible. This essay is a good summary of the system (which includes a shift from police management of homelessness to the Ministry of Civil Affairs) and how street-sleepers are treated.

“A Window Onto An American Nightmare” (2020) – Nathan Heller

This essay from the New Yorker focuses on San Francisco’s history with homelessness, the issue’s complexities, and various efforts to address it. It also touches on how the pandemic has affected homelessness. One of the most intriguing parts of this essay is Heller’s description of becoming homeless. He says people “slide” into it, as opposed to plunging. As an example, someone could be staying with friends while looking for a job, but then the friends decide to stop helping. Maybe someone is jumping in and out of Airbnbs, looking for an apartment. Heller’s point is that the line between only needing a place to stay for a night or two and true “homelessness” is very thin.

Nathan Heller joined the New Yorker’s writing staff in 2013. He writes about technology, higher education, the Bay Area, socioeconomics, and more. He’s also a contributing editor at Vogue, a former columnist for Slate, and contributor to other publications.

“Homelessness in Ireland is at crisis point, and the vitriol shown towards homeless people is just as shocking” (2020)#- Megan Nolan

In Ireland, the housing crisis has been a big issue for years. Recently, it’s come to a head in part due to a few high-profile incidents, such as the death of a young woman in emergency accommodation. The number of children experiencing homelessness (around 4,000) has also shone a light on the severity of the issue. In this essay, Megan Nolan explores homelessness in Ireland as well as the contempt that society has for those who are unhoused.

Megan Nolan writes a column for the New Statesman. She also writes essays, criticism, and fiction. She’s from Ireland but based in London.

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About the author, emmaline soken-huberty.

Emmaline Soken-Huberty is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon. She started to become interested in human rights while attending college, eventually getting a concentration in human rights and humanitarianism. LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, and climate change are of special concern to her. In her spare time, she can be found reading or enjoying Oregon’s natural beauty with her husband and dog.

Addressing the U.S. homelessness crisis

February 29, 2024 – Between 2022 and 2023, the number of people experiencing homelessness in the U.S. jumped 12 percent—the largest yearly increase since the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) started collecting data in 2007.

“We’re in a crisis right now—let’s make no mistake about that,” said Jeff Olivet, executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, at February 22 virtual event co-sponsored by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Initiative on Health and Homelessness (IHH) . “Housing is a basic human right, just like food or water or a right to education, a right to health care—people need and should have access to affordable housing. And yet, we know we live in a country and in a world where that’s not always the case.”

Other co-sponsors of the event included the Harvard Joint Center on Housing Studies, the Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab, and the Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative.

Howard Koh , Harvey V. Fineberg Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership and IHH faculty chair, served as moderator.

A multi-system failure

The homelessness crisis is driven by challenges across multiple systems, according to Olivet, who discussed key findings from the HUD 2023 Annual Homeless Assessment Report . Not only is there a shortage of affordable housing, but many people also have trouble accessing physical and mental health care, education, and public transportation.

“When you look at all of those factors, it’s no wonder that we have millions of Americans who experience homelessness,” he said.

Olivet noted that during the first couple of years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government instituted eviction moratoriums and provided emergency housing vouchers, but these protections and resources have since ended.

However, Olivet also highlighted a success: With bipartisan support from Congress, the number of veterans experiencing homelessness has decreased by more than 50 percent over the last decade and a half.

“It gives us a proof point that when we invest in housing and wraparound health care, that we know how to end homelessness,” he said. “The question is, how do we apply that to other populations? That’s going to take additional resources.”

Collaborative efforts

In addition to the factors that Olivet mentioned, the number of people experiencing homelessness is increasing due to an influx of immigrants from the Mexico–U.S. border, according to speaker Beth Horwitz, vice president of strategy and innovation at All Chicago Making Homelessness History. The nonprofit coordinates the efforts of organizations across the city, as well as government resources, to serve the different needs of the homeless population.

“We found that when we centralize and coordinate resources, we have the greatest impact,” she said.

Horwitz said that All Chicago expanded its efforts during the pandemic by leveraging resources from the federal government.

She added, “We’re seeing increased investments from state and local government to help us continue to serve even more people, so that we can become a country where housing is a human right, and everyone has access to safe and affordable housing,” she said.

Photo: iStock/Brett Wiatre

Why Homelessness Still Exists and How We Can End It

The Official Blog of the National Alliance to End Homelessness

By Jeff Olivet, Executive Director, U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness

When one person—even one—dies on the street, we as a society have failed them. When one family seeking safe housing and a stable school for their children is discriminated against by a landlord, we have failed them. When one young queer person of color ages out of foster care with no place to go, or when one person completes a sentence and leaves prison only to end up in a shelter, we have failed. When one Veteran returns from serving this country and ends up homeless, we have failed.

I believe we can do better.

Over the last several decades, our public policies have allowed homelessness to persist. We have created homelessness on a systemic level—a societal level—and on a scale we have not witnessed since the Great Depression. Yet we try to solve it at the individual level. And we have gotten very good at that part of the picture. Effective housing and service interventions like Housing First, Critical Time Intervention, and others have helped hundreds of thousands of people exit homelessness over the past decade.

So why does homelessness still exist? Is it because what we are doing isn’t working? Absolutely not.

We have developed systems that are increasingly efficient in helping people move from homelessness to the stability and connection of a permanent home. We see these success stories every day. It is what inspires us to continue in this challenging work.

So what are we not doing right?

One problem is that we haven’t scaled effective solutions to meet the demand. Another is that we haven’t held ourselves and our communities accountable to the goal of ending homelessness. We too often measure ourselves by outputs rather than outcomes. We haven’t gone upstream to stem the tide of people becoming newly homeless. And we haven’t yet figured out how to address the underlying root causes of homelessness, including the dual crises of housing affordability and eviction, and the persistent structural racism that drives disproportionately high rates of homelessness for people of color.

The result is that even as we see individual successes all the time—tens of thousands of people every year exiting homelessness, holding down jobs, reconnecting with family and friends, stepping strongly into courageous journeys of recovery from mental health and substance use issues— we have not solved homelessness systemically . It is time that we do just that.

A systemic end to homelessness will require:

• Leading with equity , so that even as we work for an end to all homelessness for all people, we use strategies specifically designed to eliminate racial disparities.
• Grounding our policy decisions in accurate, real-time data, and sound evidence , so that we are making the best use of the resources we have. Until we have a clearer picture of the scope of the problem, it is impossible to understand the scope of resources needed to solve it.
• Going upstream to stem inflow and prevent homelessness from ever happening in the first place. This will require focused, cross-sector collaboration at the federal, state, and local levels in a way that we have not done before.
• Strengthening our crisis response system to address unsheltered homelessness, encampments, and barriers to shelter, so that people stay alive long enough to get back into housing and supports.
• Scaling effective housing solutions , with the recognition that housing is the stable foundation from which individuals, families, young people, seniors, and Veterans can achieve health, wellness, and connection.
• Providing a broad range of supportive services —from mental health and substance use treatment to employment and educational supports to childcare and transportation to direct cash transfers—so that people can sustain themselves in permanent housing.

In the coming months, the team from the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) will release our federal strategic plan to guide the work of preventing and ending homelessness in the U.S. The plan will reflect what we heard from many of you through nearly 100 listening sessions that included many individuals who themselves have experienced the horrors of homelessness.

As we finalize the plan and roll it out, we will need your help putting it into action.

The work ahead will be difficult, but it will not be impossible. If we can imagine a better, more humane society , a society in which no one is left behind and no one is without a home, then we can build toward that vision. We must come together—housed and unhoused, Republicans and Democrats, government agencies and nonprofits, faith communities and corporations, people of all racial/ethnic backgrounds and all gender expressions and sexual orientations. We must come together to find common ground around the shared goal of ending homelessness once and for all.

We have a long road ahead. Remember to take care of yourselves and take care of each other. Find joy in the daily victories. Stay focused, stay strong, and stay engaged until homelessness is a relic of the past, a faded memory.

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Experts cite complexity of problem, which is rooted in poverty, lack of affordable housing but includes medical, psychiatric, substance-use issues

It took seven years for Abigail Judge to see what success looked like for one Boston homeless woman.

The woman had been sex trafficked since she was young, was a drug user, and had been abused, neglected, or exploited in just about every relationship she’d had. If Judge was going to help her, trust had to come first. Everything else — recovery, healing, employment, rejoining society’s mainstream — might be impossible without it. That meant patience despite the daily urgency of the woman’s situation.

“It’s nonlinear. She gets better, stops, gets re-engaged with the trafficker and pulled back into the lifestyle. She does time because she was literally holding the bag of fentanyl for these guys,” said Judge, a psychology instructor at Harvard Medical School whose outreach program, Boston Human Exploitation and Sex Trafficking (HEAT), is supported by Massachusetts General Hospital and the Boston Police Department. “This is someone who’d been initially trafficked as a kid and when I met her was 23 or 24. She turned 30 last year, and now she’s housed, she’s abstinent, she’s on suboxone. And she’s super involved in her community.”

It’s a success story, but one that illustrates some of the difficulties of finding solutions to the nation’s homeless problem. And it’s not a small problem. A  December 2023 report  by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said 653,104 Americans experienced homelessness, tallied on a single night in January last year. That figure was the highest since HUD began reporting on the issue to Congress in 2007 .

Abigail Judge of the Medical School (from left) and Sandra Andrade of Massachusetts General Hospital run the outreach program Boston HEAT (Human Exploitation and Sex Trafficking).

Niles Singer/Harvard Staff Photographer

Scholars, healthcare workers, and homeless advocates agree that two major contributing factors are poverty and a lack of affordable housing, both stubbornly intractable societal challenges. But they add that hard-to-treat psychiatric issues and substance-use disorders also often underlie chronic homelessness. All of which explains why those who work with the unhoused refer to what they do as “the long game,” “the long walk,” or “the five-year-plan” as they seek to address the traumas underlying life on the street.

“As a society, we’re looking for a quick fix, but there’s no quick fix for this,” said Stephen Wood, a visiting fellow at Harvard Law School’s Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology and Bioethics and a nurse practitioner in the emergency room at Carney Hospital in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston. “It takes a lot of time to fix this. There will be relapses; there’ll be problems. It requires an interdisciplinary effort for success.”

A recent study of 60,000 homeless people in Boston found the average age of death was decades earlier than the nation’s 2017 life expectancy of 78.8 years.

Illustration by Liz Zonarich/Harvard Staff

Katherine Koh, an assistant professor of psychiatry at HMS and psychiatrist at MGH on the street team for Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, traced the rise of homelessness in recent decades to a combination of factors, including funding cuts for community-based care, affordable housing, and social services in the 1980s as well as deinstitutionalization of mental hospitals.

“Though we have grown anesthetized to seeing people living on the street in the U.S., homelessness is not inevitable,” said Koh, who sees patients where they feel most comfortable — on the street, in church basements, public libraries. “For most of U.S. history, it has not been nearly as visible as it is now. There are a number of countries with more robust social services but similar prevalence of mental illness, for example, where homelessness rates are significantly lower. We do not have to accept current rates of homelessness as the way it has to be.”

“As a society, we’re looking for a quick fix, but there’s no quick fix for this.” Stephen Wood, visiting fellow, Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology and Bioethics

Success stories exist and illustrate that strong leadership, multidisciplinary collaboration, and adequate resources can significantly reduce the problem. Prevention, meanwhile, in the form of interventions focused on transition periods like military discharge, aging out of foster care, and release from prison, has the potential to vastly reduce the numbers of the newly homeless.

Recognition is also growing — at Harvard and elsewhere — that homelessness is not merely a byproduct of other issues, like drug use or high housing costs, but is itself one of the most difficult problems facing the nation’s cities. Experts say that means interventions have to be multidisciplinary yet focused on the problem; funding for research has to rise; and education of the next generation of leaders on the issue must improve.

“This is an extremely complex problem that is really the physical and most visible embodiment of a lot of the public health challenges that have been happening in this country,” said Carmel Shachar, faculty director of Harvard Law School’s Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation. “The public health infrastructure has always been the poor Cinderella, compared to the healthcare system, in terms of funding. We need increased investment in public health services, in the public health workforce, such that, for people who are unhoused, are unsheltered, who are struggling with substance use, we have a meaningful answer for them.”

“You can either be admitted to a hospital with a substance-use disorder, or you can be admitted with a psychiatric disorder, but very, very rarely will you be admitted to what’s called a dual-diagnosis bed,” said Wood, a nurse practitioner in the emergency room at Carney Hospital.

Kris Snibbe/Harvard Staff Photographer

Experts say that the nation’s unhoused population not only experiences poverty and exposure to the elements, but also suffers from a lack of basic health care, and so tend to get hit earlier and harder than the general population by various ills — from the flu to opioid dependency to COVID-19.

A recent study of 60,000 homeless people in Boston recorded 7,130 deaths over the 14-year study period. The average age of death was 53.7, decades earlier than the nation’s 2017 life expectancy of 78.8 years. The leading cause of death was drug overdose, which increased 9.35 percent annually, reflecting the track of the nation’s opioid epidemic, though rising more quickly than in the general population.

A closer look at the data shows that impacts vary depending on age, sex, race, and ethnicity. All-cause mortality was highest among white men, age 65 to 79, while suicide was a particular problem among the young. HIV infection and homicide, meanwhile, disproportionately affected Black and Latinx individuals. Together, those results highlight the importance of tailoring interventions to background and circumstances, according to Danielle Fine, instructor in medicine at HMS and MGH and an author of two analyses of the study’s data.

“The takeaway is that the mortality gap between the homeless population and the general population is widening over time,” Fine said. “And this is likely driven in part by a disproportionate number of drug-related overdose deaths in the homeless population compared to the general population.”

Inadequate supplies of housing

Though homelessness has roots in poverty and a lack of affordable housing, it also can be traced to early life issues, Koh said. The journey to the streets often starts in childhood, when neglect and abuse leave their marks, interfering with education, acquisition of work skills, and the ability to maintain healthy relationships.

“A major unaddressed pathway to homelessness, from my vantage point, is childhood trauma. It can ravage people’s lives and minds, until old age,” Koh said. “For example, some of my patients in their 70s still talk about the trauma that their parents inflicted on them. The lack of affordable housing is a key factor, though there are other drivers of homelessness we must also tackle.”

The number was the highest since the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development began reporting on the issue to Congress in 2007 .

Most advocates embrace a “housing first” approach, prioritizing it as a first step to obtaining other vital services. But they say the type of housing also matters. Temporary shelters are a key part of the response, but many of the unhoused avoid them because of fears of theft, assault, and sexual assault. Instead, long-term beds, including those designated for people struggling with substance use and mental health issues, are needed.

“You can either be admitted to a hospital with a substance-use disorder, or you can be admitted with a psychiatric disorder, but very, very rarely will you be admitted to what’s called a dual-diagnosis bed,” said Petrie-Flom’s Wood. “The data is pretty solid on this issue: If you have a substance-use disorder there’s likely some underlying, severe trauma. Yet, when we go to treat them, we address one but not the other. You’re never going to find success in the system that we currently have if you don’t recognize that dual diagnosis.”

Services offered to those in housing should avoid what Koh describes as a “one-size-fits-none” approach. Some might need monthly visits from a caseworker to ensure they’re getting the support they need, she said. But others struggle once off the streets. They need weekly — even daily — support from counselors, caseworkers, and other service providers.

“I have seen, sadly, people who get housed and move very quickly back out on the streets or, even more tragically, lose their life from an unwitnessed overdose in housing,” Koh said. “There’s a community that’s formed on the street so if you overdose, somebody can give you Narcan or call 911. If you don’t have the safety of peers around, people can die. We had a patient who literally died just a few days after being housed, from an overdose. We really cannot just house people and expect their problems to be solved. We need to continue to provide the best care we can to help people succeed once in housing.”

“We really cannot just house people and expect their problems to be solved.”  Katherine Koh, Mass. General psychiatrist

Koh works on the street team for Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program.

Photo by Dylan Goodman

The nation’s failure to address the causes of homelessness has led to the rise of informal encampments from Portland, Maine, to the large cities of the West Coast. In Boston, an informal settlement of tents and tarps near the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard was a point of controversy before it was cleared in November.

In the aftermath, more than 100 former “Mass and Cass” residents have been moved into housing, according to media reports. But experts were cautious in their assessment of the city’s plans. They gave positive marks for features such as a guaranteed place to sleep, “low threshold” shelters that don’t require sobriety, and increased outreach to connect people with services. But they also said it’s clear that unintended consequences have arisen. and the city’s homelessness problem is far from solved.

Examples abound. Judge, who leads Boston HEAT in collaboration with Sandra Andrade of MGH, said that a woman she’d been working with for two years, who had been making positive strides despite fragile health, ongoing sexual exploitation, and severe substance use disorder, disappeared after Mass and Cass was cleared.

Mike Jellison, a peer counselor who works on Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program’s street team, said dismantling the encampment dispersed people around the city and set his team scrambling to find and reconnect people who had been receiving medical care with providers. It’s also clear, he said, that Boston Police are taking a hard line to prevent new encampments from popping up in other neighborhoods, quickly clearing tents and other structures.

“We were out there Wednesday morning on our usual route in Charlesgate,” Jellison said in early December. “And there was a really young couple who had all their stuff packed. And [the police] just told them, ‘You’ve got to leave, you can’t stay here.’ She was crying, ‘Where am I going to go?’ This was a couple who works; they’re employed and work out of a tent. It was like 20 degrees out there. It was heartbreaking.”

Prevention as cure?

Successes in reducing homelessness in the U.S. are scarce, but not unknown. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, for example, has reduced veteran homelessness nationally by more than 50 percent since 2010.

Experts point out, however, that the agency has advantages in dealing with the problem. It is a single, nationwide, administrative entity so medical records follow patients when they move, offering continuity of care often absent for those without insurance or dealing with multiple private providers. Another advantage is that the VA’s push, begun during the Obama administration, benefited from both political will on the part of the White House and Congress and received support and resources from other federal agencies.

The city of Houston is another example. In 2011, Houston had the nation’s fifth-largest homeless population. Then-Mayor Annise Parker began a program that coordinated 100 regional nonprofits to provide needed services and boost the construction of low-cost housing in the relatively inexpensive Houston market.

Neither the VA nor Houston was able to eliminate homelessness, however.

To Koh, that highlights the importance of prevention. In 2022, she published research in which she and a team used an artificial-intelligence-driven model to identify those who could benefit from early intervention before they wound up on the streets. The researchers examined a group of U.S. service members and found that self-reported histories of depression, trauma due to a loved one’s murder, and post-traumatic stress disorder were the three strongest predictors of homelessness after discharge.

In April 2023, Koh, with co-author Benjamin Land Gorman, suggested in the Journal of the American Medical Association that using “Critical Time Intervention,” where help is focused on key transitions, such as military discharge or release from prison or the hospital, has the potential to head off homelessness.

“So much of the clinical research and policy focus is on housing those who are already homeless,” Koh said. “But even if we were to house everybody who’s homeless today, there are many more people coming down the line. We need sustainable policies that address these upstream determinants of homelessness, in order to truly solve this problem.”

The education imperative

Despite the obvious presence of people living and sleeping on city sidewalks, the topic of homelessness has been largely absent from the nation’s colleges and universities. Howard Koh, former Massachusetts commissioner of public health and former U.S. assistant secretary for Health and Human Services, is working to change that.

In 2019, Koh, who is also the Harvey V. Fineberg Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership, founded the Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health’s pilot Initiative on Health and Homelessness. The program seeks to educate tomorrow’s leaders about homelessness and support research and interdisciplinary collaboration to create new knowledge on the topic. The Chan School’s course “Homelessness and Health: Lessons from Health Care, Public Health, and Research” is one of just a handful focused on homelessness offered by schools of public health nationwide.

“The topic remains an orphan,” said Koh. The national public health leader (who also happens to be Katherine’s father) traced his interest in the topic to a bitter winter while he was Massachusetts public health commissioner when 13 homeless people froze to death on Boston’s streets. “I’ve been haunted by this issue for several decades as a public health professional. We now want to motivate courageous and compassionate young leaders to step up and address the crisis, educate students, motivate researchers, and better inform policymakers about evidence-based studies. We want every student who walks through Harvard Yard and sees vulnerable people lying in Harvard Square to not accept their suffering as normal.”

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I Study Homelessness. I Wish More Places Looked Like This Shelter.

By Matthew Desmond

Produced by Jillian Weinberger

In this audio essay, the sociologist Matthew Desmond interviews a resident of the Water Street Mission shelter in Lancaster, Pa., about what makes it so unique. “Here’s a place that is treating people in their full humanity,” Mr. Desmond says. “It’s looking past their hardships, past their addictions, past their homelessness to see people’s promise, to see people’s beauty. And wouldn’t it be amazing if that was the norm instead of the exception.”

Below is a lightly edited transcript of the interview. To listen to this piece, select the play button below.

Matthew Desmond: My name is Matthew Desmond. I’m a writer and a sociologist at Princeton University.

I research and report on poverty in America. That work has taken me to a number of homeless shelters across the United States. Shelters housed in decommissioned military bases, old hotels, church basements, you name it.

Homeless shelters are a vital part of the safety net. But they have a mixed reputation, I think it’s fair to say. Some are thought to be too strict, others too lenient. I wanted to hear from shelter residents themselves. So last year I visited Water Street Mission in Lancaster, Pa.

Water Street Mission is housed in an old cotton mill. It’s this kind of giant brick complex. There are places to sleep. But they also have family rooms. They have kids’ play spaces. And importantly, there’s a medical wing where people can receive medical care, psychological care and even dental care during their stay at Water Street.

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Writing About Homelessness

Academic writing

Essay paper writing

Homelessness is an extremely pressing problem nowadays, which actually has always been a burning issue. It was first documented in America in 1640. Since that time, the number of homeless people has only been growing. According to various estimates, there are almost 650,000 homeless in the USA, while the NLCHP – the National Law Center of Homelessness and Poverty declares as many as 3.5 million. The reasons why such a great amount of people has once found themselves in the streets are variable. Natural disasters, like tornado and hurricanes and some other related catastrophes, have contributed much to that.  Some people became homeless after being laid off from the job, losing their family, or surviving a house fire. So, nowadays, hundreds of thousands of people have no other option but to stay out in the streets, shelters, parks, etc.

Being a critical issue, homelessness has drawn the educators’ attention. That’s why students often write research papers and essays about homelessness and its various aspects.

Causes and reason of homelessness

In this section, we will consider the main causes of homelessness, which you can use as a basis for your paper.

• The first group of factors is applied to the personal situations of the individuals. They may be associated with certain stressful events like job loss, house fires, a crisis in personal life like divorce or cases of domestic violence, problems with addictions or mental health, brain injury, or even fetal alcohol syndrome. The reasons why people become homeless may also be extreme poverty, mental health, or substance abuse problems in the family. Violence at home also has a direct and undeniable connection to homelessness.
• Structural factors are social and economic issues, which influence the social environment and opportunities of the individuals. Lack of earnings, no access to the medical care, and discrimination are among them. Unfortunately, economic shifts countrywide and local generate challenges for citizens; they are forced to look for opportunities to earn more as they spend more on foodstuff and housing. The poor individuals often fail to cover their vital necessities such as childcare, education, housing, and healthcare.
• Finally, systems failures are the ones, which occur when the care and support systems fail, making individuals look for their new way around, but in the streets. The examples of such may become the difficulties with moving of the individuals from child welfare, release from health facilities, hospitals, and correctional facilities without proper rehabilitation; lack of backing for immigrants and refugees also belong here.

Let’s go into more detail and consider the following reasons for homelessness in the US.

• Unemployment is the main issue leading to homelessness. About 16% of US citizens live under the poverty line, meaning they fail to cover their everyday life expenditures.
• Personal or family crisis. Individuals having steady income may be kicked into the street due to an emergency of some kind, which arises in the family. Each unforeseen situation threatens housing loss for those people who live already in scarcity. It may actually be something like simple car towing, poor health condition, or the death of a family member. Divorce, being an expensive matter, also influences the earnings of each participant and may quickly spin a person into living rough.
• Unaffordable housing. In the USA, you are unlikely to be able to cover the expense of an average 2-bedroom flat anywhere around the country if only 1 family member is employed and paid a minimum wage.
• Demographics. There is little statistics for the young generation homelessness, so the term “invisible homeless” – is often applied in this case. Young people can easily hang out with friends and do not need any services, that’s why it's difficult to make accurate estimations in this age group. Approximately 8% of the homeless American population is constituted by unaccompanied young people and children 380,000 individuals are still under 18 years old. 
• Substances abuse and problems with mental health. In 2013, every fifth homeless in the US suffered from chronic substance abuse. Altogether, such people made more than 130,000 US citizens. For this category of people, permanent supportive housing is vital, as they need to have a stable place where they can stay, combined with proper assistance and essential services to benefit from. According to an estimation made in the USA, about 20% of the homeless American population suffer from mental illnesses; veterans are a part of this category, struggling not only with a mental disorder but with PST - posttraumatic syndrome. Such people have a lot of challenges every day and often stay homeless for a longer period.

The usual effects of homelessness

It is also quite important to aware of the consequences that homelessness can bring:

• Certain consequences of facing homelessness are quite obvious – it is the change in the overall lifestyle and worsening of the health conditions; some problems with health may even lead to death.
• Though mental illnesses are often viewed as the reason for homelessness, they may also be its consequence. When a person loses everything he or she has worked and lived for, he or she may have a deep emotional impact resulting in mental problems. Malnutrition, a nutritional insufficiency, is another usual problem of the homeless. People living rough can’t afford eating out or having homemade meals; they often eat spoiled or even rotten food, which is definitely unhealthy and even dangerous.
• Homeless individuals often suffer from heart diseases, colds, tuberculosis, sleep deprivation, skin infections, drug abuse, and AIDS.
• Unfortunately, people living in the street often become the victims of physical and sexual exploitation, where the risk of sexual assault is 20 times higher for women having no home than for those who have it. Besides, lots of accidents of such kind remain unreported. The US National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty has reported more than six hundred attacks with baseball bats, chains, and other kinds of weapons in the past decade.

Possible solutions to the problem of homelessness

All around the world, experts on homelessness have solutions they think will work best. Lately, the idea of “managing homelessness” has shifted to “ending homelessness” in the US. The state has focused on certain subgroups - veterans, “chronic homeless,” families, and the young generation. Such efforts may help to develop new partners and shape public information awareness of what is needed to end homelessness. So, let’s consider some effective strategies in fighting with homelessness issue:

• It’s obvious that housing is the most important base for solving the problem of homelessness.  Actually, housing equals security, safety, and care. It is a firm Launchpad, which allows a person to be employed and keep the job, as well as to find a proper place in society. The right to housing is a basic right of every human being, and stable life is impossible without it. Overall national commitment is required to guarantee affordable housing for everyone.
• The following important aspect in the struggle against homelessness is the right for shelter, which should be guaranteed as an essential legal protection for those having no home, whether it’s a family, a child, or an adult individual. In your paper, you should underline that sometimes a place to stay may become a decisive factor between life and death. It’s important to prevent the homeless from sleeping in the streets and city parks, subway, and other public places, which can lead to various cold-related injuries, like hypothermia or some others. The right to shelter protects thousands of homeless people. When individuals or families in a rough life situation have access to someplace to stay in, they may regain their life stability and start seeking permanent residence.
• Definitely, housing is important, but it is not enough. All people need services: child care, transportation, health care, treatment, case management, education, and supported employment. Without all these, people will return to the streets due to instability. Society must do its best to ensure accessible, available, affordable, and comprehensive support to those individuals who have faced penury.

What can you do?

It’s not a secret that each of us can make a difference and change this world a bit. So let’s see how can you contribute to the solution of the issue:

• Analyze possible policies and measures which can help overcome governmental bureaucracies. Housing assistance, for instance, can help escape homelessness to young people who have grown out of foster care, or low-income people with mental illness who leave hospitals, or those individuals, who exit correction institutions. Such people can benefit from such services as job training or counseling. You may prepare an essay or a speech on this topic and present it to the interested parties.
• Donate your recyclables to the homeless collecting cans and bottles. It’s a win-win, by the way.
• Donate to local shelters, food drives, churches, or coalitions.
• Help the helpers - contribute to non-profits or other similar organizations that assist the homeless. They know how to spend your dollar with maximum efficiency.
• You can also help in shelters or soup kitchens in various ways and fundraise as well at your school or workplace! You can even organize a food drive yourself, and more than that, get involved in local policymaking.

Some facts about homelessness

The facts below may be helpful in the process of paper creation.

• The overall amount of the homeless population worldwide reaches an overwhelming figure of 100 million people.
• In the US, there are almost 650,000 homeless; 37 percent of them have families, 25 percent are single women and about 20 are children, 25 percent suffer from mental disorders, while 35 percent have substance abuse problems.
• 21 percent of the homeless have graduated from high school, and 27 percent have higher education. Almost 45 percent of people in the street take occasional jobs and work about 30 hours weekly.
• New York and California are the highest homeless areas, with hotspots in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco.
• Above 90 percent of women found themselves in the streets due to domestic violence cases.
• Young people commonly get into the street being kicked out by parents, having no opportunities to earn their living, lacking healthcare or due to the violence at home, relationship breakdowns, social exclusion, and forced eviction.
• Homelessness is illegal. Don’t you want to discuss it in your argumentative essay on homelessness? A quarter of the US towns consider begging in public illegal, about a third prohibits to stand or wander around in the cities, almost 20 percent makes it law-breaking to sleep in the street, more than a half prohibit simply sit or lie in public places. Some cities even criminalize the feeding of the homeless according to their law.
• Public libraries play a vital role for the homeless population, not only allowing free access to the computers and the Internet but also provide them assistance in job search and even employ social workers.

How to work on your essays on homelessness

In case you’ve got your assignment and feel a bit unsettled, just follow the simple steps and your assignment guidelines, and you are guaranteed to get perfect paper.

• First of all, you should make up your mind as to the topic you’ll work on. No matter if your professor proposes a topic or you chose it yourself, try to select the one which arises your interest. Carefully study the sources available, find some decent essay examples, and approach your work with a critical spirit.
• In the course of your work, you should turn to primary sources as well as secondary ones. Primary research is the one you perform in the field or during the work with the original sources, while secondary research stands for the process of working with the findings made by the other people. Secondary research material can be obtained in various ways – libraries’ databases, mass media, websites (it’s important to turn to reputable sources, like .org, .gov, or .edu.)
• Put down the important information, facts, and sources, mind map your ideas, or use note cards to keep in mind the essential paraphrases and quotations. In order to avoid problems with citations, write down the title, author, and page number of the source used.
• Revise your paper and proofread it carefully for spelling and punctuation, double-check your reference page, and make sure your work meets all the formatting requirements.

Homelessness essay outline

Working on a homelessness essay outline is an important step of your whole writing process. That is why we have decided to describe all the important points of your outline:

• Introduction. To raise the interest of the readers, you should make the question challenging and create your homelessness essay introduction in such a way that the audience is eager to study your work up to the end. You should also think about an intriguing hook for essay about homeless as it is the first sentence your reader will see. Finally, make sure that you have developed a strong homelessness thesis statement that summarized the main idea that will be considered in the paper.
• Main body. This is the most extended part of your homelessness essay, which usually consists of 3-5 paragraphs. In this section, you need to present all the facts, arguments, and evidence.
• Conclusion. The main task in this part is restating homelessness essay thesis. You also need to write an interesting final sentence, which calls for further reflection. By the way, keep in mind that your homeless essay conclusion should not include any new information.

 Homelessness essay topics

Finally, you are struggling to find a good topic for your homelessness paper, you are free to choose among these ones:

• Homelessness persuasive essay: should homelessness be considered illegal?
• What is homelessness essay
• Helping homeless people essay
• Homelessness in America essay
• Poverty and homelessness essay
• Causes of homelessness essay
• Persuasive essay about providing shelter for homeless
• Helping the homeless essay
• Solutions to homelessness essay
• Homeless problem solution essay
• Essay on homeless youth
• Essay about homelessness cause and effect
• Essay about helping feed the homeless

How to write a research paper on homelessness?

So, here are the best tips for writing a research paper on homelessness:

• Choose a topic to research. You need to find a topic, which is both relevant for your target audience and interesting for you. Besides, you need to make sure that there is a lot of information on your topic on the Web.
• Organize your research. In this case, making an outline will be of great help. Put all the important points and research directions in your plan, and you will never miss anything in the course of writing.
• Think about the references. As it is a research paper, you need to work on a great number of sources. Make sure that they are up-to-date and reputable.
• Proofread your paper. This way, you will eliminate all the mistakes that spoil the impression from your research.

Research questions about homelessness

If you have literally no idea in what direction you should move on, get acquainted with the following research questions. Perhaps, some of them will inspire you:

• Is homelessness a serious world problem?
• What factors lead to homelessness?
• Is homelessness a first- or third-world problem?
• What are the economic consequences of homelessness?
• What steps can be taken to fight homelessness?

Homelessness research paper outline

Outlining is also a very important stage of research paper writing. Therefore, let’s pay attention to it and review the most important parts:

• Introduction. This is actually a presentation of your research. A classic intro has to be short and interesting for your audience. Make sure you used some interesting fact of statistics and paid enough attention to thesis and hypothesis.
• Homelessness research paper thesis statement and hypothesis. Thesis statement of your paper has to be brief, concise, and strong. Hypothesis is also an important part of any research. We recommend you looking for examples of statement of hypothesis for a homelessness research paper on the Web to write a really good one.
• Main part. Here, you need to conduct a literature review, collecting the ideas of the most outstanding professionals. The main thing is to rewrite all the information to avoid any plagiarism issues.
• Conclusion. In your final part, you need to restate your thesis statement and repeat some essential points of the paper. Any new information is not acceptable in this case as well.

Finally, a tip for you: if you really have no time for planning on your own, find a good homelessness research paper outline sample and modify it for the purposes of your study.

Research paper ideas about homelessness

Finally, let us present you with some really good homelessness research paper topic ideas:

• Homelessness ethics research paper
• Can homelessness ever be ended?
• Research papers on homelessness in America
• Analytical research paper on causes of homelessness
• What laws exist to control homelessness?
• Research paper on the effects of homelessness
• Economic consequences of homelessness

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Top Reasons Why We Should Help the Homeless

Homelessness

Published October 13, 2023

When you see homeless people on the street, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Are you one of those people who think they deserve it for making bad decisions in life? Or do you stop and ask yourself how you can help them?

Admit it or not, most of us do the former. We blame the homeless for their plight instead of trying to help them get back on their feet. As a society, we’re wired to distrust people we feel are not contributing well to the community . In the news and even in some movies, homeless people are often portrayed as criminals and spreaders of diseases.

Yet, few people realize that most of us are just one paycheck away from living on the streets . It only takes one failed relationship or the death of a loved one to turn someone’s life upside down.

Even the most level-headed person can lose everything with no one to turn to. So it’s not really about the decisions they make. It’s mainly about the circumstances that they found themselves in, to which there is no easy way out.

Thus, instead of blaming them for things beyond their control, we need to help them. If you’re still not convinced, read along.

Reasons Why We Should Help the Homeless

1. they are humans, just like us.

No matter their skin color, religion, or gender identity, we all belong to the same race: humankind. We share the same experience. We all get hungry, feel cold, and need someone to understand us . This is basic for all humans. The only difference is you don’t have to worry about where to get your next meal. Or where to lay your head for the night .

2. They Need Our Help

We need to help the homeless because they need our help . It’s as simple as that. It doesn’t matter whether they can return the favor or not. You shouldn’t need any reason to help someone other than they need help.

3. When We Do Good, We Feel Good

Have you ever noticed that when you help others, you feel different happiness? It’s like this warm feeling spreading all over you that’s difficult to put a name to. That, my friend, is a rare kind of satisfaction that no amount of material wealth can buy.

4. We Are In A Position To Help

That homeless man you see on the street probably didn’t have the same opportunities that you had. That single mother living in the shelter didn’t have the same support system you had. We need to help them because we are blessed to not be in the same situation that they are in. We have the resources that they don’t. In short, we are in a position to help, and so we should.

5. It’s Our Chance to Make a Difference

Nelson Mandela once said:

We can change the world and make it a better place. It’s in your hands to make a difference.

Homelessness is a global human tragedy. But if we work together, we can make the world better for everyone. No matter how small the effort is, it can make a difference. You don’t have to be a billionaire to inspire change. We can all help end homelessness in our own little ways.

6. It’s Our Moral Obligation

As human beings, it’s our moral responsibility to help the most vulnerable members of our society. Even if your moral compass isn’t that strong, common decency dictates that it’s the right thing to do .

7. What Goes Around, Comes Back Around

You may have a stable job and a roof over your head right now. But there is no guarantee that you’ll still have them tomorrow. Most homeless people had jobs and didn’t imagine finding themselves sleeping on the streets. But then, in the blink of an eye, everything can change. Such is life, and that doesn’t exempt you.

This is why we need to help the homeless because what goes around, comes back around. When the time comes that we’ll be in their shoes, we can hope that someone will be willing to help us, too.

8. You Can Help Them Have a Brighter Future

In a commencement address, Steve Jobs revealed that he was once homeless. Steve Harvey, Jim Carrey, Halle Berry, James Cameron, and many other famous people were once homeless. 

But they rose above their circumstances and became the successful people they are now.

You see, most of the time, homelessness is just temporary. Sometimes, they need someone to help them get back on their feet. Contrary to popular belief, some of them are trying.

Thus, we need to help them become productive members of society again. That homeless kid living from shelter to shelter could be the next U.S. president or the next most notorious criminal in the country. It all depends on you.

Practical Ways You Can Help the Homeless

1. volunteer at homeless shelters or soup kitchens.

Offer your time and skills to local organizations that provide essential services to the homeless. You can volunteer to serve meals , organize donation drives, or provide support in any way you can.

2. Donate Essential Items

Many homeless individuals lack basic necessities. These can be warm clothing , blankets, toiletries, and food . Consider donating these items to shelters or outreach programs. Make sure they directly assist the homeless population.

3. Support Job Training and Education Programs

Help homeless individuals get the necessary skills and education to find stable employment. Support organizations that offer vocational training, job placement services, and educational opportunities.

4. Advocate for Affordable Housing

Advocate for policies and initiatives focusing on affordable housing options for the homeless. Support local and national organizations providing safe and affordable housing for those in need.

5. Raise Awareness

Use your voice and platforms. Raise awareness about homelessness and its underlying causes. Share stories , statistics, and personal experiences. This will help break down stereotypes and foster empathy and understanding.

6. Offer Supportive Services

Many homeless individuals have mental health issues or substance abuse problems. Support organizations that provide counseling and rehabilitation services. As well as access to healthcare for those in need.

7. Engage with Local Government

Contact your local representatives and express your concerns about homelessness in your community. Encourage them to divide resources towards homelessness prevention programs and supportive services.

8. Foster Community Connections

Loneliness and isolation are common challenges for the homeless population. Take the initiative to engage with homeless individuals in your community. Listen to their stories and treat them with dignity and respect.

Effects of Homelessness on the Economy and Society in General

The economic consequences of homelessness are significant. When you are homeless, it will be challenging for you to find employment. This results in decreased productivity and loss of potential contributions to the economy.

Homelessness also often leads to increased healthcare costs. This is because they struggle to access adequate medical care, which falls on the government and taxpayers.

The social consequences of homelessness are profound. The homeless face many challenges that can add to their vulnerability. Lack of shelter exposes them to harsh weather conditions. This leads to health issues, including hypothermia and heatstroke.

Homelessness can also increase the risk of substance abuse. As well as mental health disorders and criminal activity. These factors can also contribute to social instability and strained community relationships.

Homelessness places a significant strain on public resources. Governments must divide funds towards emergency shelters, outreach programs, and healthcare services for those experiencing homelessness . This diverts resources from other essential areas, such as education and infrastructure.

Homelessness can strain public safety systems. This includes petty theft, loitering, and public disturbances.

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Homelessness as a Social Issue Essay

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Introduction

Status quo/impacts, history/context, ethical solutions to the problem, recommendations, works cited.

Homelessness is a pertinent social problem that has been escalating over the past few decades. Efforts by different governments across the world to contain the problem have not been successful in dealing with homelessness (Atherton and Nicholls 96). Homelessness is attributed to poverty, substance abuse, mental disorders, unemployment, and increased rental rates, among other factors.

Chronic homeless is believed to be the major cause of other social problems such as poor health, substance abuse, and illiteracy amongst the affected individuals (Tompsett et al. 50). The cost incurred by governments in providing healthcare services for homeless individuals is high, and if the issue is not addressed in time, it may affect the world’s economy in the near future. This paper explores the issue of homelessness, its status and impacts, the historical context, and ethical solutions to the problem.

Statistics indicate that by March 2015, 578,424 individuals in the US were homeless (“National Alliance to End Homelessness” 5). According to the “National Alliance to End Homelessness,” about two-thirds of these people spend their nights in temporary shelters (6). In addition, one-third of the homeless individuals spend their nights either in cars or under bridges.

Moreover, a quarter of the group is composed of children who are under the age of 18 years (“National Alliance to End Homelessness” 7). Veterans form a great number of homeless individuals in the US, with about 57000 of them spending nights in temporary shelters or unsheltered places (“National Alliance to End Homelessness” 6).

Research indicates that homeless persons are at a high risk of contracting infectious diseases, which increases the cost of health, thus affecting the country’s economy (Tompsett et al. 53). Security of the population is also a major concern since such people have to carry their clothes and beddings to avoid loss through theft.

Homeless people’s privacy is not guaranteed, and they suffer from the shortage of sanitary materials, which exposes them to infectious illnesses and other health hazards (Atherton and Nicholls 113). The problem with this population is further compounded by the lack of addresses, which denies them job opportunities since employers require potential employees to prove their residency before they are hired (Cronley 329).

In addition, the groups have fewer chances of being admitted to educational institutions due to their poor financial and health conditions (Tompsett et al. 54). This population is highly susceptible to violence, and it contributes to increased crime rates where they reside. In addition, the government incurs huge losses in a bid to address other parallel social issues emanating from homelessness (Shelton et al. 468). The losses come in the form of healthcare costs, police patrols to deter crime by these groups, and civil cases, among others.

Homelessness is not an emerging issue as it dates back to the 17 th Century (Turnbull, Muckle, and Masters 1066). Initially, it was not viewed as a social problem, but as a moral issue and obligation as people moved from their rural areas to prove their financial wellbeing (Toro 477). However, today, the issue has turned into a social problem that requires stringent measures to contain it. Various groups have engaged the governments in civil suits in efforts to have the administration settle all the destitute persons.

The suits are premised on the Bill of Rights that guarantees each citizen the right to proper housing (Cronley 331). Research indicates that 20% of homeless persons suffer from untreated mental illnesses, and this aspect complicates the problem (Toro 477).

Research further indicates that the group is at a high risk of suffering from addiction in an effort to contain stress and ignominy associated with homelessness. Drug addiction has been one of the leading causes of death in the US, which makes the issue of homelessness a significant area of study and research (Tompsett et al. 57).

Homelessness has been a pertinent issue since the 17 th Century, and up to date, it has not been fully addressed despite huge resources being devoted to the fight against the issue (Turnbull, Muckle, and Masters 1066). The US is among the few countries that have been at the forefront in the fight against the ever-worsening social problem (Toro 472).

However, this task has been insurmountable due to the shortage of funds and the increased number of legal and illegal immigrants in the US (Cronley 322). According to the “National Alliance to End Homelessness,” the only way to deal with the issue of homelessness is through the provision of permanent houses to all homeless individuals, and many policymakers support this argument.

The market value of rental houses is increasing tremendously, thus leading to a loss in the available houses for the poor in society (Atherton and Nicholls 140). This aspect has led to an increased number of homeless persons in the country as more people join the homelessness state. The high number of homeless people in the world, coupled with the numerous cases of new homelessness cases have prompted various organizations to come up with programs aimed at providing permanent solutions to the recurring problem (Shelton et al. 471).

The Obama administration, through the Opening Doors initiative, has stated its commitment to achieving zero cases of homelessness in a span of 10 years. Since the Opening Doors campaign was launched in 2010, the US has recorded a 21% decrease in the number of homeless persons (“National Alliance to End Homelessness” 32).

The program is slated to achieve zero homelessness by the year 2017. However, it faces insurmountable challenges, among them being the inadequacy of funds. In addition to the Opening Doors, which is an initiative sponsored by the Obama administration, the American government has put in place other projects aimed at containing the issue of homelessness.

Another program that has successfully reduced the number of homelessness in the US is the Federal Housing Program, which is designed to provide permanent houses to low-income earners. The overall program is comprised of two subprograms, viz. the public housing and the federal housing vouchers.

Since its implementation, the program has seen most homeless individuals acquire homes. The rent charged to tenants living in homes provided through the program is slightly lower than the market rates, and it is determined by considering the annual income of each household.

The Permanent Supportive Housing is another program, which has seen the number of homeless people reduce significantly. The program was launched in the 1980s to address the issue of homelessness amongst special groups such as the mentally challenged and the HIV/AIDS victims (Shelton et al. 467). This program, together with the HUD, has managed to deter the increase in the number of the homeless population through the provision of affordable housing to the target groups.

Raising awareness about the problem to the public through the media and other public forums is another effective way of fighting the issue of homelessness (Cronley 327). Raising awareness invites people and organizations to help with inputs in the form of opinions and funds. This aspect is a good strategy for eliminating homelessness in some parts of the world.

For example, the Cornerstone Christian Church in Vista allowed homeless persons living in the streets to occupy its parking lot, following the awareness raised by the media (Tompsett et al. 48). The church allows the people to use the lot until they acquire a job or after they are financially stable enough to cater for their housing needs. The church also provides counseling services to veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) coupled with those suffering from substance abuse.

This aspect has helped in the reduction of the number of individuals without homes since stress and substance abuse are closely linked with the issue of homelessness (Shelton et al. 465). Awareness also attracts non-governmental organizations and the international community to come and assist the suffering group through financial and other forms of donations.

The United Way of San Diego and Project 25 are good examples of organizations that have joined the fight against homelessness due to the creation of awareness. The organizations provide homeless individuals with addresses with a mailbox that helps the groups find jobs easily coupled with facilitating their involvement in communal activities.

The following suggestions should be considered in a bid to counter homelessness:

• The government should initiate more programs to build houses for the homeless
• Advocacy groups should be empowered to champion the campaign against homelessness
• People exiting homelessness should be equipped with the necessary financial management skills in a bid to avoid the problem in the future.

Atherton, Iain, and Carol Nicholls. “‘Housing First’ as a means of addressing multiple needs and homelessness.” European Journal of Homelessness 2.1 (2008): 289-303. Print.

Cronley, Courtney. “Unraveling the social construction of homelessness.” Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment 20.2 (2010): 319-333. Print.

National Alliance to End Homelessness: The state of homelessness in America. Washington D.C: Homelessness Research Institute, 2015. Print.

Shelton, Katherine, Pamela Taylor, Adrian Bonner, Marianne Bree. “Risk factors for homelessness: evidence from a population-based study.” Psychiatric Services 60.4 (2009): 465-472. Print.

Tompsett, Carolyn, Paul Toro, Melissa Guzicki, Manuel Manrique, and Jigna Zatakia. “Homelessness in the United States: Assessing changes in prevalence and public opinion, 1993–2001.” American Journal of Community Psychology 37.2 (2006): 47-61. Print.

Toro, Paul. “Toward an international understanding of homelessness.” Journal of Social Issues 63.3 (2007): 461-481. Print.

Turnbull, Jeffrey, Wendy Muckle, and Christina Masters. “Homelessness and health.” Canadian Medical Association Journal 177.9 (2007): 1065-1066. Print.

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Should We Give Money to The Homeless People?

Not everyone who begs is homeless and not all the homeless people beg for a living. The ones who are suffering from extreme poverty or acute medical conditions will only consider dehumanizing themselves in front of the strangers for a penny or two. They do not need hatred or pity; they need acceptance and kindness.

Should we give money to the homeless people? The short answer is No, the long answer is yes.

It unquestionably is an individual choice whether they would like to offer monetary aid to the homeless. There is a widespread misconception that homeless people spend money on alcohol and drugs which is only partly true.  Some desperately need it for medications or psychiatric help. Others are collecting money to find a descent room for one night or food for the day.

Begging is not a shortcut to easy money and if you assume so, try it for yourself. Getting humiliated by thousands of strangers for a dollar or two is soul crushing. If people are desperate enough to beg, they need the money badly.

On the contrary, there are likewise people who are simply going to spend it on the liquor and drugs, possibly to help self-medicate to “deal” with their current plight.  Providing cash to these individuals can keep them trapped in the interminable cycle of homelessness and rough sleeping.  There are an infinite number of reasons why someone would need the money. They might need it for the basic needs like clothes, undergarments, toiletries, sanitary needs or to stay at a hostel or visit a friend or a relative living nearby.  Others might need it to wash their clothes or cook their own food.

Most of the organizations working for a homeless population are closed on weekends or provide meal only once a day. Not all the needs of homeless can be met through the government organizations and corporations. We, as a society have a corresponding responsibility to help our fellow citizens living on the streets.

• One cannot weigh the happiness pennies could give
• The homeless might need it for primary needs such as toiletries or clothes
• It could help someone find a decent place to sleep for a night
• The money could help them fight mental illness
• People must be exceptionally poor to resort to begging

Should we worry what they spend the money on? Do we care when we give tips where that money would be spent on?

Once the money has been handed out, can we hold another person answerable to where he/ she spends it? The answer is No. Every human being has a choice to put in his/her money wherever they want.

Who are we to judge the homeless people when we ourselves look forward to getting drunk on Friday nights to cope up with the Monday blues?

If a segment of the homeless population is spending money on drugs, is it reasonable to penalize the genuine people who need money for the food?

It would not be an exaggeration to assert that homelessness has developed into an epidemic in United States of America. The real problem is we cannot distinguish between the real victims of an economic system and the con artists who prey on the human kindness and compassion. It requires a collective outrage for the people pretending to be homeless as they are merely promoting drug addiction.

Let’s keep our eyes, ears and hearts open for people genuinely in need of the money. We can donate clothes, toiletries and food to the destitute individuals and money to the organizations working towards the homeless population.

Let us continue to give, but wisely. Giving does not constitute only things, a smile, a reassuring word, and a hug counts; immensely.

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Home — Essay Samples — Social Issues — Homelessness — Challenges of Homelessness

Challenges of Homelessness

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Published: Mar 16, 2024

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Barriers in accessing basic necessities, impact on physical and mental health, systemic issues.

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The Supreme Court Is Fully MAGA-Pilled. The Time for Action Is Now or Never.

This is part of  Opinionpalooza , Slate’s coverage of the major decisions from the Supreme Court. Alongside  Amicus , we kicked things off this year by explaining  How Originalism Ate the Law . The best way to support our work is by joining  Slate Plus . (If you are already a member, consider a  donation  or  merch !)

“We are in the process of the second American Revolution,” Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts thundered on Tuesday in celebration of the Supreme Court’s decision granting Donald Trump, and all future presidents, sweeping immunity from prosecution. This judge-led revolution, he added ominously, “will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be.” Kevin Roberts is not alone in cheering the Supreme Court’s hard turn to the right as a de facto revolution. The New Civil Liberties Alliance, a far-right group that welcomed coup abettors into its fold, trumpeted that “the dismantling of the unlawful Administrative State has officially begun” after SCOTUS overturned the 40-year-old doctrine of Chevron deference. Republican officials, commentators, and activists are jubilant over the court’s recent rulings , applauding them as the dawn of a new era in American governance. And they’re not wrong. While Democrats fret for a second week over the fallout from President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance, many Republicans seem to feel as if they’ve won already, entrenching many tenets of Heritage’s Project 2025 into law before a single vote has been cast.

The GOP’s triumphant attitude is neither premature nor overconfident. Four months out from November, the party has abruptly prevailed in many of its most important political battles, albeit in the cold, technical prose—you might even call it “bloodless”—of judicial opinions. The Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority has, in recent weeks, restructured American democracy in the Republican Party’s preferred image, fundamentally altering the balance of power between the branches and the citizens themselves. As the GOP became the party of coup denialism and unreconstructed Trump cultists, so too, finally, have the sober movement conservatives at the high court.

In the course of its most recent term that conservative supermajority has created a monarchical presidency, awarding the chief executive near-insurmountable immunity from accountability for any and all crimes committed during a term in office. It has seized power from Congress, strictly limiting lawmakers’ ability to write broad laws that tackle the major crises of the moment. And it has hobbled federal agencies’ authority to apply existing statutes to problems on the ground, substituting the expert opinions of civil servants with the (often partisan) preferences of unelected judges. All the while, the court has placed itself at the apex of the state, agreeing to share power only with a strongman president who seeks to govern in line with the conservative justices’ vision.

Someday historians will manage to explain why the same Roberts court that declined to rig the 2020 census in favor of Republicans, declined to intervene in the bogus 2020 election fraud cases, declined to rubber-stamp a wholly fabricated “Independent State Legislature Theory,” and refused to protect from investigation Trump’s personal papers and advisers made the sharp turn in 2024 to become his handmaids. At some point the rumors that there was a 3-3-3 court with a careful and moderate center became simply laughable, and those same “moderate” justices made the decision that whatever impulse toward public legitimacy had constrained their conduct in recent years was for suckers: Having taken on far too many high-profile game-changing cases, the choice for the 2023–24 term was go big or go home. They went big.

And make no mistake about it: When a court that has been battered by near-weekly reports of undisclosed oligarch-funded vacations (and gifts and super yachts and tricked out RVs and secret conferences with high-paying Koch supporters getting access to justices) decides to make it easier to bribe public officials— as it did in Snyder v. U.S. —that’s a very public signal that the conservative supermajority does not care what you think. When a court that has been caught with not one but two justices who have spouses who were excited by insurrectionist activity and symbols stands up those same justices as dispassionate and objective deciders of three separate Jan. 6 cases, that’s a very public signal that the conservative supermajority doesn’t care what you think. And when that self same court makes it illegal for homeless people to sleep in parks because not one of these members of the conservative supermajority will lose sleep over homelessness, climate change, housing policy, or any of the other root causes of being forced to sleep in a park, it’s a very, very public signal that the justices don’t care what you think. Whatever braking mechanism once existed at the court is now broken. We wake up this summer in a new government order.

To grasp the gobsmacking scope of this shift, start with Monday’s decision on presidential immunity and work backwards. In Trump v. U.S. , the Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority invented a new rule out of whole cloth, unmoored from any known constitutional text or principle, handing the president almost total immunity from criminal charges for his actions in office. Chief Justice John Roberts’ opinion purported to distinguish between “official acts,” which can’t be punished, and “unofficial acts,” which can. But Roberts also stacked the deck in favor of the president at every turn: He barred prosecutors from introducing evidence of “official acts” to prove culpability for “unofficial acts” and prohibited any inquiry into the president’s motives when “dividing official and unofficial conduct.” The result is a vast shield against prosecution that will hamstring prosecutors at every turn even if they decide that it’s somehow worth it to try to surmount the hurdle of immunity and attempt to reach the trial stage. Under this new dynamic, most prosecutors likely won’t even bother, no matter how horrific a president’s criminal actions may be.

This decision is a recipe for authoritarian rule. As Justice Sonia Sotomayor explained in dissent, it frees the president to engage in corruption and violence, including the assassination of his rivals , without fear of criminal charges. And it lets the president transform the executive branch into a fiefdom of self-enrichment and cruelty—wielding dictatorial power to entrench his own rule, then pardon every subordinate who facilitates any coup. The chilling logic behind this ruling seems to rest on a realistic understanding of how Republicans and Democrats exercise executive power; a reality we continue to witness on the Trump vs. Biden split screen. Trump intends to govern by punishing his enemies and rewarding his friends, issuing a ceaseless stream of executive actions that benefit his allies (billionaires, corporations, white nationalists, foreign dictators) and oppress the frequent targets of his ire (journalists, public servants, immigrants, women, minorities). The Supreme Court has now allowed Trump to carry out this agenda in a second term through literally criminal methods of repression so long as he calls them “official acts.”

Biden, by contrast, seeks to govern in a more traditional mode: Relying on federal agencies—staffed with nonpartisan experts who draw on a deep well of knowledge and experience—to carry out Congress’ commands. That is how American government has functioned for well over a century, to the great benefit of the citizenry. It’s why there is clean air and drinkable water and airplanes that stay in the sky and drugs that don’t kill us. And it is a model that the Supreme Court has now kneecapped.

Shortly before handing down Trump v. U.S. , the court issued Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo , overturning a four-decade-old ruling that served as the basis for some 18,000 lower court decisions. Loper Bright abolished Chevron deference, the rule that federal courts should defer to agencies’ reasonable interpretations of ambiguous laws. By doing so, it seriously curbed Congress’ latitude to enact laws that address a serious problem then allow agencies to fill in the details and gaps. The ruling does not, as its defenders on the right like to insist , simply force Congress to “do its job.” Rather, it overrides lawmakers’ prerogative to exercise legislative power in a way they believe is necessary to protect the people from harms. It enshrines into law a specific conservative conception of proper government, overriding Congress’ choices without any constitutional mandate. And, of course, it replaces the opinions of agency experts with the political proclivities of life-tenured judges who may lack the most basic grasp of the facts. For good measure, the same conservative supermajority then erased a statute of limitations that might have staunched the coming tsunami of challenges to federal regulations.

Loper Bright boils down to a straightforward proposition: The Supreme Court’s Republican appointees are sympathetic to wealthy individuals and corporations, so they will contort the law to help them. That’s the story of other key decisions this term. In SEC v. Jarkesy , the conservative justices sabotaged agencies’ ability to bring civil penalties against lawbreakers, devastating their enforcement powers across the board. In Ohio v. EPA , they let polluters block vital environmental protections by second-guessing regulators’ scientific judgment. In Snyder v. U.S. , they let local officials accept bribes from wealthy benefactors in the form of (wink-wink) “gratuities.” In Moore v. U.S. , they deployed gratuitous rhetoric to preemptively stack the deck against a future wealth tax. In Garland v. Cargill , they let the gun industry continue making bank off de facto machine guns . Meanwhile, the court declared open season on the rights of everyone else: racial minorities , immigrants and their families , the homeless and disabled , women in need of emergency abortions —all were denied legal protections bestowed by the Constitution and Congress this term.

The Supreme Court has laid all the foundations for the demise of civil liberties for vulnerable communities, the restoration of a Christianity-based view of family and equality, the dismantling of the regulatory state, and an imperial presidency aided by a Justice Department that does the president-king’s bidding. Project 2025 sets forth the blueprint for achieving the rest. Had the high court remained a plausible check on a possible second Trump presidency, the next few years would have been challenging enough. Having shown themselves to be the rocket fuel powering this revanchist new world order, the six ultra-conservative justices have positioned themselves as partners in Trump’s fight.

There are conversations now taking place about what to do to reform a renegade court that refuses to accept that it should be checked by the other branches; those conversations have perhaps never felt more mired in helplessness, yet paradoxically, they have never been more crucial. Find someone working on court reform and lend an oar. Whatever faint hope we once held out that public outrage alone would encourage moderation has been blown to smithereens. Public outrage has somehow made the court more reckless. The time for wishful thinking about the power of shame, institutional legitimacy, and historical legacy is over. The time for action may well be now or never.