Homelessness describes a situation whereby a section of people does not have a regular dwelling. The victims of homelessness do not have the capability to acquire and maintain a consistent, secure, safe, adequate and regular housing facility. There are various reasons as to why people find themselves in this situation. These reasons include a combination of social, financial and mental challenges. New York City is one of the regions that is highly affected by the high rates of homelessness in the United States. In order to enhance the survival and to improve the quality of life for the homeless people, various social organizations have advanced their efforts through facilitating the acquisition of basic needs for the homeless families.
The population of New York is approximately 8.4 million people. Out of this population, a significant population constitutes of homeless people. Roughly 52,000 people are homeless in the city. The homeless population in New York constitutes of both men, women and children who reside in homeless shelters and structures. Roughly 3,200 people who are homeless spend their nights in the subways and streets. Therefore, the proportion of homeless people translates to one out of every 152 people in New York.
Use your promo and get a custom paper on
"Homelessness in America Essay".
The number of people who are homeless in New York is facing a continuous upward trend. One of the regions with a lot of attention includes Queens where an estimated increase of 158% is experienced annually. Staten Islands is also one of the regions where there is a constant increase in the number of people who are homeless with roughly 43% annual increase. Manhattan also experiences a lot of increase in the number of people who stay in the streets with approximately an annual increase of 13%. In Bronx and Brooklyn, the number of unsheltered homeless also experiences roughly 17% and 29% respectively.
Homelessness occurs to people as a result of various experiences. It can be perceived as a problem that results from various experiences in the social aspect of life. On the other hand, homelessness is a symptom that portrays the existence of other problems that include extreme levels of substance abuse, underemployment, unemployment, domestic violence, mental illness and sexual victimization. The experiences that make an individual to become homeless constitute of a set of situations that include traumas. Financial instability can make people not to sustain their lifestyles and thus rendering them homeless. Therefore, the indicator of homelessness is embedded on physical, emotional and spiritual needs.
The homeless people constitute different social classes. The representations also include the basic units of the society. These social orientations have led to the formation of the homeless families whereby children can be brought up as part of these families within that homeless environment and become adults. These children also are likely to continue the family lineage while executing their survival within that homeless situation. The increase in the gap between the rich and the poor in the United States is one of the most common factors that has led to the persistence of these families in their situation.
The New York homeless group also constitutes numerous veterans. The presence of veterans in this situation is motivated by the nature of their work. While on international missions, the veterans are exposed to situations that predispose them to mental problems. The military combats and head injuries are the most common situations that accelerate the emergence of the mental problems. These problems lead to the emergence of depression that results in post-traumatic stress disorder. These mental problems exhibit high levels of incapacitation and cognitive instability and thus making these individual to end up homeless.
The presence of domestic problems is also one of the most common factors that lead to the high numbers of homelessness in New York. When children are exposed to mistreatment and other forms of child abuse at a tender age, they are likely to experience problems in their development. The development of developmental challenges results may also be caused by mistreatment that may lead to putting injuries on these children. The challenges progressively develop into high levels of depression and thus resulting in chronic stress. The stress then develops into mental problems and thus making the individuals to seek refuge in the streets.
In order to improve the quality of life for these individuals, various organizations have advanced various programs through which they serve these individuals. The most common services that are advanced by these organizations include the provision of shelter and food. These organizations also assist in providing medical services to the people in order to assist in improving the quality of life. These services are provided by social service agencies, private organizations and advocacy groups. These organizations also run various educational programs that assist in creating awareness on various aspects of in the street families in New York.
The New York City (NYC) department of homeless families is one of the organizations that provides social services to the street families. This is the government department that deals with social services in the city. One of the major activities of the department is to deal with issues related to homelessness in the region. The department has established strategies that have necessitated the acquisition of temporary housing facilities for the residents who do not have any other housing facilities. The department also runs various outreach programs to the homeless families in order to create awareness on various aspects related to social life. These programs are also advanced towards the populations that are predisposed to depression as the veterans in order to manage and propagate the rising numbers of homeless families.
There are numerous private organizations that assist the homeless people in New York to cope with the challenges that they encounter. Some of the organizations are charity and non-governmental organizations that assist in improving the quality of the life of people. Besides providing shelter for the people who are homeless, these organizations also provide dental and medical services for the homeless. The organizations also run various advocacy initiatives and programs that assist in uniting the victims with their family members in the society.
The most common advocacy programs that are provided include training the people who are homeless on some of the common life skills. These skills are aimed at enhancing the economic stability of these families so as to find ways of sustaining themselves. These individuals are also taken through guidance and counseling in order to reduce the depression and stress that leads to the development of the mental problems. There are various rehabilitation programs on the street families in order to reduce the level of drug addiction and other risk factors.
There are various social issues that arise as a result of homelessness in New York. The most common include increased addiction to drugs and substance. These situations lead to a lot of crime and robbery because of the economic instability among the street families. The lack of shelters and basic commodities for the street families is one of the causes of the increased death rates in the streets and thus reducing the quality of life. However with increased social intervention from various agencies, there is an increase in the quality of life among the homeless people.
