The Homeless in the U.S.

Sociologists agree that homelessness involves more than merely not having a roof over one's head. Albeit the lack of a stable residence is an important component of this definition. For people in extreme poverty, the lack of a domicile is a fluctuating phenomenon. Only a small proportion of this segment of the population are homeless for long periods, however. Most succeed in making precarious residential arrangements for extended periods, then find themselves back on the streets again: "A life of extreme poverty is one of extreme vulnerability" (Rossi, 1989, p. 9).

Homelessness implies a broad lack of material and social supports. A person living in temporary shelter is a person who suffers displacement. These people generally cannot receive mail or maintain contact with family and friends. Cherished possessions that link a person to his or her environment are often lost in the s

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. Throughout history, people have tried to help the needy in society but public provision for the poor in the United States was strongly influenced by the Poor Laws of England. These laws were punitive toward recipients of public charity. In general, those who needed public assistance were stigmatized, and their poverty was viewed as abnormal and temporary. Distinctions were made between the local homeless (families or individuals who had experienced hard times) and the transient homeless. The transient homeless "were believed to be homeless out of choice for an irresponsible life-style" (Rossi, 1989a, p. 6). In colonial America, transients became residents by petitioning the selectmen for residency at town meetings. Naturally, those who could prove that they would not become a tax burden on the community improved their chances of being accepted. Newcomers who could not support themselves were generally ordered to leave town: "There thus arose a kind of transient poor, shunted from community to community because in place after place they were denied settlement rights" (Rossi, 1989, p. 17). Those who were forced to leave town probably coped with the situation by becoming squatters on unused land. Other homeless people
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Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page)

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