Homeless, Not Hopeless: A Look into the Effects of Societal Classification and Location
The prevalence of homelessness in America has become so mainstream that it is no longer something surprising to see. How tragic is it that when a child witnesses a person sleeping on the ground outside, there is no reaction because this is normal for them? Many studies report that the majority of homeless populations are made up of the mentally ill. These people are the ones who are unfortunate enough to live in an area which underserves the low-income population. How can one expect to thrive when they are being tormented mentally - and sometimes physically - without the option of treatment to ease their minds? Community based research and community action
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This is especially true for those who come from nothing, for example, the homeless. Living in homelessness or in poverty impedes overall health in more ways than one. Unemployment usually equals no health insurance. With this, how can one be expected to keep up with their own health - or worse, the health of their children? Visits to the doctor are expensive without insurance and forget about prescription medications. One reason people may experience lack of access to care most definitely stems from societal classification, but another reason is place - or how one defines home. No matter where someone is from, they have just as many stories to tell and just as much of a voice as anyone else. No one person’s voice matters more than anyone else’s. The truth is, “...story is the most powerful force in the world - in our world, maybe in all worlds. Story is culture…”, and no matter how much someone may get mistreated or made to feel small, the power of their story cannot be taken away from them (Miranda …show more content…
The value of “...CBPR [is that it] entails academic-community collaboratives in which power is shared among partners in all aspects of the research process—the doing, interpreting and acting on science. This process elevates community knowledge, challenges traditional power dynamics in the research process, and can directly benefit the communities involved” (Balasz & Morello-Frosch 9). In other words, when the community in which the issues being researched are found gets to take part in the research, they feel empowered and most importantly, heard. The power of community-based participatory research or CBPR, is that instead of statistics being collected and stored in a file cabinet, the statistics are actually put to good use. For example, in Merced County, there is a large issue regarding children living in poverty. It is obvious and hopefully well-known, that children have no control over what lifestyle they are raised in. One way CBPR could create a wave of change - at least in Merced County - could be to involve the community in realizing this problem, as well as addressing it. Children should not be arriving at school dirty, hungry, and even sick. This type of research is different from other styles because it actually allows the community to be a part of the solution to the issues that directly affect them
1. Examine community capacity around ASRH issues, including its level of ASRH Awareness. 2. A catalytic event: awareness may be catalyzed by a specific event (e.g., the death of an adolescent due to an unsafe abortion) or by an accumulation of ASRH-related observations, such as a rise in school dropouts due to pregnancy. External catalysts such as ASRH programs can often build awareness of ASRH issues, facilitate community dialogue and collective action, and build the capacity of local organisations and individuals to play catalytic and support roles, but can lead to controversy as some may perceive them as negative or foreign to community norms and values.
In the lecture, Community Engaged Research in the San Joaquin: Impact through Collaboration, instructs by Doctor Stergios Roussos he provides the ideal method that could solve the issues in Merced such as child poverty, food insecurity and high unemployment. He encourages the idea that valuable lessons each students coming from another place in California or outside of California could possibly give Merced community a chance to grow out of being “America’s third most miserable city” (Castro 2). In addition, in hope to possibly avoid urban sprawl such as in L.A., Doctor Roussos is hoping that non-native students in Merced could be a part of the process that assist the community intelligently grow for a better future. From the article , “Can
Although outside experts and assistance can help bring resources to the community, actual change must come from lifting leaders within the community who have been raised and affected by the structural racism and violence. The communities typically will listen to, believe, and trust the leaders because they were once victims of the system and are showing great effort for change. These leaders are the experts of the communities and can reach out to people like Professor Jorja Leap for additional help in gaining access to the specific resources needed. Elder Cummings and his work is a prime example of how the actions of a single person can serve as a beacon of hope for the entire community. Through the various projects previously mentioned, Elder Cummings is making positive changes in the community.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 20 to 25% of the homeless population in United States suffers from a form of severe mental illness (National Institute of Mental Health, 2009). Mental illness is the third largest cause of homelessness for single adults. (National Coalition for the Homeless). People with mental illness who become homeless lack both proper medications for the illness and suffer from extreme psychological problems. It is often a challenge hosting and caring for individuals with mental illness because they suffer from mental issues such as delusions and bizarre conduct.
The article “The State of Homelessness in America” provides
In the United States homelessness has been a substantial problem for decades. The reason for homelessness is greatly debated especially
I believe a good community is one that views its residents as an assets, and the residents in return view the community as an asset. Having a sense of community means individuals coming to together to fit the bigger picture, taking care of one another, providing resources for each other to grow, and the allowing the residents to give back to the community in that way. Everyone must have a voice; it is crucial that everyone has a voice because with unity everyone’s opinions count. Granted some decisions may hold value than others, but it just helps to let someone discuss the ideas they have even though it may be illogical. Providing mentorship programs, educational feeder solutions, and neighborhood thinking sessions could lead to change in a big way, while bringing the commoners that reside in such community together to focus on the bigger picture.
An untreated mental illness is stated as the third largest cause and perpetuator of homelessness (Mental Illness and Homelessness). A lack of affordable mental health care makes the treatment of a mental illness nearly impossible for someone who is homeless or at risk and has a minimal income. The ability to afford mental healthcare is only the first barrier for homeless people. Their minimal income not only blocks the ability to pay for the healthcare but also getting to an institution. The absence of mobility diminishes the number of viable institutions.
The issue of homelessness in America has been evident since the early 1600’s. Across the country men, women and children spend their nights on the streets not knowing when or if they will ever find a permanent home. States and federal officials or city councils have tried to alleviate or at least reduce the number of homeless over the last several decades at a city, state or national level but it continues to be an ongoing problem. There is a multitude of factors that account for the growing homeless population that affects each state in the country differently. Though there are many contributing factors that contribute to the amount of people living on the street at any given night in the U.S.
making Mental illness the third major cause of homelessness. C. Most people believe it 's their own fault or it is over drug and alcohol abuse or just being lazy period, but according to rock center by Jessica Hopper believe it or not 20% of people that have jobs who are not on any alcohol substance or drug abuse are also homeless, which leads us to the requirement wages in order to afford a place to stay in. Not just in TN but in every state more than minimum wage is needed, Families need to earn a housing wage of 15$ an hour in order to afford a two-bed room apartment. Transition: it is very clear to us that homelessness is a major problem in our society, and that we need to take action, let 's look at some ways we can help to aid these types of situations. II.
Learning Journal – Week 5 Sofia Chong University of the People HS 3814 Community Health Communities That Care: Pros and Cons of Implementation Every endeavor has pros and cons take, for example, implementing an intervention program. Looking at implementing a Communities That Care program we could argue points for both good and bad. First the positive attributes. The framework does not put the responsibility on just one set of people, it requires community-wide involvement for interventions to function successfully to yield desired outcomes that are good for all. There is a lot of research, analysis, and planning that is carried out before program implementation.
It is seen as an approach to behavioral and social change in community as better solutions to problems
Through fostered collaboration, we learn and grow together wherein we are able to make tough decisions by seeing the situation/problem through a wider lens by seeing circumstances for what they are – different. The children of today are the people of tomorrow. The future we aim for is the life they will lead, and it’s more than just numbers and statistics. It’s more than what they memorize – it’s their innate uniqueness that creates a future fit for all of
Research at the community level varies with a goal of interacting with them at a person level which can result in a large amount of information only they can provide. One method of doing research at the community level is what Kevin Matteson did in New York which is to look at what the local community is doing and see what the results are. The benefits is that a person can build a relation with the community and they may be able to help the community implement methods that will make their goals easier to achieve. A weakness is trying to get that access because they have to make sure the person doing the research will not exploit them.
Literature Review Homelessness and Affordable Housing: Background Adequate and Affordable Housing: Rental Disparity The 2017 Worst Case Housing Needs report to congress, a report that utilizes data from the American Housing Survey (AHS), states there is an inadequate supply of affordable rental units for low-income renters. The Worst Case Needs study centers on a selective survey of large metropolitan areas and includes a national examination of four variants of metropolitan locations (central cities, urban and rural suburbs of central cities, and nonmetropolitan areas). Additionally, the Worst Case Needs study categorizes data in the following four geographic regions: the Northeast, Midwest, South, and West.