Issues In Urban Community

Issues Found in Urban Communities During the interviews with all three individuals, I ask them what they believe are the primary issues that they have either witnessed or experienced from their community. From the interviews I have concluded that there are three distinct themes that affects urban living: crime, poverty, and homelessness. Among some other issues the interviewees discussed include the cost of living, youth recreation activities, and how the city spent funds. In urban communities there is still a fear of crime, although there are statistical data indicating that in the past twenty years crimes rates have decreased by 42.5 percent (Deller, 2009, p. 121). Ms. Jacobus has had her vehicle stolen and vandalized and has been a …show more content…
136). All three interviewees explained the high numbers of homeless people they encounter daily when traveling. Ms. Jacobus describes that she will occasionally give money to homeless people when she can spare a couple of dollars (Lori Jacobus, personal communities, September 4, 2015). As for Mr. Marion he has seen many homeless people, but also many con-artists whom pretend to be homeless. One incident he recently experienced in the last few week was when he witness on his lunch break and he noticed a homeless across the street. After receiving some money from some people, the man gets up and gets into a newer vehicle. According to a waitress in the restaurant, the man was there for a couple hours and quite a few people stopped to give him money (Frances Marion, personal communication, September 9, 2015). Mrs. Matthews states that she has a great insight of the homeless population from volunteering at her church’s weekly soup kitchen (Sarah Matthews, personal communication, September 16, 2015). Many who are homeless are men and veterans who have mental problems and many have arrest records. O’Connor (2006) states that mental illness and substance abuse are the most common deficiencies associated with homelessness and is rarely a choice (p. 239). With the increasing numbers of homeless …show more content…
Ms. Jacobus explains that she enjoys living in the city and enjoys the multiple recreations that are minutes away. Hospitals, transportation, and schools are convenient and are sufficient. She does hope to get a better apartment that would be closer to family, but cannot imagine living anywhere else (Lori Jacobus, personal communities, September 4, 2015). Mr. Marion does find urban living appealing and believes that community resources are adequate from what he has experienced. He states that when his job ends, which will be within the next six months, he will return to Alabama and move on to the next job (Frances Marion, personal communication, September 9, 2015). Mrs. Matthews states that she enjoys living in Mobile and could not see herself living anywhere else. She believes that Mobile offers acceptable resources for her needs, but thinks there should be more revitalization in downtown Mobile (Sarah Matthews, personal communication, September 16,