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Social Justice and the Homeless Population

By Mindy Valenti

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Background Homeless: An individual who lacks housing

including an individual whose primary residence during the night is a supervised public or private facility that provides temporary living accommodations, and an individual who is a resident in transitional housing.

Effects a wide variety of demographics. Families with children are the fastest growing homeless population (Rabiner & Weiner, 2012).

2.3 to 3.5 million individuals in the United States alone face homelessness annually (Cronley, 2010).

Cause of homelessness› Structure problems vs individual problems

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Tent City USA

Trailer:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_J0vps63twU

Full documentary (if interested in watching):

http://www.hulu.com/watch/555563

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Tent City USA

Since of community and hope. Homeless to flight homelessness. Problems with the current system:

› Lack of community support.› Missions.› Commission boards providing poor

advancement.› Temporary or respite housing.

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Mark Horvath

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0DYgHY21FY

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Mark Horvath

Social media. Single actions and one person can

make a difference. Stigma vs reality

› A single set back can result in homelessness.

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Housing

A right vs individual responsibility› McKinney Act of 1987

Housing problems› Inadequate affordable and temporary

housing› Missions can be dehumanizing

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Health Care 57% of homeless individuals in the United

States lack health insurance (Hwang et al., 2010).› Medicare

High rates of acute and chronic disease Reasons for not seeking health care:

› Competing priorities› Transportation› Feeling stigmatized› Discontinuity of care› Education› Poor diet

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What can be done Teaching Increase job placement programs and

respite housing Food stamps, Supplemental Security

Income (SSI), and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)› SSI/SSDI Outreach Access and Recovery

(SOAR) Increasing preventative care access

› Patient navigators

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ReferencesCronley, C. (2010). Unraveling the Social Construction of Homelessness. Journal Of Human Behavior In The Social Environment, 20(2), 319-333.

General Information. (n.d.). National Health Care for the Homeless Council. Retrieved June 10, 2014, from http://www.nhchc.org/resources/general-information/

Horvath, M. (2012, July 27). Mark Horvath at TEDx SkidRow. YouTube. Retrieved June 10, 2014, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0DYgHY21FY

Hwang, S., Ueng, J., Chiu, S., Kiss, A., Tolomiczenko, G., Cowan, L., & ... Redelmeier, D. (2010). Universal health insurance and health care access for homeless persons. American Journal Of Public Health, 100(8), 1454-1461. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2009.182022

National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty - Housing Rights Overview. (n.d.). National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty - Housing Rights Overview. Retrieved June 10, 2014, from http://www.nlchp.org/housing

Rabiner, M., & Weiner, A. (2012). Health Care for Homeless and Unstably Housed: Overcoming Barriers. Mount Sinai Journal Of Medicine, 79(5), 586-592. doi:10.1002/msj.21339

Tent City U.S.A. - Trailer - OWN Documentary Club - Oprah Winfrey Network. (2012, September 17). YouTube. Retrieved June 10, 2014, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_J0vps63twU