HOMELESSNESS

what is homelessness?

• Homelessness is a temporary condition that people fall into when they cannot afford to pay for a place to live, or when their current home is not safe or not stable

reasons people fall into homelessness:

• personal hardships
• job loss
• mental disabilities
• physical disabilities
• drug addiction

homelessness in the US

• in January, there was an estimated of 578,424 homeless people every night in the United States
• of those 578,424 people 216,197 were families

4 categories of homeless people

• chronically homelessness
• youth
• families
• veterans

chronically homeless

• means that you are an individual or family with a disabling condition who has been continuously homeless for a year or more or has had at least four periods of homelessness in the past three years
• the good thing is that now it is being seen less and less because it is finally being addressed and has dropped 21% since 2010.

homeless youth

• they usually become homeless due to parental neglect, abuse, or conflict
• There is little data found on homeless youth because they do not usually interact with the homeless assistance programs.
• To add to this issue a lot of the programs set up to aid the homeless are not given to minors making it harder for them to reach out for assistance.

HOMELESS FAMILIES

• Families make up 37% of the homeless population
• They become homeless for many unanticipated situations such as job loss, family deaths, etc.
• Of all the “categories” of homeless people, families are able to get back into a home and working faster.

homeless veterans

• Veterans find themselves homeless due to war related trauma such as loss of limbs or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
• Veterans make up nine percent of the homeless population and usually remain homeless unless preventive manners are taken before they become homeless

social justice teaching

• Option of the poor and dignity of work
• Catholic programs mainly address poverty by trying to find ways to reduce it and also participate in almsgiving by providing the needed resources to get out of poverty.
• I also see dignity of work in how these programs help the homeless.
• Dignity of work means that “the basic rights of workers must be respected--the right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, to the organization and joining of unions, to private property, and to economic initiative.”
• In my opinion this is seen because the programs make sure that once the homeless begin working again they are given fair wages and proper working conditions to ensure that they do not become chronically homeless.

VIDEO

works cited

• http://youtu.be/pJsiAz9qCmM
• "Catholic Community Services of Western Washington: Shelters and Homeless Services." Catholic Community Services of Western Washington: Shelters and Homeless Services. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2015.
• "Homelessness Defined." The Suitcase Clinic. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2015.
• "Snapshot of Homelessness." National Alliance to End Homelessness:. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2015.
• "The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers." The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2015.
• "What Is the Preferential Option for the Poor? - Aleteia." Aleteia: The News of the World from a Catholic Perspective. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2015.
• Windley-Daoust, Jerry., and Lorraine Kilmartin. Living Justice and Peace: Catholic Social Teaching in Practice. 2nd ed. Winona, Minn.: Saint Mary's Press, 2008.