What Home Really Means. Homelessness has always been a plague upon humanity. The homeless are seen as disgusting and pitiful, lesser beings of society. In many tourist traps, the homeless are oppressed by the police; no matter where the homeless go they receive mounds of tickets for living their lives (Nagourney). By 2014, many cities had made it a crime to sit on the sidewalk (Nagourney). Some of these people do not want to be homeless, but they have no choice in the matter. Oppressing the homeless does nothing but cause violence and discord. The truth lies in our government system. In Los Angeles, California the average rent has gone up twenty-eight percent since 2000, and at the same time tenant income has dropped eight percent (Murray).
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When homeless or on the verge of financial ruin, turning to drugs can often make the situation take a turn for the worse. As a homeless person, drug addiction becomes a key factor of life (Kolata). Just as domestic violence can affect homeless families, so can substance abuse. It has been found in many cases that addiction can cause poor families to be forced into living on the street (Kolata). In 1992, four to ten homeless families listed having either a mental health or drug problem in the family (Dugger). On the contrary, in 1992 Andrew Cuomo, the New York City commision head, called for a complete overhaul of the city’s shelters--shelters that offered special services, would now have to give permanent housing to people who would complete drug use training or treatment (Dugger). This began the separation of homeless people who used drugs, and homeless people who did not; allowing the United States government to further help homeless people who had not been abusing substances. However, there are still a select few people who slip through the cracks of the system, and refuse to give up on their addiction. Still in 1992, out of 525 shelters including those for people with special needs, sixty-five percent tested positive for drugs, mainly cocaine, or alcohol-- …show more content…
Although San Diego may not have been a success for the United States government, much of Connecticut was. In 2015, Connecticut made permanent housing for over 750 veterans (Quigley). Which may not be a whole lot in comparison to the total U.S. population, but even the smaller successes, are still
When homeless or on the verge of financial ruin, turning to drugs can often make the situation take a turn for the worse. As a homeless person, drug addiction becomes a key factor of life (Kolata). Just as domestic violence can affect homeless families, so can substance abuse. It has been found in many cases that addiction can cause poor families to be forced into living on the street (Kolata). In 1992, four to ten homeless families listed having either a mental health or drug problem in the family (Dugger). On the contrary, in 1992 Andrew Cuomo, the New York City commision head, called for a complete overhaul of the city’s shelters--shelters that offered special services, would now have to give permanent housing to people who would complete drug use training or treatment (Dugger). This began the separation of homeless people who used drugs, and homeless people who did not; allowing the United States government to further help homeless people who had not been abusing substances. However, there are still a select few people who slip through the cracks of the system, and refuse to give up on their addiction. Still in 1992, out of 525 shelters including those for people with special needs, sixty-five percent tested positive for drugs, mainly cocaine, or alcohol-- …show more content…
Although San Diego may not have been a success for the United States government, much of Connecticut was. In 2015, Connecticut made permanent housing for over 750 veterans (Quigley). Which may not be a whole lot in comparison to the total U.S. population, but even the smaller successes, are still