The Negative Effects of Homelessness in Portland
Majd Baghdadi
11132015
Independent Research Writing
Portland State University
Homelessness in Portland is a large issue. People who are homeless are affected in negative ways; crime involvement, which increase homeless arrest rates and affect hospital capacities based on the crime rate that some homeless make, and do crimes to avoid staying on the streets, health problems which affect the homeless by sharing needles for drug use and having sex with casual partners, and difficulties in reintegrating into a new life based on their low income and the economic conditions that make getting jobs for the homeless difficult.
Being on the streets for a long time can affect the homeless who commit crimes. For instance, stealing from stores or having problems with other homeless people or using weapons. Moreover, jobless or houseless can lead to a decrease in how they the value living. For some homeless people there are no instructions to follow for a successful life. “The average criminal history of the homeless had 4 times as many prior arrests for violence than the average history of domiciled arrestees“(Delis 2000). This means that some …show more content…
The article “HIV Risk Behavior” reports “42% [of homeless people] having shared needles at least once in the last 30 days”. In other words, the average number of homeless who are using drugs is high: 40% used cocaine, 43% used heroine, 25% used crack, and 23% use heroin and cocaine mixed (Song, et al 1999). The addition of using these types of drugs for a long time can cause several problems such as mental illness. Moreover, one of the biggest problems that some homeless have is sharing needles for drug injection in their bodies. Thus on lead those to many diseases and may kill them. In fact, the infection that the group of homeless in drug use get from using the same needle can cost them their
Majd Baghdadi
11132015
Independent Research Writing
Portland State University
Homelessness in Portland is a large issue. People who are homeless are affected in negative ways; crime involvement, which increase homeless arrest rates and affect hospital capacities based on the crime rate that some homeless make, and do crimes to avoid staying on the streets, health problems which affect the homeless by sharing needles for drug use and having sex with casual partners, and difficulties in reintegrating into a new life based on their low income and the economic conditions that make getting jobs for the homeless difficult.
Being on the streets for a long time can affect the homeless who commit crimes. For instance, stealing from stores or having problems with other homeless people or using weapons. Moreover, jobless or houseless can lead to a decrease in how they the value living. For some homeless people there are no instructions to follow for a successful life. “The average criminal history of the homeless had 4 times as many prior arrests for violence than the average history of domiciled arrestees“(Delis 2000). This means that some …show more content…
The article “HIV Risk Behavior” reports “42% [of homeless people] having shared needles at least once in the last 30 days”. In other words, the average number of homeless who are using drugs is high: 40% used cocaine, 43% used heroine, 25% used crack, and 23% use heroin and cocaine mixed (Song, et al 1999). The addition of using these types of drugs for a long time can cause several problems such as mental illness. Moreover, one of the biggest problems that some homeless have is sharing needles for drug injection in their bodies. Thus on lead those to many diseases and may kill them. In fact, the infection that the group of homeless in drug use get from using the same needle can cost them their