A Look At Homelessness In Major Urban Environments

Connor Gill
 A nation is only as strong as its weakest members and in a nation that is as prosperous

and as powerful as the United States, there still seems to be an issue that is not given the

attention that is needed. Wandering the streets in filthy shreds of garments, looking for a mere

few bucks just to scrape by with their meal for the day, the homeless are struggling to survive in

the brutal streets of this country’s major cosmopolitan cities. One in ten Americans living in

poverty are likely to fall victim to homelessness at some point this year, leaving four and a half

million to look for something soft just to rest their heads on.

Not unlike many trends and statistics, homelessness fluctuates between decades and even

often times showing large changes in between just a few years. Poverty was at an all time low (in

the last 50 years) in 1973 when 22.9 percent of the population was living below the standards for

the amount of money necessary to live while poverty was at an all time low (during the last 50

years) in the reminder of the decade reaching as low at 11.1 percent. That was until the 80s when

the rate began to increase again, sadly reaching 15.2 percent as soon as 1983. The 90s remained

rather consistent bouncing around 12 to 15 percent until things seemed optimistic at the turn of

the century at 11.3 percent.

Basically the point is with the poverty numbers so inconsistent, especially fluctuating

quickly at times, it is difficult to keep a count on how many people are living in shelters and,

more upsetting, in the streets. Each year an estimated 100,000 New Yorkers are homeless and

every night 38,000 homeless are accommodated by shelters, leaving many unaccounted for and

dwelling the streets. Slightly above one in four children in NYC live in poverty and on average

they are around 5 years old. There are twice as many helpless children living without homes than

there are adults. These children cannot acquire jobs or support themselves and they're left to be
supported by parents you cannot afford a meal for themselves. Another disturbing number is over

half of homeless mothers have histories of domestic violence.

Living in conditions as bad as the city streets, struggling for money and food, there are

some obvious psychological tolls that will take place on a victim. According to The 1967 Holmes

and Rahe Stress Scale, a “change in financial state,” “change in living conditions,” and a “change

in residence” add up to a whooping 87 points. 87 is off to a big start and that's before considering

any other aspect of a person's life, such as “personal illness,” “fired at work,” “change in

recreation,” “change in sleeping habit,” “change in eating habits,” and too many more, all which

are common along side homelessness. They can be either a cause of homelessness or an effect.

Extensive studies show that children who suffer homelessness have severe impacts on

their psychological development, often leading them to stay within the cycle. As toddlers, these

homeless children start to demonstrate reactions to stress. They become insecure, tearful,

distrusting, and irritable. Also, they may show slow development in speech and toilet training.

Studies show that the majority of homeless children under the age of 6 have their biggest issues

with verbal functioning like speech. Ironically, these children who need the help more than

others in their age group are not given the proper services and education they need to catch up.

Hospitalization is a powerful issue for the homeless. In three major Canadian cities

(excluding Quebec), 52 percent of homeless patients have mental health problems, a shocking

statistic when compared to the general public's 5 percent. A study also found that emergency

visits for the homeless is as high as 35 percent compared to 3 percent. (Footnote: canda.com) In

New York City, 69 percent of homeless adults are hospitalized for substance use, alcohol use,

and mental illness (31 percent, 24 percent, and 14 percent, respectively). Only 10 percent of non-
homeless adults were hospitalized for the same reasons. Other health issues among the homeless

such as injuries, pregnancy related, heart disease, diabetes, etc are in a much lower percentile.

(Footnote: Health of Homeless in NYC, page 15)

The top two leading causes of death in both homeless adults and non-homeless adults is

cancer and heart disease. Lung cancer, liver cancer and colon cancer are among the most

prevalent forms of cancer in homeless adults. The homeless are twice as likely to get lung cancer

as opposed to the general population.

The third and fourth leading cause of death in only homeless adults are substance use and

HIV/AIDS. Homeless adult males are 16 times more likely to die from substance use than men

in the general population, making substance use the cause of the highest death rate in homeless

men. Homeless women are 9 times more likely to die from HIV/AIDS than the general

population, making HIV/AIDS the cause of the highest death rate in homeless women.

Cancer and heart disease are the cause of 65 percent of deaths in the general population

while it's only 32 percent in the homeless. However, substance use and HIV/AIDS are the cause

of 5 percent of deaths in the general population compared to 31 percent in the homeless.

(Footnote: Health of Homeless in NYC, page 7-12) Generally, if unclaimed, the government

pays to cremate the bodies.

In recent years, there have been political actions taken to try and combat homelessness in

America. One such action is a government funded increase in Medicaid in attempt to combat

homeless hospitalization. In order to fund that increase, however, there was a decrease in funding

for low-income housing. The usage of food stamps is another widely used government program

to combat poverty and homelessness.

 During the Bush Administration, a human service program called “Housing First” was

implemented. Housing First ran with the ideology that the most basic human need is shelter, once

a person as shelter, he or she can acquire a job and slowly begin to pay rent. In Denver the cost

efficiency of this program turned out surprisingly well. Emergency visits and costs were reduced

on average by 34.3 percent, detox visits were reduced by 82 percent, and incarceration days and

costs were reduced by 76 percent. 77 percent of those entering the program continued to be

housed in the program for nearly two years after.

In Seattle, their Housing First program reported that it saved taxpayers 4 million dollars

and a reduction in homeless alcoholics was seen. (Footnote: SAPRP) In Utah, there was a 42

percent decrease in chronic homelessness during the years from 2009 to 2010. (Footnote: Utah)

A program in Massachusetts stated that they had favorable results as well. (Footnote: The

Commonwealth) The US Department of Housing and Urban Development reported an incredible

30 percent decrease of chronically homeless individuals in 2007 at 123,833 people, down from

175,914 in 2005. (Footnote: US Reports)

Bibliography

The Health of Homeless Adults In New York School:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dhs/downloads/pdf/homeless_adults_health.pdf

Homeless Suffer More From Mental Illness, Says Report:

http://www.canada.com/topics/photogalleries/story.html?id=9116dc4d-0a08-4c23-8851-

19c5fa96868f&p=2

National Poverty Center: http://www.npc.umich.edu/poverty/

Homelessness In New York City: http://www.ysop.org/statistics.htm

What Will It Take To End Homlessness?:

http://www.urban.org/uploadedpdf/end_homelessness.pdf

The Commonwealth's Premier Housing First Initiative:

http://www.mhsa.net/matriarch/MultiPiecePage.asp_Q_PageID_E_57

SAPRP Project: Housing First: Evaluation of Harm Reduction Housing for Chronic Public

Inebriates: http://www.saprp.org/m_pr_archives_detail.cfm?AppID=3836

Chronic Homelessness Significantly Drops In Utah: http://housing.utah.gov/news/?p=262

U.S. Reports Drop in Homeless Population:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/us/30homeless.html?_r=1