Chronic Homelessness

When I was interning for Dr. Hill, I had to do research about homeless solutions. The research found that there were different solutions for the two types of homelessness I was researching. Chronic homelessness is defined as a ‘skid row’ type individual, more likely to be using shelters long term. Surprisingly, these only represent a small percentage of homeless individuals. Those that are more likely to represent the majority of the population is the transitional homeless. Transitional homeless are those who are people whose safety net fell through, such as a low income individual who lost their job. They are more likely to use the shelter as a short term solution. For solutions, it boils down to a stronger safety net for these at risk groups. Depending on the reason, some may need for support than others. If metal health or drug abuse was a contributing factor, then they need more supportive housing and treatment. For others, finding employment and safe, affordable housing may be all the help that is needed. Each case is different, those who are studying this population need to take that into consideration before conducting their research. …show more content…
If they are seen in media, they are always put in a negative light. They are portrayed as preying on unsuspecting kind hearted individuals, just asking for money for drugs. I have known several individuals who have been transitionally homeless, and they are people just like the rest of us. On my Facebook feed, there are videos of strangers giving a homeless person cash or shoes. While it is a good deed, it still puts the homeless in a negative light. Its a gesture that says to that individual sitting in the doorway that he is different from society. He is reduced to handouts and must always be grateful for what he receives. On top of the fact that his face is being used to boost the person giving the