Why Many People Lose Their Homes

“Anyone who is lacking a fixed,regular,and a sufficient place to spend at night hour can be classified as a homeless person” ( Stewart B. McKinney, Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 ).

“Understanding homelessness is not easy because there is no fixed result to it. Homelessness affects those inside and outside the church. Homeless people’s can be categorised as temporary,episodically and chronically homeless. They also vary according to age,family circumstances ,health problems , adult Male and women , homeless runaways, rural homeless etc” ( David Nixon,2013 ; National Academies Press (US),1988 ).

According to Harding 2019, “not only those who sleep in the street should be the only ones to labelled as homeless but it should also include those in the emergency shelters, mobile homes , accommodation centres and those being housed by friends and families members”.

The homeless persons have varied positive and negative opinions as to why they are homeless. “For example some are homeless but still believe God loves and takes care of them, they pray for blessings , they draw the images of God when they are in pain and sufferings and after death, heaven ‘home’ is waiting for them.

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However others blame God and the church for their predicaments. They claim that the church uses the bible to manipulate them and deny them their freedom and independents” ( David Nixon,2013 p.102 ; 114-117).

“Homelessness is an eventful social behaviour with many faces .To be homeless is to be ‘placeless’ and to lack a basic spot is to be ‘homeless”( Steven Bouma-Prediger and Brian J. Walsh ,2008 p.

4-5).

To majority , “there is no place like home”. A question was put to students in a boarding school on what they miss away from home and they replied as follows: “they missed love , smell in the house , friends ,families,spirituality,freedom,etc. However for other students , they did not miss home because of the bad memories of anger and sadness, and they longed to escape from home” ( Steven Bouma-Prediger and Brian J. Walsh ,2008 p.40). My emphasis on using the students example is to show that people are connected to belonging to a place and when uprooted for various reasons , they become affected. Another good example of the story which corresponds well with my assignment was trending online in Kenya news headlined ‘old,broke and homeless:coast ‘ wazungu kimbo’ live in penury” ( mobile.nation.co.ke 8/2/20).

In summary the story was about a british white man (by name Peter) who became homeless in Kenya . One of the lady volunteer by the name Auma who took upon her to help the homeless man was quoted as saying the following “ Peter is a good man with bad temper ,especially when asked why he cannot just go back home to England . If you want to have a bad day,ask him to go back home. He does not want to hear that”. When asked why he doesn’t want to go back to England , Peter is quoted saying “that the coastal weather has been friendly to him compared with the situation back home” . I am giving this example to prove my earlier statement that as much as others dream of ‘home’ where they belong, others hate going back home for various reasons . Also the Lady Auma is another example of a good volunteer who has been taking care of Peter at her residence of work and feeding him. This is how we Christians and the churches should behave , ‘opening our house/church door and help the homeless.

The research project by David Nixon, (2013 p.56 &89-90) recorded the following causes of homelessness :health. Two respondents stated how being admitted in the hospital for a long period of time because of a road accident, and another one taking care of a sick wife rendered them jobless and eventually evicted from their houses because of lack of rent. Another one stated his sexuality . When he came out as gay at the age of 18years ,his family members disowned him and was kicked out of the house . Other causes mentioned were marriage breakages , bad criminal records that denies employment , death of family members etc”.

According to Shelter (2018), the causes for homeless data was stipulated as follows: Those people who’s placeless was caused by tenancies and landlords was 43%. Those who have nowhere to live was 45%. Those under family evictions 48%. Those who are homeless because of financial issues were 44% and those who are under assistance with homelessness is tabulated at 22%. In overall, 280,000 in England were homeless , 60% being in the streets of London”. Since 1970, the “demand for houses was 225,000 units but the government only managed to build 160,000 units. This shows the government for along time has not been able to meet the houses demands contributing to the suffering of the homeless” ( department for community and local government,2017 ).

Two other authors on their research project concluded that homelessness occurs when we create social,gender,ethnic and economic boundaries.This contributes to an increase of people attempting to find adequate houses. In summary socio-economic , spiritual ,and ecological homelessness is on a high. Also the failures by the governments social and support systems, impacts of the welfare reforms, lack of government fundings to charities etc is also contributing to the increase of homelessness”( Steven Bouma-Prediger and Brian J. Walsh ,2008 p.41 ; Jon Kuhrt , 2013 )

The effects of someone sleeping on the street or temporarily shelters because of lack of a home , can be very devastating to the society. Interviewees narrated to David Nixon (2013 p.50 &91-95 ) “how they harmed themselves , tried to commit suicide, became addicted to drugs and alcohol , some became criminals all the time so that they could be arrested and be in jails where they called ‘home’ instead of living rough on the street, they felt pain, anger, isolation , some suffered physical and mental health issues , they suffered abuses ie being labelled addicts, scums,scrims hankers,and being reminded to get jobs of which was impossible .Eventually they ended up hating the society for not listening and caring to them”.