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Americans are masters of stereotyping. From birth, whether consciously or not, they are taught to avoid certain people. For young girls, it is “dangerous” looking men on the street. For African Americans, it is white police officers. For others, it is middle-eastern people wearing turbans. Each of these stigmas is rooted in racial and gender-specific experiences, but one of the most compelling is a stigma rooted in socioeconomic status. Homeless people in America are oftentimes seen as lazy or in their position because of their own wrongdoing, but there are exceptions to this stereotype(Lauter).
In order to alter the United State’s stigmatic view of homelessness and alleviate its presence in society, Americans must understand the types of people who are homeless, why they are homeless and how to appropriately help them.
Who becomes homeless in America is loosely based on race and age, but it doesn’t always discriminate; it could happen to anyone. When it comes to homelessness, any race is susceptible to it.
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According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development about half of the homeless population in two-thousand eighteen were Caucasian, thirty-eight point nine percent were African American, and twenty-two point two percent were Hispanic/Latino(Henry 11). The idea that homelessness can impact anyone is very evident in these statistics because they open up homelessness to all races.
Even veterans make up a portion of the homeless population. They are some of the bravest men and women in America, yet we tend to forget about them when their service is over.
In two-thousand eighteen, thirty-seven thousand eight hundred seventy-eight veterans experienced homelessness in America which is a five point four percent decrease from last year(Sullivan). While the number of homeless veterans is decreasing because of targeted interventions, there are still a lot of soldiers out there who aren’t getting their needs met(Sullivan). The fact that people who once made an honorable living are now facing a life of poverty emphasizes that homelessness can impact anyone, even someone with a stable job.
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s two-thousand eighteen annual homelessness report, seventy-one point seven percent of homeless people are over the age of twenty-four, while twenty point two percent are under the age of eighteen(Henry 11). The surprisingly high rate of homeless people under the age of eighteen is because of family homelessness. In two-thousand eighteen, there were fifty-six thousand three hundred forty-two family households with children experiencing homelessness(Sullivan). There are children in schools all across America who don’t have a house to do their homework. These students are less likely to perform well, to stay in school, and to form meaningful connections with their peers and teachers(Ingram). No matter a person’s race, career, or age, anyone can fall victim to homelessness in America.
With the many types of people who are homeless, comes various reasons for their situation. One of the leading causes of homelessness is skin color. While any race can become homeless, minorities are more susceptible to it, the main one being African Americans(“Racial Inequality”). This stems from long-standing discrimination that lingers from slavery times and prominently presents itself in the forms of incarceration rates and homeownership(“Racial Inequality”). According to a two thousand eighteen Economic Policy Institute report that compared the state of black workers in nineteen sixty-eight with their descendants today, the African American incarceration rate has almost tripled in the past fifty years and is six times higher than that of Caucasian Americans(Jones). To elaborate, today the share of African Americans in jail is about one-thousand seventy-three per every one-hundred thousand, while for Caucasian Americans, it is two-hundred seventy for every one-hundred thousand(Jones). After leaving prison, finding employment and gaining enough credibility is extremely difficult. The fact that African Americans are more prone to imprisonment, justifies why they bear a greater likelihood of becoming homeless.
Homeownership also plays a role in African Americans susceptibility to homelessness. In two-thousand fifteen, the African American homeownership rate was about forty percent, trailing thirty points behind the Caucasian American homeownership rate(Jones). This major discrepancy in homeownership is caused mainly because of annual household income(Jones). In two-thousand sixteen, it was documented by the Economic Policy Institute that the median African American family had only ten point two percent of the wealth of a median Caucasian American family(Jones). The major disparities in the amount of income African Americans earn is directly impacting their ability to afford housing and making them more prone to homelessness.
When it comes to families with children, one of the leading causes of homelessness is also the inability to afford housing, which can stem from many different events, one of the most prominent being domestic violence situations(“Domestic Violence”). According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, on a single night in two-thousand seventeen, homeless service providers had around fifty-five thousand beds set aside for domestic violence victims(“Domestic Violence”). For some, it is either a choice between an abusive relationship or homelessness.
Another of the leading causes of homelessness in America is unhealthiness both mentally and physically. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, on a given night in two-thousand seventeen, twenty percent of the homeless population reported having a serious mental illness, sixteen percent were conditions related to chronic substance abuse, and more than ten thousand people had HIV/AIDS(“Health”). Health issues can keep a person from working certain types of jobs and can even make it hard to interact in society, which is why impaired people are more likely to become homeless(“Health”). Negative stereotypes of laziness circulate the cause of people’s homeless situation, but in reality, they are in their situations because of factors they didn’t have much control over.
The diversity among homeless people in America and their causes for their situation make diminishing poverty’s presence in society difficult, but there are proven solutions. While providing meals and donating supplies is necessary, there are long term solutions that anyone can help work towards(Bullock). In an interview with Laura Bullock, a full-time staff member at Vigilant Hope, a modern missions organization, whose job is to gather volunteers and to connect the homeless population to resources, these solutions were discussed.
The lack of affordable housing is one of the main issues today when helping the homeless community(Bullock). Bullock says she, “...knows people working full time and are living outside because there is nowhere for them to get an apartment…” and this is even after she has paid first and last month’s rent for them(Bullock). This is not only a problem in the Wilmington area, it is happening all over the country. According to The National Low Income Housing Coalition, the United States has a shortage of more than seven point two million rental homes affordable and available to extremely low-income renter households(Aurand 2). In other words, only thirty-five affordable and available rental homes exist for every one hundred extremely low-income renter households(Aurand 2). The way America can gain more affordable housing is through advocacy (Bennett). Raising awareness of the lack of affordable housing to local politicians and business leaders helps in diminishing homelessness’ presence in society.
Along with affordable housing, homeless people need connections. Laura says, “...instead of just giving them (homeless community) a free meal or some clothes, point them in the direction of, if you need job training, go to Step Up or if you need medical care, let’s get you hooked up with Med North…”(Bullock). While individually it is difficult to instruct a homeless person on where to get services, there are groups and organizations all across America who specialize in this. Americans being aware of the businesses and organizations in their community that focus on homelessness, can help them point someone in need in the right direction.
Every American encounters homelessness on a daily basis. In some cities, each turn of a corner presents a man sleeping on a bus stop bench or a woman “flying a sign”. Its prevalence in society has caused many negative stereotypes to circulate the people in these situations. It is important to remember that anyone can become homeless for reasons that may not be of their own doing, and, most importantly, that there are feasible, long-term solutions to the issue.
Negative Stereotypes about Homeless in America. (2021, Dec 09). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/negative-stereotypes-about-homeless-in-america-essay
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