homelessness, what is it?

Question

i need to write a paragraph on what exactly is homelessness. Does it mean you live on the streets or does it mean you just don;t have a permanet home? or both?

Answer 1

According to my Social Welfare text book,
Homelessness is : The absence of a place to live. A person who is considered homeless has no regular place to live and stays in an emergency shelter, in an abandoned building, in an all-night shopping area, in a laundromat, outdoors or any place where they can be protected from the elements.

Two types of homelessness can be distinguished:
1. Absolute homelesness- a situation in which an individual or family has no housing at all, or is staying in a temporary form of shelter.

2. Relative homelessness- a situation in which people's homes do not meet the United Nation's basic housing standards, which are that a dwelling must
-have adequate protection from the elements,
-provide secure tenure and personal safety,
-provide access to safe water and sanitation,
-not cost more than 50 percent of total income and
-lie withineasy reach of employment, education and health care.

The homeless you see on the streets are long-term or 'chronically' homeless people who represent less than 20 percent of the homeless.
The rest are families and individuals who find themselves without a place to live for a period of time..

Good luck and God bless.

Answer 2

it's both n when it's a family or a women with child they r usually in a shelter but still considered homeless cuz it's not there own.As far as anyone else, there r single shelters that they can sleep at but, have to leave during the day n they r homeless.A lot of people can't handle the rules at a shelter and decide to just stay on the street.At least 50% of the people who r homeless r on drugs or alcoholics and it's not that they want to b it's just to live that kind of life sober is unbearable n with drugs and alcohol it doesn't seem as bad and it just gets worse from there unless they decide they want to change.There is a lot of help for them but they half to want it to get it.These people also receive welfare and disability while on the streets.They pick them up each month at 1 of the shelters.If they find a room to rent they send them rent money as well, otherwise they only get support money which is about 200 from welfare and 5 hundred from disability.Good luck n hope this helps a bit.

Answer 3

Homelessness in the broad sense is not having a permanent home nor plans to have one in the near future. In the social sense or the government count it is the people living on the streets. If a person stays with friends he wouldn't be considered homeless in the government guideline.

Answer 4

Define Homelessness
Social Worker and Director of Rebeccas Community, Mr. Dominic Mapstone:

"Homelessness is an inadequate experience of connectedness with family and or community."

USA
The McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act, Section 725, defines "homeless children and youths" as follows:

Homeless Children and Youths
(A) means individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence (within the meaning of section 103(a)(1)); and

(B) includes—

children and youths who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; are abandoned in hospitals; or are awaiting foster care placement;

(ii) children and youths who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings (within the meaning of section 103(a)(2)(C));

(iii) children and youths who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and

(iv) migratory children (as such term is defined in section 1309 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965) who qualify as homeless for the purposes of this subtitle because the children are living in circumstances described in clauses through (iii).

Australia
Supported Accommodation Assistance Program Act 1994
Homeless
A person is homeless if, and only if, he or she has inadequate access to safe and secure housing.

Ireland - Dublin
A legal definition of the Homeless is contained in Section 2 of the 1988 Housing Act.

Homeless
A person is defined as homeless if:
(a) there is no accommodation available for him/her, together with any other person who normally resides with him/her or who might reasonably expect to reside with him/her, which he/she can reasonably occupy or remain in occupation of or,
(b) He/she is living in a Hospital, county home, night shelter or such institution and is so living because he/she has no accommodation and he/she is unable to provide accommodation from his/her own resources.

Sweden - Stockholm
Homeless Person
One who does not have his/her own dwelling or is not living in someone else's home permanently and must resort to living in temporary placements
Person who lives on the streets
Person living in an institution or shelter and who does not have a place in which to reside at point of discharge

United Kingdom - London
A statutory definition included in Section 175, 1966 House Act this section defines people being homeless if they:

Homeless Person
Have no accommodation in the UK / elsewhere
Cannot secure entry to accommodation
Are threatened with homelessness within the next 28 days
Have no accommodation which is reasonable for them to occupy