Homelessness in America

Homelessness in America

Introduction

This assignment is focused on explaining the various aspects of homelessness in America. It is done through the determining of reasons behind it, and understanding the statistics of it in America.

Discussion

Structural Strain Theory and Homelessness

This theory is an extension of the perspective of functionalists on deviance. It focuses on the origins of the deviance in the tensions which are due to the gap that is present between the different cultural goals and the means that people have for achieving them. The homeless people are regarded as the retreatists as they reject the various cultural goals and the ways of attaining them. they avoid the means and goals which are developed by the society (Crossman, n.d.). It is also true in the case of homeless in America a these people do not try to achieve the various cultural goals.

Reasons for Homelessness in America

There are many factors that the social commentators claim to have affected on the homelessness in the last two decades. The most cited factors among them include lack of initiative in some segments of the population, general laziness, rise in single mother and dysfunctional families, mental illness and the drug and alcohol abuse. There are also some intellectuals who have focused on the culture of poverty for explaining the reason why Americans have comparatively high rate homelessness and poverty.

The transformations which took place in the 1980s in the illicit drug market changed the effect that the substance abuse has on the lives of poor. It provided a cheap alternative to the people for alcohol. It has been estimated that almost thirty percent of the single adults who are homeless use the drugs regularly (Weinberger, 1999).

The mental illness among the people has also resulted in an increase in the homeless people in America. The root cause of this assessment is the structural problems which are developed by the de-institutionalization and other policies similar to it. The policies of mental health which limited the involuntary commitment along with allowing the hospitals of state to discharge the patients that do not have anywhere to go were a disaster (Weinberger, 1999).

There is also a culture of poverty that is present in some of the segments of lower class. This argument is based on the structural analysis of the conditions of poverty. It also represented that the poor people are inherently fatalistic, disorganized, unambitious, lazy, alienated and apathetic because of the circumstances in which they live (Weinberger, 1999).

The increase in the level of homelessness is also due to the increase in the single and dysfunctional mothers. There is a relationship between the family structure and poverty status. The analysis of the increase in the feminization of the poverty show that almost forty percent is due to changes in the poverty rates and sixty percent due to the changes in the composition of population (Weinberger, 1999).

Who is Homeless?

The homeless people consist of people from every aspect of life. In America there are more than ...