The Epidemic Of Homelessness
And The Impact It Has On The United States

Jeff Damitz

One of the sociologic problems that have always faced society is the presence of homelessness population in a percentage of societies’ citizens. The National Health Care of the Homeless Council (2014) describes the official definition of homeless at “an individual without permanent housing who may live on the streets; stay in a shelter, mission, single room occupancy facilities, abandoned building or vehicle; or in any other unstable or non-permanent situations.” In some cases being a part of the homeless population in a temporary situation but for many homeless people this lifestyle will be a permanent way of living. There are some
By exhibiting these behaviors they are often incarcerated for them rather being treated and institutionalized in more appropriate facilities.
There are many factors in life that can cause a person to become a member of the homeless community. One theory of how homelessness has become such a problem in today’s world could be the way the mental illness is view by society. According to The Nation’s Voice on Mental Illness (2013) it is estimated that at least one third of the homeless population has at least one kind of mental illness. These illnesses can range for drug and alcohol addiction, schizophrenia, antisocial personality disorder and countless other diseases. Without the proper resources, treatment and help many of these people will not be able to obtain a permanent residence and will continue to remain homeless. Only in recent time has society started to change its views towards mental disability. Previously in society having a mental illness was considered a taboo subject to talk about. Often these patients would be placed in a mental institution to live the rest of their lives there and be forgotten about. Recently we have learned that these kinds of facilities offer very little therapeutic results for the patients and started closing them down. Treatment has now started being directed to more therapeutic facilities