According to Edward J. Martin, one of the leading causes of homelessness, in the United States, is the result of chronic mental health disorders which can cause severe mental illness in people (p.67). This is a huge factor of homelessness because the sufferer may not even know how to begin to help themselves. Additionally, those without a good support system, family, friends, professionals in the field, etc., they are left to fin for themselves and many end up on the streets. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, more than 124,000 – or one-fifth – of the 610,000 homeless people across the USA, suffer from a severe mental illness which include schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or severe depression (‘Mental disorders keep thousands of homeless on streets,’ n.d.).
The movie the Soloist, starring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr., is a great example of how mental illness can lead a person to homelessness. In the movie, you meet Nathaniel Ayers, a homeless and talented musician who suffers with schizophrenia. Nathaniel was a gifted violinist who was one of the few black students to attended Juilliard. How did he become homeless? The hallucinations and voices of in his head, kept him from living a successful life. One-quarter of the homeless were chronically homeless while one-third have a serious mental illness, mostly schizophrenia or bi-polar disorder (Martin, 2015). Comer states, that people who suffer from schizophrenia lose contact with reality and their ability to perceive and respond to the environment, becomes so disturbed, that they aren’t able to function at home, with friends, in school, or at work. (p.426)
Decline in public assistance is a big reason why homeless individuals stay homeless as well. The decline in public assistance or help from the government and even private sectors makes it hard for those in a homeless environment, to obtain resources to get back on their feet. States are spending money on other things and not the things that can help fix the homeless problem. As stated by Chokshi (2014):
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For the second straight fiscal year, public assistance was the only program with a net decline in spending, though that $590 million drop was largely related to California’s decision to move funding for public assistance outside its general fund, NASBO reports. The state saw a $337 million decline in spending on public assistance mostly due to the shifting of grant costs for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program—commonly referred to as welfare—from the state to counties, according to NASBO.In all, 12 states cut public assistance, which accounted for an estimated 3.1 percent of all state spending during the last fiscal year.
While there are a lot of people willing to assist regarding homelessness, there are also great programs that exists whose main goal is to help people get back on their feet. In particular, Impact West Georgia is making its mark on the matter with services they offer veterans, immigrants, and children. In my visits to the home, I saw firsthand how this Christian-based organization is helping give hope to a group of men, once down on their luck, feel hopeful again. Impact West Georgia was founded by Kathy, Darrell, and Tiffany Parsons to help homeless men get off the streets and regain their independence. I met with Susan Harper, a Transition Advocate at the home, who helped me understand what they do and the impact it is having on the residents.
Susan’s job for Impact is to assist and support the residents who are preparing to transition out the home. Susan showed me around the home that housed 12 men, who she was assisting to transition into independent living. Susan then explained to me how the home provides shelter, food, and other necessitates to them. She said, “Mostly everything for the home comes from in-kind donations from the community, with churches helping by providing food, and municipal authorities and businesses helping with rent.”
Impact helps residents get jobs and some of them are able to move out in their own living spaces. I asked Susan if some of the residents suffer with mental disorders and how do they assist these people. She informed me that yes some of them do have mental health problems when they enter the house but Impact does its best to offer support services to overcome barriers that can be stopping them from becoming independent. When I asked what she enjoys most about her job, Susan told me, “I love when they are able to provide for themselves and transition out of the house. When they finally get back on their feet and no longer need assistance I know I have done my job.”
There are too many people who live on the street and I believe the government, be it local, state, and federal, need to come together to create better options for homeless people. There are many issues that need to be addressed but having ones basic needs meet is a step in the right direction to try to end this major, major, problem. Everyone that’s homeless are not bad and frankly, don’t want to be in their current situation. Unfortunately, a great deal of people look down on the homeless, feeling like we all have the same opportunities. This is totally not true and one must realize that just because someone is homeless now, does not mean they weren’t once contributing to society. The economy and social factors are so unpredictable, that one day a person can be up, and the next day it can all come crumbling down.
I’m so passionate about this issue because in most cases, the homeless are treated horrendous. These people suffer with real mental issues that society is neglecting, “putting people away” is NOT the answer. The problem is deeper than them just living on the streets.I believe we need more programs like Impact West Georgia to help rehabilitate people and I’m sure that there will be a big change in the rate of homelessness. Some entities have gone so far as to use homeless spikes so that those who are victim to this matter cannot even sit or sleep in what we know to be public places. People turn their noses up and pass the homeless by on their way to work, school, and event, etc., but if they only knew the stories and the blight of the homeless, those passerby’s may be able to see this situation more vividly and may readily lend a helping hand. Before you just walk by that homeless man, woman, teenager, or even child asking for change, keep in mind that within a matter of seconds, the person staring back at you in the mirror could one day be homeless too.
