Andrew Nieman

Dr. Mitchell

UWRT 1104

11/20/17

Research Essay

Homelessness has been a constant issue in the United States. It plagues an estimated 3.5

million people a year (Laudan, 2009). But what makes it such a baffling topic is who those 3.5

million people are, what they did, and how they are not representative to the United States

population. African Americans and Hispanics/Latinos make up roughly 30% of the U.S.

population, while together they make up 62% of the homeless community. Males make up half

of the population in the U.S. but comprise of the homeless community (OSullivan, 2001).

Why are these differences in representation so mismatched? How are they treated differently?

Why do the brave men and women who fought for our country face increased risk of

homelessness?

The definition of Homelessness by the Oxford English Dictionary is: The state of having

no home. When someone doesn't have a home and can't find temporary shelter from a family

member or friend they are considered homeless by the government. Homeless shelters provide

cover from the environment, warm meals, clothes, and some even provide job opportunities.

There are thousands of shelters that take in the homeless but, they are not always easy to get

into...for some people. There are separate shelters according to your needs, gender, and whether

you have a family or not. Many only male shelters will close from noon until dusk leaving the

residents without shelter. In an article published by sociologist Ferris Rickey (1991), homeless
men are more at risk for contracting diseases like stomach problems, hypertension, mental

illness, and skin diseases (p.34). Female only shelters tend to stay open 24 hours along with

shelters that take in families with children. Many male shelters receive less funding and

donations. Men shelters tend to be more crowded, less sanitary and a spot in the shelter are not a

guarantee.

Applying for a spot in a homeless shelter can take an unimaginable amount of patience

and persistence. In New York City the majority of applicants had to apply multiple times before

getting accepted into a shelter. KayKay Knight , a mother with disk disease was denied 12 times

(Stewart). In the winter, shelters become more crowded and harder to get into. Overcrowding

and the ability to shelter residents efficiently are problem for major cities. Many shelters have to

defer the applicants due to high occupancy. This is a major issue for many male shelters. A

former homeless woman reflected on this problem and said When winter strikes, the state opens

a co-ed cold weather shelter. They also open up to three more women-only cold weather shelters.

Our female shelters are not full, the men's shelters are over packed, men sleeping right up on

each other. It is first come, first served at the winter shelter, and so many men are turned away

(Berryokt, 2014). Females are given priority in who gets in shelters. This is one difference in

how genders are treated in the homeless community.

Race in the homeless community also does not precisely represent the United States

population. African Americans, Hispanics, Latinos, and Native Americans are all

overrepresented. Caucasians, who make up 72% of the general population, only make up about

38% of the homeless population (Minorities and Homelessness). Some reasons why some

groups are represented more than others are due to increased poverty rates, less education, and

location. The United States Census Bureau calculated that 25% of African Americans and
Hispanics/Latinos fall below the poverty line. Only 12% of Caucasians fell below the line

(Poverty Rate by Race/Ethnicity). Along with living in poverty, education plays a major role in

who is homeless. A survey done by the Urban Institute found out that over 50% of the homeless

population did not have a high school diploma. A study done by the American Council on Health

and Science calculated the areas that have the highest concentrations of homeless people are in

metropolitan centers like San Francisco, NYC, Seattle, and our capital Washington D.C.

(Berezow). Most of the homeless population comes from the inner cities where high school

graduation rates are low and poverty rates are the highest.

The most misrepresented group of people in the homeless population is not determined

by race or gender, but by occupation. Homeless Veterans make up 1/4 of the homeless

community despite being roughly .001% of the general population (Lawrence). There are many

reasons why this is like that though. Unfortunately, some veterans leave combat with physical

disabilities. Due to these disabilities, many veterans find it hard to find work. The average wait

time to get a disability claim through to the government is 8 months. While waiting for the claim

to go through, some veterans will have no form of income. Without the help from the

government, veterans are left with little ways to earn money to support themselves which can

lead to homelessness. Another repercussion to war are its after effects, veterans are at extreme

risk for mental health after deployment. Post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a stress

induced mental illness that causes agitation, loss of sleep, fear, anxiety, flashbacks, and hostility

is very common (Veteran Homelessness) . Veterans are also at risk to drug abuse and

addiction. With a lack of affordable housing and a combination of skills not necessarily useful to

the workforce. Veterans find it hard to get good paying jobs, buy a home, and support

themselves. Many veterans are not trained for the workforce and struggle to get good jobs. All of
these things make veterans incredibly susceptible to homelessness which is why they are so

overrepresented.

There is also a difference between the amount of veterans from different time periods and

wars. Most homeless veterans are from the Vietnam War. The U.S. Department of Veterans

Affairs estimates that the Vietnam War had the highest amount of soldiers returning with some

form of PTSD. An estimated 31% of soldiers returning from the Vietnam War developed PTSD,

this rate is more than the gulf war and the war in Afghanistan combined (The Long Struggle of

Vietnam Veterans with PTSD). Some other reasons for this are the soldiers who fought in the

Vietnam War were very young, at 22 years old (Vietnam Statistics). The Vietnam War was

fought mostly up close and personal with the enemy using infantry too. The Vietnam War was

also not backed by the public and many people were opposed to the war. Soldiers who came

back from combat were not welcomed back like our current soldiers today and from times like

WWII. 2.7 million served in the Vietnam War which is greater than any recent conflict.

Some people are more susceptible to becoming homeless. People with mental disabilities,

physical disabilities and people born into poverty face increased risk of homelessness. These

factors contribute to the imbalance of homeless veterans because in war you are at extreme risk

for developing mental and physical disabilities. One unacceptable idea that does not help the

homeless are the negative stereotypes stigmatized on these people. Most people become

homeless after a financial crisis, losing a job, divorces, or a mental breakdown. One stereotype is

that homeless people are too lazy to work and would rather get by leeching off of others.
Although laziness is the case sometimes, for the majority of people it is not. Homeless shelters

were made to help shelter these people and get them back on their feet. People often leave these

shelters in under a year once they recover and leave the homeless community. But people with

severe mental and physical disabilities often take longer to leave the homeless community or

they never fully escape homelessness. The homeless population is a very diverse group of

people. They come from different backgrounds and have unique experiences. There needs to be

more ways these individuals can get immediate help so they can escape the petrifying state of

homelessness.

Works Cited

Stewart, Nikita. Harder for Homeless to Enter N.Y.C. Shelters, Report Finds. The New York
Times, The New York Times, 21 Mar. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/03/21/nyregion/nyc-
coalition-for-the-homeless-report.html?mcubz=0. Accessed 21 Sept. 2017

Berryokt. Men's vs Women's Homeless Shelter. Mens Rights, Reddit, 11 January 2014,
https://www.reddit.com/r/MensRights/comments/1uxv4c/mens_vs_womens_homeless_shelters/,
accesed 20 Novemer 2017

Who is Homeless? Who is Homeless?, National Coalition for the Homeless, Aug. 2007,
 www.nationalhomeless.org/publications/facts/Whois.pdf. Accessed 24 S

Ritchey, Ferris J., et al. Gender Differences in Health Risks and Physical Symptoms Among the
Homeless. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, vol. 32, no. 1, 1991, p. 33.,
doi:10.2307/2136798. Accessed 24 Sept. 2017.

Kuhrt, Jon. When Helping the Homeless Doesn't help. When Helping the Homeless Doesn't
help, May 2011, doi:10.3897/bdj.4.e7720.figure2f. Accessed 24 May 2017.

Minorities and Homelessness. National Coalition for the Homeless, National Coalition for the
Homeless, July 2009, www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/minorities.html.

Poverty Rate by Race/Ethnicity. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Kaiser Family, 22
Sept. 2017,
www.kff.org/other/state-indicator/poverty-rate-by-raceethnicity/?dataView=0tTi
meframe=0&sortModel=%7B%22colId%22%3A%22Location%22%2C%22sort%22%3A%22as
c%22%7D.

Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs. Office of Public and Intergovernmental

Affairs. Veteran Homelessness - Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs,
US Department of Veteran Affairs, www.va.gov/opa/issues/Homelessness.asp.

O'Sullivan, Adele. Making Sense of Making Sense: Healing Hands. Making Sense, vol. 5, no.
3, 2001, doi:10.3726/978-1-4539-1345-1/28.

Laudan, Aron Y. How Many People Experience Homelessness? National Coalition for
the Homeless, www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/How_Many.html.

Berezow, Alex. Which Cities Have the Most Homeless People? Which Cities Have the
Most Homeless People? | American Council on Science and Health, American Council on
Science and Health, 13 Oct. 2016, www.acsh.org/news/2016/10/13/which-cities-have-most-
homeless-people-10300.

Vietnam Statistics. Vietnam Historical Statistics, United States War dog Association, 2009,

www.uswardogs.org/new_page_18.htm.

The Long Struggle of Vietnam Veterans with PTSD. National Veterans Foundation, National
Veterans Foundation, 14 Sept. 2016, nvf.org/struggle-vietnam-veterans-with-ptsd/.

Lawrence, Quil. The U.S. Declared War On Veteran Homelessness - And It Actually Could Win. NPR,
NPR, 4 Aug. 2015, www.npr.org/2015/08/04/427419718/the-u-s-declared-war-on-veteran-
homelessness-and-it-actually-could-win.