How many people ignore homeless

Massachusetts Sen. Vermont Sen. When he ran for president four years ago, Sanders called for increased federal spending on rent vouchers for the poor, repairs to public housing projects and construction of low-rent housing.

Julian Castro, who was Housing and Urban Development secretary under President Barack Obama, stood out among Democratic rivals by highlighting homelessness on the campaign trail. On an April visit to Nevada, he toured a storm-drain tunnel beneath the Las Vegas Strip where hundreds had set up encampments.

He is set to release his housing agenda, including plans to reduce homelessness, in the weeks ahead. Advocates say they are pleased to see some of the candidates rolling out housing plans, noting the subject of affordability is getting more oxygen than in past presidential campaigns. The laws, policies and programs that exist to deal with homelessness are put in place because enough people support them.

Finally, we need to remember that people who experience homelessness live with the stigma of poverty and marginalization Kidd, If we want to change our approach to homelessness in Canada, our attitudes about homelessness must also change. The news media and the framing of a street youth crisis It is possible to argue that for most people, their beliefs on homelessness are mediated by depictions in the media — through the internet, television, newspapers and magazines, movies and books Reynalds, In the last decade or two, newspapers have begun reporting more regularly on homeless youth.

In , newspapers in Toronto began to run a series of articles focusing on the growing number of young people begging for money on downtown streets. Why the sudden interest in homelessness? Why were news reporters and politicians suddenly talking about it?

One can argue that this was a direct result of the growing homelessness problem in Canada at that time — a problem that resulted from a reduction in investment in social housing, declining stocks of affordable housing, cutbacks to social programs and increasing poverty. As a result, homelessness in Canada began to increase Hulchanski, et al. And, when homelessness increases, it only becomes more visible. An occasional young person begging for money may draw curiosity or sympathy, or may simply be ignored.

Encountering panhandlers repeatedly during a walk downtown drives home the message that the number of people who are homeless is rising. So, how was the problem reported? The presence of homeless youth on street corners asking passers-by for change, or approaching people in their automobiles was framed as a public nuisance; a threat to public safety and the livelihood of downtown businesses and tourism.

In some cases, the so-called perpetrators were framed not as poor, homeless and impoverished, but rather, as bored suburban kids who were delinquent Parnaby, ; Hermer and Mosher, Rather than frame the issue in terms of growing poverty, many in the media depicted teenagers yet again as spoiled, dangerous and out of control.

It can also shape how we think about homelessness, and in this case, street youth. The moral panic that arose in the late s focused on the perceived increase of panhandlers and squeegeers these are young people who use squeegees to clean car windows - for money. So, while many young people hang around on downtown and suburban streets, often dressed in clothing some might find unusual or even intimidating, it is not this alone that alerts us to the presence of homeless youth.

In fact, in many ways the key identifying characteristic of homeless youth is the way they make money. That is, it is through the money making practices of homeless people that we are made aware of the existence of the issue; an awareness that may be visibly and tangibly reinforced on a day to day basis. A homeless person staying in a shelter, living in an abandoned building, an alley way or in a part of town that few people frequent may be rendered invisible.

Even a homeless person sitting on a sidewalk or on a park bench may not draw our attention, or eventually will become part of the backdrop of urban life. We may not think of them as homeless; we may not even know that they are. May 13, Andrew F. Tags homelessness Shanesha Taylor. Margena A.

Black Enterprise. Alisha Tillery. About Us. Privacy Policy Terms of Use. Apply Now. First Name. Last Name. Submit Application. These people frown on homeless people because the homeless are often unshaven ruff looking people that had a bad turn in life, this life changing event that turned them into what some people frown upon.

These people are frowned upon by so many but the people that frown upon them have no idea what their going through. Being homeless, a struggle known by too many in the United States, in fact there are estimated numbers of , people being homeless in just the United States alone. The story society is told about homelessness is often two-dimensional. Nameless faces down on their luck, carrying their lives in big overstuffed bags, sleeping on the street, holding cardboard signs asking for spare change or standing in line for a hot meal.

This limited view is frustrating when you know the story is far more complex. Some people have focused their life on drugs, and since they never paid for food or rent they ended up indigent and homeless.

Others believe that many homeless people are just to slothful to help themselves. Many homeless people are not wanting to put the effort into a job even if that means they will become homeless and indigent. Although there are circumstances that cause people to be homeless such as the loss of a job or addiction, the main reason is that citizens feel apathetic towards the homeless. Seeing homeless people on the streets has become so common that people are not impacted by the hardships a homeless person is clearly facing.

Beggars have become invisible and it is nearly impossible for the homeless to regain a life of normalcy without the help of others. It is typically taught that when you see a homeless person you should ignore them, walk away, or lock your doors if you are in a car. As discussed in the lecture titled Poverty and Homelessness, common health problems in the homeless population included high prevalence of mental illnesses and substance abuse, higher rates of STI, increased morbidity to cancer, diabetes, HIV infections, and cardiovascular diseases.

Homeless children are more likely to be born premature or low birth weight, they are likely to be behind on immunizations, likely to suffer from upper respiratory tract infections and ear infections, they are. People need to help the homeless because they need to be grateful that they didn 't end up like them, But for homeless people.