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The Homeless

             Homelessness is a reality we see every day. There are several countervailing ideas on why homelessness is so prevalent in our society. The average conservative sees homelessness as a result of poor individual choices and inferior abilities. Liberal thinkers such as myself note the events that lead to homelessness and the socioeconomic imbalances that lead to a life on the streets. Homelessness cannot be equated to bad personal decisions. People become trapped in this perpetual cycle of poverty that leads to poverty and homelessness.
             There is an opposing and overlapping view of humanity shared by social Darwinists and conservatives. They embrace the notion that some people are less fortunate for a reason. They believe that people of inferior morals, genes and values will ultimately be the losers in society. They shift the blame from society itself to the individual and see homelessness as the result of some deviant behavior (McGinnis 210). These notions are not typically the case though. Thomas O"Reilly Fleming tells the tale of a young man named "Jack" that is your average 24 year old. Jack was a hard working young man who at 18 was married with a mortgage and children (Fleming 238). This appears to be a pretty productive member of society. Jack sadly has a series of events that can be seen as the reason he is now homeless. "My wife left me . Pretty soon I couldn't pay the bills and didn't care anymore. I lost everything and now I am here"(Fleming 238). This is the same story that is told day after day to social workers across the country. Homeless people are not all deviants but individuals who have had a severely adverse series of events take place in their lives. .
             People tend to want to label the homeless. This is dangerous because it shifts the blame on the individual. It seems to justify their position in society as being a result of their own abnormal life choices, which is simply not the case.


Essays Related to The Homeless

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Homelessness is not a new problem in today's American culture. ... According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, there is about 610,042 people experience homelessness on any given night in the United States. In addition, children of homeless families are at risk of developing health issues and behavior problems due to the stress of homelessness. ... The government has programs to assist families who are homeless but here never seems to be enough to accommodate the huge number of homeless families. ... The Homeless Guy, Kevin Barbieux for instance has been homeless now for almost...

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2. Poverty and Homelessness in Australia

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4. Homelessness - The Problem of America

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5. Homeless

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6. homelessness

The homeless consist of all types, races, and ages of people. ... The homeless all suffer from absolute poverty. ... People often feel threatened in areas where homeless people are because the homeless are often mentally disabled or on drugs. ... Currently laws regarding the homeless have become much stricter. ... Later he had the homeless arrested if they refused shelter. ...

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7. Homeless

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8. Homeless

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9. Homeless

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10. Homelessness

The only thing that is known is that homelessness is increasing. A growing shortage of affordable housing has made climbing out of homelessness nearly impossible for someone who lives in extreme poverty ("Homeless"). ... Almost one in five homeless persons are employed. The connection between impoverished workers and the homeless can be seen in homeless shelters, many of which house significant numbers of full-time wage earners. ... As bad as it is for the twenty percent of homeless people, who have jobs and can't escape homelessness, climbing out of homelessness is virtually impossible ...

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