Homeless Persons Expert Answer

Through individual observation over the years, I have observed the number of homeless people is increasing. When I think about who homeless people are, I think about the people who sleep in the streets, people living in their cars, or people living with friends or family due to lack of their own houses. Although people living with friends are difficult to see or account for their lives, those living in the streets are more visible. I think of these people as individuals experiencing some challenges in life which could include domestic violence, poverty, drug and substance abuse or mental illness. I have seen people on the streets borrowing food because of poverty and others eating from bins due to mental illness. Moreover, I have witnessed a person living in a car after a life of constant violence at home. When I see individuals experiencing these social hardships, I believe they need our help as individuals, government, and non-governmental organizations. Since nobody would enjoy life in the street, living in a car or seeking accommodation from friends, society has a collective responsibility to improve their status.

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My beliefs are informed by what I witness in our society and what the media feeds us. While walking on the street, I encounter homeless people and try to interact with them. By treating them well and offering little support, some speak out about their experiences. Although it is difficult to validate the truth about the narratives they give, it appears that most of them are on the street due to poverty. One day I met a young man asking for a token to buy food. When I asked him what led to him being on the streets, he said that he lost his job and he had not gotten any other job for over eight months. Another factor influencing my belief that homeless person is victims of circumstance is the media. Although mainstream media feature stories about homeless persons, social media is an important source of information. People share stories about their friends and relative who get lost due to mental illness such as depression or drug addiction. In some cases, these people are food sleeping in the streets or abandoned houses and garages.

Getting access to such stories has not only changed my perception about homeless people but also improved my desire to work with this vulnerable population. Sometimes, people think that homeless people are lazy since the majority of them are in good health and energetic. This leads us to form stereotypes and prejudice without understanding their circumstances. A significant change in my thinking that relates to homeless people is not to prejudge them or perceive them as lazy. Firstly, the diversity of factors that lead to their homelessness can affect anyone. For example, anyone can fall victim to mental illness or financial challenges. Even though we seem to have financial security, disasters can happen that can leave us devastated and lose every possession and we find ourselves in a similar situation. Sometimes I think about people who are homeless due to their refugee status. Even people who had a sedentary life run away from their country during conflicts to become asylum seekers in other countries. Therefore, I have come to realize that we are all susceptible to homelessness in one way or the other.

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I imagine that people experiencing homelessness have more than the housing problem. In most cases, these people have depression due to the life they live or past experiences that led them to homelessness. I imagine someone who had a good life by layoff at the workplace and subsequent lack of employment led them to homelessness. Another example is that of a homeless person due to a natural disaster. These people need psychiatric therapy and assistance to help them cope with stress and depression. On the other hand, homeless people with drug abuse and addiction need special handling to help them join rehabilitation centers or receive appropriate services to stop the behavior. Due to these challenges, I require additional social working skills to deal with people with depression and drug abuse as well as individuals who have lost hope or phobia due to domestic violence. These skills include assessing the client’s needs, referral to specialist services, record keeping, and liaising with appropriate organizations. While working with this population, the job will provide opportunities to enhance my professional experience including teamwork, communication, resourcefulness, and networking with organizations that provide help for the homeless. However, I believe I will face challenges related to meeting the basic needs of the homeless person before integrating them into a recovery or rehabilitation center. Resistance from the population due to fear of change and unknown will cause a challenge. Therefore, I should develop my negotiation skills to understand and convince my clients about the benefits of any proposed program.