Observation On Homeless Women

“One diverse population that has continued to increase over the quarter of a century is composed of people who are homeless” (Baggerly & Zalaquett, 2006, p.155). Homelessness has become a growing problem in society because more and more people are finding themselves to be homeless and not knowing where to turn. Many people do not

Homelessness is a social problem that is prevalent around the world. Homelessness has existed for much of "civilized" human history. In the last two centuries, homelessness and changed and expanded. Sociologists who study and research homelessness have argued over its formal definition for decades, though for some, the definition of homelessness seems self explanatory and obvious. The paper will examine homelessness, particularly as a sociological issue, or a social issue seen from a sociological perspective. The paper will additionally reference sociological theory as a means of explanation for homelessness, such its causes, the demographics/populations, and other prominent known characteristics of homeless people. There are individuals and groups who choose to be, from a normative societal perspective, homeless, but for a great deal of the homeless population, it can be a treacherous and tragic lifestyle that is a result of a distinct set of social, societal, and individual factors.

The Homeless Period On average, women spend about $3,360 on essential feminine hygiene products throughout their entire lives, but what happens when a woman cannot even afford her monthly menstrual expenses? Every month homeless women are put on a crisis situation recurring to extreme methods to cope with their periods. These women want to feel clean; unfortunately, they do not have the means to do so because pads and tampons are expensive. In fact, they are taxed as luxury items in more than thirty states. As of today, there is not a clear policy as to where homeless women can find free feminine hygiene products when they need them. This is more paupers’ problem, it is a health, hygiene, and dignity issue. The government needs to make a legislation that allows homeless women to get free pads and tampons The means by which homeless women cope with their periods are unbelievable. In their own voice periods “brings inconvenience to the level of misery” (Shay). When these women cannot afford to buy feminine hygiene products, they use whatever they can to keep themselves clean. Some of the common substitutes of pads and tampons are “toilet paper, paper towels, plastic bags, towels, cotton balls, makeup pads, socks, and [old clothes]” (How do Homeless Women Cope with Their Periods). On bad days, some women even have to reuse the same rag multiple times by washing it, drying it, and putting it back in. Feminine hygiene products are expensive and sometimes half, if not all, of what

The common profile of a homeless family is headed by a single mother, in her 20’s with an average of two children, of which one or both are under the age of six. Homeless mothers tend to be poorly educated, unemployed, and lacking the skills necessary to become employed. There is an equal representation of Caucasian (47%) and African American (47%) homeless mothers. These women commonly described their lives as ““… a remarkably constant stream of distressing and spirit-breaking encounters, beginning in early childhood …” including experiencing physical and/or sexual abuse, constant crisis, stress from persistent poverty, violence in the family and community, and isolation. Most of these women grew up homeless and spent their childhood in foster care making them distrustful of the system.

Homelessness in America has existed for some time now, but has grown and changed majorly over the years since the 1980’s. According to Mary Hombs, “the prevailing stereotype of a homeless person was that of a middle-aged white urban male alcoholic” (6). But now there is no stereotype because homelessness could happen to anyone at any moment, so that is why it important to be aware. Millions of people in this country do not have a place to live including whole families, children, veterans, and even the mentally ill. Going day after day without food or shelter. Throughout this paper the main focus will be answering the questions: What is homelessness?; What are the main causes of homelessness?: Who is the homeless?; and How do the people of this country assist the homeless?

The image of homelessness has changed since the Great Depression, when many homeless people were elderly and white. Today a growing number of women and families, including young children, are homeless because of insufficient housing and resources (Bassuk & Rosenberg, 1988). As the number of homeless people has continued to rise over the past decade, homelessness has become a central feature of life in America.

“Homeless is more than being without a home. It is tied into education needs, food, security; health issues both mental and physical, employment issues, etc. Don’t forget the whole picture.” (“Boxed In” 2005 pg. 108)

A homeless person is an individual without a permanent, stable housing situation who either spends his or her nights on the streets or in temporary facilities, such as shelters and abandoned buildings. Throughout history, society has been “holding the poor, rape or incest victims, minorities, or the handicapped responsible for their misfortunes” (Zur). Society has been blaming the homeless for being in the position they are in. However, upon closer inspection, it must be noted that “children under the age of 18 accounts for 39% of the homeless population…battered women who live in poverty are often forced to choose between abusive relationships and homelessness…[and] 40% of homeless men have served in the armed forces” (Who Is Homeless?). It is clear that those who are homeless are not

The issue of chronic homelessness is not just a political or academic debate but has become evident from men and women living without homes in the streets of America. Homeless men and women

Lazy, drug user, alcoholic, and worthless are many of the stereotypes that can be ascribed to homeless people. As heartbreaking as it is, many want to work and not all homeless people are subjected to drug use. Moreover, are they worthless. The stigma attached to homeless persons has continued from the earliest days of American history. This issue of homelessness prompted me to make this my broad topic, while figuring out what is it that we need to improve on, in order to help the homeless. My goal is to open many people's eyes on what homeless men endure, but what factors could we, service providers, implement to better help them. We love to hear about women who have been victims of domestic violence, single motherhood, abused children, veterans, and abused puppies. Which are all important but what about the homeless men? I want to be able to give one viewpoints from a homeless man’s standpoint, which could alter the way we not only help them, but view them.

People drive or walk past a homeless person almost every day without thinking twice about the plight of that person or they may even unconsciously turn their heads the other way in disgust. Homelessness simply put, means without a home - therefore homelessness is an equal opportunity state that can happen to anyone. Even though we have seen some economic prosperity over the years, statistics show that the number of homeless remains very high. With this in mind, communities need to come together at the state, city, and individual level to come up with solutions to mitigate the spreading of this problem.

The word “homeless” is used to describe many different kinds of people with a variety of problems; the “homeless” includes veterans, the mentally ill, the physically disabled or chronically ill, the elderly on fixed incomes, men, women, and families that have lost their source of income, single parents, runaway children who’ve been abused, alcoholics and drug addicts, immigrants, and traditional tramps, hobos, and transients (Martin, 1999). In “Helping and Hating the Homeless”, Peter Martin claims that although these people all have different backgrounds, histories, and reasons for not having a “home”, they are categorized and stereotyped by society and all looked down upon for being “homeless”. He addresses his readers, those that pass by

How do people view homeless people in public places like the park? Do they run away? Do they stare? Do they walk up to them and offer them a hot meal or money? What faces do they give them? Is it a frown or a smile? Unfortunately, there are millions who go without a proper place to sleep every night (1 pg 5). You will find these people sleeping in abandon cars, on the street, on park beaches, and even in hallway buildings. Anywhere they are able to find a place to sleep they will. I decided to do my observation study on how people react when they see homeless people in public places like the park. Why are they looked down on so negatively? These people that we are throwing to the side like yesterday trash is someone’s mother, father, brother, sister, or friend. We are simply ignoring them.

I chose to volunteer at a Christnet Rotating Shelter Program that was at the time located at a local church. This program does not have a permanent location, rather, various accommodating churches host the program. Additionally, this program offers not only daytime programs, but also nightly shelter. However, for this assignment, I opted for an observation of the program’s participants at nighttime. Moving on, I showed up more than an hour early before the sign-in sheets would be distributed to individuals seeking shelter for the night so that I could assist the other volunteers with adjusting the layout of the room and assembling the tables and beds in order to accommodate the needs of the guests. Afterwards, people began to line up outside the church’s door about 6:15 p.m. even though

As many as 3.5 million Americans are considered homeless each year. Often, people believe that homelessness is a complication only caused by the poor choices of a single person when they are typically the result of multiple uncontrollable factors. For some, the line between being homeless and not can be very thin, with several obstacles preventing stability. These individuals and families commonly come from more deprived areas. Those who are homeless can be very different to each other in how and why they came to be in their situation, but they all have in common their desire to find a way back to a normal and healthy lifestyle. Homelessness is an issue created by poor physical and mental health, a lack of money, and relationship complications.