HOMELESSNESS

Homelessness

DEFINITION

Homelessness is the condition and social category of people who lack housing, because they cannot afford, or are otherwise unable to maintain, a regular, safe, and adequate shelter. A homeless child is a person under age 18 who is living in a shelter, motel, vehicle, campground, on the street, in sub-standard housing, or doubled-up with friends and relatives due to a lack of housing. Runaway, throw-away teens and abandoned children are also considered homeless.

HISTORY

In the 17th and 18th centuries, provided workhouses for the people who have no home. In the 1960s, the nature and growing problem of homelessness changed in England as public concern grew. The number of people started in the streets. 1970s, the deinstitutionalization of patients from state psychiatric hospitals was a precipitating factor which seeded the homeless population, especially in urban areas. In late 2009, some homeless advocacy organizations reported and published the problems of the people who have no home.

INTRODUCTION

Housing is a basic human need, yet the statistics of United Nations Commission on Human Rights in 2005 notes that, an estimated 100 million people -one-quarter of the world's population- live without shelter or in unhealthy and unacceptable conditions. Over 100 million people around the world have no shelter whatsoever. The health consequences of this level of homelessness are profound. The Action Aid in 2003 had found out that there were 78 million homeless people in India alone. CRY (Child Relief and You) in 2006 estimated that there are 11 million homeless children live on the street. The statistics are grim. What is worse is that very little is known of what it means to be part of such horrific numbers. A publicly supervised or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations (including welfare hotels, congregate shelters, and transitional housing for the mentally ill) or an institution that provides a temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized.

STATISTICS

With a population of well over 1 billion people, India is the second most populous nation in the world. According to UN-HABITAT, India is home to 63% of all slum dwellers in South Asia. This amounts to 170 million people, 17% of the world’s slum dwellers. India's per capita income, although rising, rank's it 124th in the world. This low per capita income is one factor that marks the sharp divide between India's wealthiest and poorest citizens. Approximately 35 percent of India's 260 million people (a group almost equal to the entire population of the United States) still earns $1 or less a day. And according to the United Nations, 70 million people earn less than $2 a day.

CHARACTERISTICS OF HOMELESSNESS

Factors Contributing to Homelessness

•           Lack of affordable housing and inadequate income supports

•           Changes in the industrial economy leading to unemployment 

•           The de-institutionalization of patients with mental health problems

•           Physical or mental illness

•           Disability and Substance abuse

•           Domestic violence and Job loss

Impact of Homelessness on Children

According to a report published by the United Nations, there are 150 million children aged three to 18 years on our streets today—and their numbers are growing fast. 40% of the world's street children are homeless, the other 60% work on the street to support their families. The UNICEF, World Health Organization (WHO) and several NGO's have got disputing figures in their account of street children. According to CRY(Child Relief and You) about 60 million Indian children under the age of 6 live below the poverty line. The problem has become particularly acute for homeless children, one-fifth of whom receive no education.

Reasons for Homelessness of Children

Children are abandoned, orphaned, or thrown out of their homes. They have no choice and finally end up on streets. It may be because of the mistreatment, neglect or that their homes do not or cannot provide them with even the basic necessities. Many children also work in the streets because their earnings are needed by their families. The reasons for these children's homelessness may be interlinked with social, economic, political, environmental causes or a combination of any of these. UNICEF defines street children as “children who work on the streets of urban areas, without reference to the time there or to the reasons for being there”.

1.      Family breakdown or Armed conflict

2.      Poverty and Famine

3.      Natural and man-made disasters

4.      Physical and sexual abuse

5.      Exploitation by adults

6.      Dislocation through migration

7.      Urbanization and overcrowding

8.      Acculturation

9.      HIV/AIDS

Problems faced by people who are homeless

The basic problem of homelessness is the need for personal shelter, warmth and safety. Other difficulties include:

• Personal security, quiet, and privacy, especially for sleeping
• Safekeeping of bedding, clothing and possessions
• Hygiene and sanitary facilities
• Cleaning and drying of clothes
• Obtaining, preparing and storing food in quantities
• Keeping contacts, without a permanent location or mailing address
• Hostility and legal powers against urban vagrancy.
• Reduced access to health care and dental services.
• Limited access to education. Increased risk of suffering from violence and abuse.
• General rejection or discrimination from other people.
• Loss of usual relationships with the mainstream
• Not being seen as suitable for employment.
• Reduced access to banking services
• Reduced access to communications technology
• Violent crimes  against people who are homeless

Impact of homelessness/ runaways on children

Homelessness influences every facet of a child’s life — from conception to young adulthood. The experience of homelessness inhibits the physical, emotional, cognitive, social, and behavioral development of children. Difficulties faced by homeless children include depression, low self-esteem, lack of sleep and nutrition and feelings of shame and embarrassment. These children are exposed to the harsher realities of life. They are seriously undergoing Sexual Abuse, Child Labour, Poor health, and addiction.

.CONCLUSION

 Homelessness and poverty are attached together. Poor people are not in a position to pay for housing, food, child care, health care, and education. To overcome the psychological and social problems of people without home the Government and NGO has to provide a half-way station for their fulfillment of basic needs or provides temporary housing for the certain segments of the homeless population, including working homeless and is set up to transition their residents into permanent, affordable housing. It's not in an emergency homeless shelter but usually a room or apartment in a residence with support services. The transitional time can be short, for example one or two years, and in that time the person must file for and get permanent housing and usually some gainful employment or income, even if Social Security or assistance.

Mahesh Palloor