The United States has a lengthy history of homelessness that could be dated back to as early as the arrival of European settlers arriving to the New World with very little or nothing at all. Though there have been variations in the characteristics of the homeless population over time and throughout the United States short history, the constant drift of people forced into homelessness suggests there is a structural flaw in our society that ensures the continuation of this problem. Early attempts at identifying the causes of homelessness simply dismissed its reasons as nothing more than a moral failing on the part of the person experiencing it. American authors writing during the late
Nineteenth century constructed numerous typologies of "homeless" men, largely differentiating among hoboes, tramps, and vagrants (Bassuk & Franklin, 1992).
Between 1890 and 1930, the U.S. …show more content…
Middle-class families were forced into living paycheck to paycheck, working-class families fought to find work and pay bills, and the already poor often fell into destitution and homelessness. Pervasive distress during the Great Depression, conversely, led to local and national developments that generated a welfare state, creating a safety net, such as the Social Security Act, for future generations of U.S. citizens. The 1964 passage of the Economic Opportunity Act initiates a national War on Poverty, a number of community action programs receive funding through this legislation. Despite an overall improvement in economic conditions, the decline in manufacturing and reduction in welfare payments in the 1970s forced even more individuals and families into homelessness. During the 1980s Reagan administration budget cuts and overhaul of tax codes led to an explosion of homelessness in the U.S. The 1990s brought new policies addressing the housing and homelessness crisis, to include the National Affordable Housing Act and the
Nineteenth century constructed numerous typologies of "homeless" men, largely differentiating among hoboes, tramps, and vagrants (Bassuk & Franklin, 1992).
Between 1890 and 1930, the U.S. …show more content…
Middle-class families were forced into living paycheck to paycheck, working-class families fought to find work and pay bills, and the already poor often fell into destitution and homelessness. Pervasive distress during the Great Depression, conversely, led to local and national developments that generated a welfare state, creating a safety net, such as the Social Security Act, for future generations of U.S. citizens. The 1964 passage of the Economic Opportunity Act initiates a national War on Poverty, a number of community action programs receive funding through this legislation. Despite an overall improvement in economic conditions, the decline in manufacturing and reduction in welfare payments in the 1970s forced even more individuals and families into homelessness. During the 1980s Reagan administration budget cuts and overhaul of tax codes led to an explosion of homelessness in the U.S. The 1990s brought new policies addressing the housing and homelessness crisis, to include the National Affordable Housing Act and the