Homes for the Homeless Essay example -- Sociology, Homelessness

Homelessness is a major health issue around the world that needs to be addressed. Many individuals in a community often misinterpret the cause of homelessness. Comments towards homeless people such as â€Å"get a job† or â€Å"go to school† often are used freely by members of soci-ety because they fail to look at the comprehensive of this oppressing issue. Homelessness has a strong link to the determinants of health (DOH), most notably income and social status (Fingfeld, 2010). The article, â€Å"No Funding for Homes for the Homeless† speaks on the issue of homeless-ness within the city of Prince Albert. Furthermore, the article illustrates that homelessness is a community issue not solely an individual issue. Therefore, this paper will discuss the issue of homelessness within Prince Albert and propose a plan of action for the community to see the â€Å"bigger picture† and address this issue utilizing a critical social approach. Homelessness The term homelessness can be used to recognize individuals and families living outdoors, in need of â€Å"core housing,† in emergency hostels, in shelters, and who are precariously being housed (Crowe, 2008). Stats Canada’s 2006 census found that 19,630 people in Canada are being housed in a shelter at any given time (as cited in Stuart et al., 2008). The most common homeless individuals are males aged 35 to 64 with an overrepresentation of Aboriginals (Stats Canada as cited in Stuart et al., 2008; Begin et al. as cited in Stuart et al. 2008). Crowe (2008) explains that homelessness is an emergency in almost all Canadian communities and that a ma-jority of communities are struggling with the same problems including an increasing number of homeless families, shortage of shelter space, concern about the ... ...Haradon, & Phinney, 2008). Therefore, if the government works with programs like the homes for the homeless in the community homeless rates will be de-creased within the city. Conclusion All in all, homelessness is a growing issue and requires social action to overcome the inequities. A nurse has the ability to help decrease inequities in society by working at an indi-vidual, community, and political level. CST can be used as a framework to target the issue and work with the homeless population. Many variables influence homelessness therefore a multi-factorial approach is required to produce a positive outcome. Further, taking into account the determinants of health, the underlying cause of an individual’s homelessness will be determined. Homelessness is an issue that affects the entire community, and should be addressed in a profes-sional manner.