Understanding the Impact of Homelessness and Literacy Levels in America (Research Paper Sample)

Understanding the Impact of Homelessness and Literacy Levels in America
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Table of Content
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Abstract  PAGEREF _Toc412062605 \h
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Introduction  PAGEREF _Toc412062606 \h
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Historical Background  PAGEREF _Toc412062607 \h
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Causes of Persistent Homelessness  PAGEREF _Toc412062608 \h
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Impacts of Homelessness  PAGEREF _Toc412062609 \h
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Impacts to the Homeless  PAGEREF _Toc412062610 \h
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Impacts to the Public  PAGEREF _Toc412062611 \h
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Homelessness and illiteracy  PAGEREF _Toc412062612 \h
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America’s Response  PAGEREF _Toc412062613 \h
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The US Federal Government’s Response to Homelessness  PAGEREF _Toc412062614 \h
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States Government Responses  PAGEREF _Toc412062615 \h
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What should be done  PAGEREF _Toc412062616 \h
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Conclusion  PAGEREF _Toc412062617 \h
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Appendix A  PAGEREF _Toc412062618 \h
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Glossary  PAGEREF _Toc412062619 \h
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Appendix B  PAGEREF _Toc412062620 \h
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References  PAGEREF _Toc412062621 \h
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Abstract
This research explores the one of the major social problems in America; homelessness. It is an embarrassing story to imagine that America, despite being a developed country, has a portion of its population sleeping rough in the streets. Despite the government’s effort to address the issue, over 3.5 millions of Americans are still homes. This research unmasks the statistical details of the number of people sleeping rough, the reasons as to why they ended up homeless as well as their day to day challenge. The information gathered in this research can be used to challenge the American authorities on their commitment to address homelessness.
The researcher utilizes the available data from the National Alliance to End Homelessness online library as well as scholarly published studies that are relevant to the topic. Although the study is focused on homelessness in America at large, a particular interest is given to the Wisconsin State as a sample state for the 47 states.
Introduction
Walking down the streets of a United States city in the evening can be a mind-relieving exercise; enjoying the blaze and the bird’s music as they escort the sun down the hills. Suddenly, the experience turns distasteful as you walk past people hunched down with their scrambled belonging. At the onset, one may imagine that these persons have taken a rest before they trace their way back home. At a closer look, however, you notice that the scrambled stuffs include most of the fundamental possessions of an ordinary person such as clothes and cooking utensils. The only difference is that these people’s scrambled items are old, dilapidated and, in most of the times, dirty. As the sun disappears down the hills to welcome the chilly dusk, these people assembles their items under the trees, in the building corridors, under parked cars and such like places in readiness for the coming night. They look for the best means, under that circumstance, to keep themselves warm for it will be a long and cold night out in the open. This is the plight of millions of homeless Americans who have no regular place to call home.
 INCLUDEPICTURE "http://forcechangecom.c.presscdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/homeless-man-in-New-York-City.jpg" \* MERGEFORMAT 

Figure  SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 1. A homeless person with his belongings scattered along the pavement
Homelessness in America has been a persistent social problem in the country’s history. According to Perl et al (2014), there are about 500,000 homeless people in a single night throughout the US. This figure includes the chronic and the partial homeless, either hosted in transition houses or simply loitering in the streets. The number of homeless people increased rapidly following the 2008-09 recession. Although the country has reported a slight decline in the homeless population for the past few years, the number of homeless individuals across America is still calling. Ordinarily, no single human being should be going through the mental and physical torture of being homeless. However, the latest report indicates that about 3.5 million Americans are homeless, children accounting for one million of the homeless. A disturbing factor in the homelessness reports is the revelation that children make the majority of the homeless population. While the total number of homeless people declines, notes that the number of children's on the streets is on the rise. But is America doing, and what should it address this problem? This research aims at assessing the extent and the impacts of homelessness in America. It explores facts about the issue both in the past and at the present to evaluate the country’s response to the menace. In this analysis, a particular interest is given to Wisconsin, and that will be used as a sample state where necessary.
Historical Background
There has been a controversial debate as people try to trace the roots of homelessness in America. While some people argue that homelessness arose as a result of policy changes in 1980s, others trace it back to the Great Depression of 1929. Although these two periods led to a sharp increase in the number of homeless individuals, homelessness had been prevalent in America from as early as the 1600s. According to Kusmer (2002), homeless people in 1600s were believed to be outcast from their respective communities. People would be thrown out of the community as a punishment for their flawed characters. During this period, however, the homeless would be accepted in other villages as long as they proved to the village elders that they were ready to improve their flawed behaviors.
The idea of homelessness in the 1600s was a mere punishment to encourage adherence to the communal morals. During the colonial era, however, homelessness became a serious problem, one that was not readily reversible. During this period, people would be rendered homeless by circumstance such as forced evacuation by the British settlers. Also, the demanding economic times forced the poor people to vacate from their native homes in such of employment, mainly as unskilled labor in agricultural farms. Unlike the homelessness of the 1600s, the colonial era society was not mindful of the plights of the homeless. This, as Kusmer elaborates, was as a result of the individualism culture that the Native Americans inherited from the colonial masters (2002).
Even after America gained independence in the 18th century, some Americans still did not have a place to call home even in the newly declared Free State. Most of the homeless included the freed slaves, some of whom had been fetched from different parts of the continent to work in British estates in America. Although the independent government instigated programs to resettle the displaced Americans Kusmer notes that some were not lucky to benefit from such programs and remained roaming in the streets (2002). As a free state, America's economy grew rapidly welcoming the era of great urbanization of 1820-1850. During this period, American's social, cultural and political settings evolved drastically, and so did the increase in homelessness. There were increased rates of immigration as more and more people moved in such of economic opportunism. The rate of growth in urban areas outmatched the rural areas, prompting people to settle in urban areas. There were no enough housing facilities in the urban areas to cater the increased number of settlers. For this reason, some of the people who move to the cities in search of promising opportunities ended up homeless. Despite the rapid growth in the economy, the period was marked by low job security due to the bumpy business cycles. People who worked in railroads constructions and the mining industries would often lose their jobs, despite having relocated from their original inhabitants in such of jobs.
In 1870, America experienced unprecedented civil wars, which to some extent, stagnated the activities of the urbanization period. This stagnation led to a temporary decline in homelessness. Also, the government's response to the increased homelessness during the urbanization period was taking effect. For example, the government enforced the vagrancy law that outlawed sleeping or begging around in the city. The decline in homelessness rates in 1970s was, however, temporary as it would rise again during the prolonged depression of 1873-1879 and the subsequent economic panic of the 1890s.
Homelessness continued to increase throughout the early decades of the 20th century. There were series catastrophic and economic events that led to the rapid growth in the number of homeless. For instance, the 1927 Mississippi floods swept away homes of thousands of Americans, some of whom were never resettled. This was followed by the 1929 Greet Depression that is said to increase the number of homeless to an unprecedented level. The government acknowledged homelessness as one of the major problems following the Great Depression. It, therefore, gave it a priority in its post-depression recovery programs. As a result, several homeless Americans were resettled between 1933 and 1936 under the Federal Transient Service. This program recorded a reduction in number of homele...