Republic of the Philippines

Leyte Normal University

Tacloban City

CHAPTER 19:
HOMELESSNESS
Submitted by:
Rosales, Allondra O.
Sembrero, Luke Justine

Submitted to:
Mrs. Charie Ann Cabides – Padullo
 HOMELESSNESS
It is “the situation of an individual, family, or community without stable, safe,
permanent, appropriate housing, or the immediate prospect means and ability of
acquiring it.” It is important to note that this definition does not fully encompass
every experience of homelessness. There are different groups of people who are
affected differently, and every individual’s experience is unique. Homelessness is
not strictly an issue of housing instability.
It’s a public health problem. Without their own housing and the social status
to use restrooms in businesses or other public places, people who are homeless
often have to relieve themselves outside. They lack access to health care and often
have chronic illnesses, made worse by tough living conditions: sleeping outside in
all weather, eating cheap starchy foods, and being in close quarters at social
service agencies with other unhealthy people.
Homelessness is an economic problem. People without housing are high
consumers of public resources and generate expense, rather than income, for the
community. Additionally, it is bad for business and can be a deterrent to downtown
visitors.

Most importantly, homelessness is a human tragedy. Our own community

members live in tents and under bridges, vulnerable to inclement weather and
violence, stripped of dignity and our collective respect.

TYPES OF HOMELESSNESS

There are three types of homelessness – chronic, transitional, and episodic – which
can be defined as follows:

Chronic Homelessness

Persons most like the stereotyped profile of the “skid-row” homeless, who are
likely to be entrenched in the shelter system and for whom shelters are more like
long-term housing rather than an emergency arrangement. These individuals are
likely to be older, and consist of the “hard-core unemployed”, often suffering from
disabilities and substance abuse problems. Yet such persons represent a far
smaller proportion of the population compared to the transitionally homeless.

Transitional Homelessness
Transitionally homeless individuals generally enter the shelter system for
only one stay and for a short period. Such persons are likely to be younger, are
probably recent members of the precariously housed population and have become
homeless because of some catastrophic event, and have been forced to spend a
short time in a homeless shelter before making a transition into more stable
housing. Over time, transitionally homeless individuals will account for the majority
of persons experiencing homelessness given their higher rate of turnover.

Episodic Homelessness
Those who frequently shuttle in and out of homelessness are known as
episodically homeless. They are most likely to be young, but unlike those in
transitional homelessness, episodically homeless individuals often are chronically
unemployed and experience medical, mental health, and substance abuse
problems.
 CAUSES OF HOMELESSNESS
Homelessness is both the cause and effect of other problems, ranging from
chronic substance abuse, financial instability caused by unemployment or
underemployment, mental illness, domestic abuse, and more. Most often, it is a
complex set of circumstances, choices and traumas that lead a person to this point.

Poverty
Homelessness and poverty are inextricably linked. Poor people are
frequently unable to pay for housing, food, childcare, health care, and education.
Difficult choices must be made when limited resources cover only some of these
necessities.

Lack of Employment Opportunities

With unemployment rates remaining high, jobs are hard to find in the current
economy. Even if people can find work, this does not automatically provide an
escape from poverty. Reasons why homelessness persists include stagnant or
falling incomes and less secure jobs which offer fewer benefits.

Decline in Public Assistance

The declining value and availability of public assistance is another source of
increasing poverty and homelessness and many families leaving welfare struggle
to get medical care, food, and housing as a result of loss of benefits, low wages,
and unstable employment. Additionally, most states have not replaced the old
welfare system with an alternative that enables families and individuals to obtain
above-poverty employment and to sustain themselves when work is not available
or possible.
Domestic Violence
Battered women who live in poverty are often forced to choose between
abusive relationships and homelessness.

Mental Illness
Serious mental illnesses disrupt people’s ability to carry out essential
aspects of daily life, such as self-care and household management. Mental
illnesses may also prevent people from forming and maintaining stable
relationships or cause people to misinterpret others’ guidance and react
irrationally. This often results in pushing away caregivers, family, and friends who
may be the force keeping that person from becoming homeless.

Addiction Disorders
The relationship between addiction and homelessness is complex and
controversial. While rates of alcohol and drug abuse are disproportionately high
among the homeless population, the increase in homelessness over the past two
decades cannot be explained by addiction alone. Many people who are addicted
to alcohol and drugs never become homeless, but people who are poor and
addicted are clearly at increased risk of homelessness.
 EFFECTS OF HOMELESSNESS Commercial and
Residential
The appearance creates a litany of warning signs to the potential customers
of businesses in the downtown areas and even more often, a perception of crime
based on fear and poorly discarded drug paraphernalia. Often, this sight can push
away potential customers locally, and more importantly investors looking to create
a new market for those potential customers. Potential investors and land owners
are also now operating at a loss from ownership of these areas, as property values
have lowered due to the sight of homeless individuals and the improvised shelters
relatively close to the commercial and residential zones. These shelters are
necessary for the individual homeless but act as a deterrent to most investors and
customers alike. Consequentially, the homeless population can lower local
business revenue, due to general fear and disgust that has become a mainstay
attitude of the affluent. Homes and land lose value and cause an economic
downswing in the market. Often, pushing people, ironically, to homelessness, an
end to this cycle needs to manifest itself.

Tourism
Tourism is also affected by homelessness. People are less inclined to tour
an area that seems “rundown” due to a fear of an increased crime rate and large
drug use population. People are also less likely to visit due to higher crime rates
(often associated with homeless, which also attributes to larger budgetary needs
to fund law enforcement and cleanup crews) and the potential to be hassled for
money. Most of us can only sympathize so much before we just avoid the area all
together, thus creating a potential to scare away new and old business. This
directly correlates to a decline in profits from local businesses and because of all
these factors, contributes to declining land values.

Environment
With ease of access and availability, public areas have become havens for those
who cannot find appropriate shelter. Encampments or communal shelters have
become a massive threat to the environment. Not only to the Earth but also to those
living the areas. Litter is a commonality found anywhere you look. Highways,
streets, parks, etc. are used as garbage cans for the homeless and those with
homes. However, homeless waste is usually left within the area for much longer,
as encampments are usually long standing structures near waterways and of
course parks.
These encampments are quite often made from anything that can provide
adequate structure. The problem continues to rise as more and more people
occupy these shelters. For example, the ocean, sea or bays, is not only a tourist
destination but also a source of clean, natural water for the public. However, it has
now become a loitering zone for the impoverished. It has served as a homeless
bathing area and because of the large supply of free, clean water has become a
common spot to congregate, especially during hot weather months. It also has an
impact on the economy, as many privately owned small businesses near the well
are seeing customers driven off by the fear for their personal safety and/or
persistent begging that occurs. This creates the potential not only for
environmental destruction but also a raise in diseases that may affect all residents
of the area. The trash and other material waste going into water reservoirs and
non-biodegradables polluting topsoil.
Health
The people residing to those places and the homeless are also affected by the
various diseases, but more appropriately climate change has created more
potential health problems for the homeless. Afflictions that may directly affect the
homeless population linked to climate change include but are not limited to the
following: Extreme heat, rain and cold may cause weather specific illness like heat
stroke and hypothermia. The torrential downpours and moist atmosphere with
improper footwear can also cause fungal infections, previously only seen
commonly in war time scenarios e.g. trench foot, jungle rot. Declining weather
conditions may also exacerbate previous, typically non-life threatening illness like
the cold/flu.

HOMELESSNESS IN URBAN AND RURAL AREAS

We often think of homelessness as an issue limited to big cities. In reality,

homelessness does not discriminate, and occurs in all geographic contexts – from
urban centres, to the suburbs, and in rural regions.
Homelessness in rural regions often goes unnoticed because it is largely
“hidden”, unlike the more visible and broadly-researched street homelessness in
urban centers. Fortunately, more and more research is being done in these
regions. For instance, PiT Counts in Yellowknife and Brandon have been
successful in enumerating and surveying the service needs of the local homeless
population to inform systems planning in their respective regions.

1. Access and relevance of services and resources In larger cities, it is more

common to find individuals “sleeping rough” on the streets, panhandling, or relying
on the available social services and supports nearby. Due to a smaller population
size and the nature of hidden homelessness in rural regions, services are scarce.
What’s more, funding towards building much needed social infrastructure is
significantly lacking, as government allocated resources are often population-
based. This means that funding for social services are usually concentrated to
major urban centers.
Due to this lack of services, many people who are homeless in rural
communities rely more on informal networks such as couch surfing with family and
friends or look to neighbors for help. In cases of domestic violence that
disproportionately affect women and children, emergency shelters are often
inaccessible to those needing to flee unsafe situations, forcing individuals to return
to an abusive partner for shelter.
In addition to a lack of services overall, services catered to marginalized
populations (e.g. LGBTQ2S people, Indigenous Peoples, women) and their distinct
lived experiences are essentially non-existent. Rural homelessness
disproportionately affects women and children.

2. Indigenous Peoples
More than 50% of Indigenous Peoples live in metropolitan regions, and yet
Indigenous Peoples still make up the largest share of the population. Although the
extent to which Indigenous Peoples experience homelessness in rural regions is
unknown, we do know that Indigenous Peoples experience homelessness across
places disproportionate to their population size. For Indigenous populations
experiencing homelessness in rural regions, not only are services scarce, but also
often fail to provide a culturally safe space. One reason, among several, explaining
the increased migration of Indigenous Peoples from rural to urban regions is the
lack of culturally safe services and housing available locally.

3. Transportation
Another challenge is access to transportation. To access resources such as
food banks, emergency shelters, and health services, people experiencing
homelessness in rural areas may have to travel far distances due to the sparse
geographic layout. Because of this, transportation can become a barrier for those
without cars in rural settings. Public transportation systems can also be unreliable
in rural regions, making the process of travelling far for resources unrealistic.

4. Lack of Privacy
The small community-feel of some rural areas can help foster close social
ties, while also implicating a lack of privacy. Due to a smaller population size, those
who live in rural areas are more likely to know whose experiencing homelessness,
resulting in stigmatization. This is problematic as stigma often acts as a barrier to
obtaining housing. For instance, landlords may be reluctant to rent to individuals
experiencing or who have experienced homelessness.

5. Rural Economy and Housing

As mentioned, rural regions have few housing options available. This
scarcity is compounded by an influx of migrating workers and tourists to rural
regions, contributing to an increase in housing prices. As a result, locals at a lower
income level are frequently left with no other option than to settle for houses that
are unfit for human habitation. The term relative homelessness has been used to
describe individuals who are housed but who reside in substandard shelter (e.g.
mould, poor heating, no insulation), and/or who may be at risk of losing their
homes. Due to the inadequacy of their living arrangements, these individuals are
considered to be in need of core housing. The types of jobs that rural economies
tend to rely on also differ from those found in the city. At times of economic boom,
often in manufacturing and oil jobs, many rural towns experience a rush of migrant
workers, thus increasing the demand for housing.
REFERENCES

Eitzen, D., and Timmer D. (1992). The Root Causes of Urban Homelessness.
Retrieved on February 12, 2020 from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/
10.1177/016059769201600204&ved=2ahUKEwinwpz598vnAHWHF4gKHQJvBX
YQFjAKegQIBRAC&usg=AOvVaw1fmr9ZuAxkHYdAuXyR6D6Y

Johnson, C. (2006). Socio-economic and Environmental Impact of Homelessness

in Olympia Washington. Retreved on February 12, 20202 from
https://www.co.pierce.wa.us./DocumentCenter/View/44599/Impacts-of
Homelessness-in-Olympia%3Fbidld%3D&ved=2ahUKEwjKr9vG98vnAhUIM94K
HaV3A-8QFjAAegQIAxAB&usg=AOvVaw280gBZJkI0KqkgpqyVBUGS

https://www.homelesshub.ca/blog/how-rural-homelessness-different-
urbanhomelessness https://www.solutionsfdl.com/resources/what-causes-

homelessness/ https://online.campbellsville.edu/social-work/factors-that-cause-
homelessness/ https://nationalhomeless.org/about-homelessness/