MODULE ONE

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MODULE ONE
Understanding Marginalized Populations
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Objectives

• Students will
• Have a better understanding of what it means to
  be homeless.
• Understand some of the causes of homelessness.
• Understand common myths and stereotypes regarding
  the homeless population.

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The Steward B. McKinney Act 1987

• A person is considered homeless who
• Lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate night-time
  residence
• Has a primary night time residence that is
• A supervised publicly or privately operated
  shelter designed to provide temporary living
  accommodations
• An institution that provides a temporary
  residence for individuals intended to be
  institutionalized
• A public or private place not designed for, or
  ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping
  accommodation for human beings.

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One of the major factors contributing to
homelessness is poverty

• Poverty affects access to housing, health care,
  food, child care, and education.
• Poverty creates a vicious cycle.

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The cycle

• You need a job to earn money, but you need a car
  to get to work.
• You need money to get the car, but cant get to
  work to earn the money to buy the car.
• You need child care while you are at work, but
  you have no money.

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Who are the homeless?
The National Alliance to End Homelessness
provides us with these figures about homeless
people in the United States. (www.endhomelessness.
org)

• One in ten homeless people is a woman.
• One in six is under the age of 25.
• One in 14 is over 60 years old.

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Is homelessness a big problem?

• In the United States, approximately 3.5 million
  people experience homelessness each year.
• Families with children make up 50 of the
  homeless population.
• The homeless population is growing.

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• Age
• Children under the age of 18 account for 25.3 of
  the urban homeless population.
• 51 of the homeless population are people between
  the ages of 31 and 50.
• 19.4 of the homeless population is between age
  55 and 60.

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• Gender
• Single men comprise 41 of the urban homeless
  population.
• Single women comprise 14 of the urban homeless
  population.

10

• Ethnicity
• In 2003, the homeless population was 49
  African-American 35 Caucasian 13
  Hispanic 2 Native American 1 Asian
• Like the total U.S. population, the ethnic makeup
  of homeless populations varies according to
  geographic location.

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• Veterans
• 40 of homeless men have served in the armed
  forces, compared to 34 of the general adult male
  population.

12

• Mental illness and addictions
• Approximately 23 homeless adults suffer from
  some form of severe and persistent mental
  illness.
• Addiction disorders, such as drug abuse and
  alcoholism, affect about 30 of the homeless
  population.

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What causes homelessness?

• Not enough affordable housing
• Incomes too low to meet basic needs
• Domestic violence

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Other factors that contribute to homelessness

• Moving to a new area
• Being evicted
• Coming out of an institution treatment
  center detoxification program prison
• Natural disasters such as house fires, hurricanes
  
• Running away from home
• Losing a job

15
There are many health problems associated with
homelessness

• Malnutrition
• Dental disease
• High blood pressure
• Depression
• Communicable diseases such as colds and flu

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Some programs and services to help the homeless

• Shelter housing
• Food stamps
• Soup kitchens
• Clothing and food donations
• Outreach for dental care
• Medical clinics
• Medicaid/SAGA (state administered general
  assistance)
• Medical clinics and Community Health Centers

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Are shelters helpful?

• Shelters are good as a short term solution
• When one has just become homeless
• When one has had to leave a violent situation
• When its too cold to be outside

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Shelters are not long term solutions

• Shelters are often overcrowded or filled to
  capacity.
• Shelters only provide temporary and short term
  housing.
• Living in a shelter can be scary and
  demoralizing.
• A shelter does not provide a place one can call
  home.

19
What about state and federal assistance?
There are many different federal, state and local
assistance programs. However

• Programs are being cut
• Benefits are being reduced
• Benefits are usually not enough to cover housing,
  medical bills, and child care
• Assistance is a limited and short-term solution
• It is also very difficult to navigate the
  paperwork, rules and regulations of the
  assistance program system.

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Other problems

• Many of these services are limited to first come,
  first served.
• Transportation may be necessary, which is
  difficult when youre homeless.
• These are not long-term solutions.
• Not all those who need help are aware of where
  they can get help.
• Mental illness and substance abuse often affect
  or prevent participation.

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Solutions

• The causes of homelessness are very complex.
• The solutions to homelessness are also very
  complex.
• No one solution can solve the problem.

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Summary

• Families with children make up 50 of the
  homeless population.
• The federal and state programs that provide the
  homeless with assistance are only short-term
  solutions.