Homelessness can be described as not having a permanent home to reside. Home, in this case, can also be described as either in a shelter or the streets. There are various reasons why people choose or become homeless. These factors vary from one individual or group to another and are not defined through measures of poverty. Homelessness does not choose whether one is a youth or an old age person; it cuts across people of all ages. Some of the factors that result in homelessness are choice, substance abuse, poverty, domestic violence, unemployment, and high dependency levels. The effects of homelessness also vary and are felt differently by social and even business communities. Some of the effects of homelessness are either personal, abuses, family, society, and health. Despite the many reasons as to why people become homeless and their effects, this essay is going to deliberate on the few common ones.
Poverty is one of the common and highly regarded factors causing homelessness. Poverty which is also considered to be a well-known ability to be poor devastates people in the low- earning level. Some of the people refer to poverty as earning less than one dollar a day. In a situation where you don’t have anything to count as daily, weekly or monthly income, one is forced to choose his priorities right. Is it transport, childcare, food, housing, and healthcare? Which of these needs comes first? Many of the homeless people are usually employed, but their wages are way low to ensure that their housing needs are sorted. As such, they resort to camp in the streets as they hope for a better tomorrow. Still, on employment, unemployment is also the primary cause of homelessness since it causes people to lose their homes because they are unable to pay their bills.
Domestic violence is another major cause of homelessness. This misfortune involves many occasions where the children, women and even men who are physical, mentally, and emotionally abused. In the families where parents go to war leave the children or one of the parents homeless. The violence could be due to many reasons, yet still, they result in homelessness.
Another cause of homelessness is substance abuse and mental illness. This factor contributes to homelessness particularly in the children who are underage. Mental illness does not choose on age, maybe due to genetical factors or social factors. The family members deny or reject those affected, and most of them run from their homes rendering themselves homeless.
Homelessness has many detrimental effects on the community, business, and community setting. Death is one of the effects, but it comes as immediate or long term effect. Homeless people die because of various reasons such as street abuse, murder, malnutrition, and others die due to drug overdose. Also, homeless people have their life expectancy reduced due to discomfort, stress, and lack of proper nutrition.
Other effects of homelessness include diseases such as; respiratory diseases, leg ulcers, arthritis, asthma, pneumonia, HIV/AIDS among many other respiratory infections. These diseases are a result of spending sleepless nights in the cold and lack of proper nutrition. However, some them such as HIV/AIDS are a result of rape or knowingly indulging in unsafe sex to get money to feed an empty tummy.
In conclusion, homelessness results in family breakdowns and separation. These are among the factors that have led to many orphan children, and the governments need to understand these factors and lay the congruent strategies on how to prevent them.
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