Perceptions of homelessness individuals

Discuss about the Perceptions of Homeless People for Journal of Human Behavior.

Homelessness remains to be a severe problem that the global society has not effectively eliminated and history indicates that at times of economic crisis the situation of homelessness always turns to worsen. The issue of ‘Perceptions of Homeless People’ across different places remains to be vital as more individuals have become homeless and are always excluded from the community (Rae & Rees, 2015). Different studies have indicated that perception of people in the society about homeless individuals can impact how much assistance they receive from different organization, society at large, and government. Presently, study on cases of homelessness is important as it remains to be a serious problem for many persons that suffer from health complications both mentally and physically (Lancione, 2013).  In most cases, homelessness refers to people that live in the community and lack appropriate housing that offers ideal living conditions. Homelessness can be largely be understood as the lack of housing that is affordable and appropriate due to financial ability, mental behavior, cognitive of an individual, along with physical challenges or from cases of racism together with discrimination among people living in a specified region. In most cases, the perception of people of how the individual can become homeless are not right many of those assumptions are developed on myths and based on the adverse aspects of the stereotype of homeless (Philips, 2014). Therefore, principal target of this research paperwork is to explore some of the issues that relate to ‘Perceptions of Homeless People’ that include the attitude of people, causes, and solutions to instances of homelessness around society. 

Numerous studies by different authors have focused on the attitudes of various groups of people towards the homeless in society. Belcher & DeFore (2012) found that overall perception of people towards homeless was not adverse. Understanding of people remains to be that homelessness results due to lack of proper employment opportunity. The study conducted by Donley & Jackson (2014) suggests cases of homelessness to be as a probable reason why their view was favorable. Moreover, the study explains that other people believed that mental illness remains to be the primary cause of homelessness in the society. Therefore, it is evident that perception of people about homelessness lead to the creation of many outcomes that are both good as well as bad. For instance, perception can be useful as it causes people around the community to remain aware of their surroundings, but it can also bind people to the fact on ideal causes and how to control cases of homelessness. The study by Hensel (2017) reported that some of the causes of homeless according to people include poor conditions of the economy, limited opportunities of employment, and problems with illicit drugs, along with mental illness. The myth that results from the perception of homelessness has caused many people to become inhumane or biased and disinclined to the apparent data. Van Doom (2010) reported that every individual has the life that is full of inevitable struggle. Those individuals that have been significantly affected by these struggles remain to be the same individuals who live and breathe just like any individual but have wandered into the piece of destitution. Therefore, any process or activities that make people turn their backs from individuals who are suffering instances of homelessness only contributes to suffering.

Stigmatization and capitalism

The study by Donley & Jackson (2014) examines the primary issue that surrounds homelessness to be stigmatization, and it also connects it to capitalism. The author stated that most people in the society blame victims of homelessness rather than focusing on the causes of such conditions that include antecedent social together with economic forces. Some of the economic effects that lead to homelessness according to Jackson (2012) include instances of joblessness limited affordable housing in the society and breakdowns in kinship networks. Social stigma leads to homelessness as it happens in scenarios where there is imbalanced monetary, communal, political power, along with presence of the situation of an opportunity to name, generalization, separate, lose status, as well as discriminations. Stigmatization causes homelessness as it makes people feel threatened by different groups making them run away from places that they can seek refuge. Busch-Geertsema (2012) states that significant causes of homelessness include poor economic conditions, drug problems and stigma has lead to increase in the number of unsheltered homelessness persons in different places such as in the United States. Besides, homeless individuals can be influenced by traits stemming from each of the three areas that result in stigma. These areas according to McNeill (2011) include physical difference such as being in the wheelchair or being the amputee. The second category is the blemish of character that refers to different conditions as mental illness or having the substance abuse concern. The third era relates to deformities of innate, national or connection of religion. Accordingly, being destitute all by itself falls into the second classification as it is thought to be the deformity of character by a few individuals from society.

The literature on the stigma of individuals towards the homelessness also covers the views of the general public. Rae & Rees (2015) stated that society had the less sympathetic attitude of homeless individuals in different nations where there is lack of equal spread of wealth. Such countries have less helpful as well as supportive measures that are set in place with the objective of reducing instances of homelessness. From the summary of different articles, it is evident that homelessness is not a fault of the individual, but it occurs due to several factors that surrounds the operations of individuals around the global society (Jackson, 2012). Most people believed that poverty and joblessness remain to be a severe issue and there is growing public concern with homelessness. The dominant theme of these articles used in examining the perspective of homelessness continues to indicate that until the time when society will choose to view poverty and joblessness as unacceptable and not just to focus on stigmatizing individuals that turn out to be its victims, instances of homelessness individuals will not probably vanish. The common causes of homelessness people around the society according to most researchers include financial problems and abuse of drugs. Other surveyors report that health issues remain to be another primary cause of health complications (Hensel, 2017). Nevertheless, indications from different surveys suggest that majority of homeless individuals desire to work and get back to normality. However, as in most scenarios, lack of appropriate support meant that homeless individuals lack proper accommodation of their own to return to after works and as a result, these people end up sleeping on different streets. Such kind of behavior remains to e the deviant act in the global society because it fails to fit in with norms together with values of society (Belcher & DeForge, 2012). Therefore, the perception of people in the community on homeless remains to be that these individuals are lazy and generally views such individual as irresponsible drug addicts.

Causes of homelessness

Conclusion

It is vital for every individual in the society to appreciate that as man, homeless individuals possess lawful desires as well as privileges of wellbeing around the global community. Society can decide to control cases that lead to homelessness by fighting to various factors like reducing cases of unemployment and reducing political powers that have the significant impact on the wellbeing of different individuals. It is evident from the articles that positive as well as negative human services experiences can significantly influence the destitute people. There is a need to address the clear irregularity of care by advancing more noteworthy interdisciplinary correspondence alongside referrals to administrations of vagrancy ideal from healing facilities to detainment facilities with the aim of increasing the availability of common services. The collaboration between different authorities and citizens can help in improving the lives of homeless individuals. The inclusion of individuals who are homeless in different employment sectors has been reported to be the ideal way to deal with the issue as it helps in improving lives of people by making them independent.  There is a need for the future survey to focus on how to assist individuals among the public population to get involved as well as offer necessary support to homeless individuals amidst them in the society.

References

Belcher, J., & DeForge, B. (2012). Social Stigma and Homelessness: The Limits of Social Change. Journal Of Human Behavior In The Social Environment, 22(8), 929-946. doi: 10.1080/10911359.2012.707941

Busch-Geertsema, V. (2012). When homeless people are allowed to decide by themselves. Rehousing homeless people in Germany. European Journal Of Social Work, 5(1), 5-19. doi: 10.1080/714052981

Donley, A., & Jackson, E. (2014). Blending In: The Presentation of Self Among Homeless Men in A Gentrifying Environment. Theory In Action, 7(1), 46-64. doi: 10.3798/tia.1937-0237.14003

Hensel, F. (2017). Towards Better Health: Improving Access to Health Care for Homeless People. Deutsches Aerzteblatt Online. doi: 10.3238/arztebl.2017.0663

Jackson, E. (2012). Fixed in Mobility: Young Homeless People and the City. International Journal Of Urban And Regional Research, 36(4), 725-741. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-2427.2012.01124.x

Lancione, M. (2013). Homeless people and the city of abstract machines: Assemblage thinking and the performative approach to homelessness. Area, 45(3), 358-364. doi: 10.1111/area.12045

McNeill, J. (2011). Employability Pathways and Perceptions of ‘Work’ amongst Single Homeless and Vulnerably Housed People. Social Policy And Society, 10(04), 571-580. doi: 10.1017/s1474746411000315

Phillips, L. (2014). Homelessness: Perception of Causes and Solutions. Journal Of Poverty, 19(1), 1-19. doi: 10.1080/10875549.2014.951981

Rae, B., & Rees, S. (2015). The perceptions of homeless people regarding their healthcare needs and experiences of receiving health care. Journal Of Advanced Nursing, 71(9), 2096-2107. doi: 10.1111/jan.12675

Van Doorn, L. (2010). Perceptions of Time and Space of (Formerly) Homeless People. Journal Of Human Behavior In The Social Environment, 20(2), 218-238. doi: 10.1080/10911350903269864