Homeless Population Disaster in the Community
Week 7 lecture and discussion questions
Homeless Population
Disaster in the Community
Review the attached PowerPoint presentations. Once done, answer the following questions.
Identify and discuss the major health problems among the various homeless aggregates in your community.
Mention and discuss three factors that contribute to homelessness and how it affects your community
Mention and discuss the stages of disaster management.
Discuss the impact of disasters on a community.
As stated in the syllabus, present your assignment in an APA format word document, APA required font attached to the forum in the discussion tab of the blackboard titled “Week 7 discussion questions” and the SafeAssign exercise in the assignment tab of the blackboard which is a mandatory requirement. A minimum of 2 evidence-based references (besides the class textbook) no older than five years must be used.
A minimum of 800 words are required and not exceeding 1,000 words (excluding the first and reference page). Please make sure to follow the instructions as given and use either spell-check or Grammarly before you post your assignment.
Chapter 22
Homeless Populations
Copyright © 2015, 2011, 2007, 2001, 1997, 1993 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc.
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Recent Efforts to Count Homeless
Homeless Information Management System (HMIS)
Directed by Congress to gather homeless data
Continuum of Care (CoC) concept
One-night point-in-time (PIT) count
Annual estimate based on reports of service use
A “snapshot” picture of the homeless population
National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
U.S. Conference of Mayors
Copyright © 2015, 2011, 2007, 2001, 1997, 1993 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc.
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Defining Homelessness
ETHOS perspective: Home has three domains:
Physical—adequate dwelling for which a person/family has exclusive possession
Social—being able to maintain privacy and enjoy relations
Legal—having exclusive possession, security of occupation, and legal title to occupation
ETHOS = European Typology of Homelessness and Housing Exclusion
– European Federation of National Associations
Working with the Homeless (2011)
Copyright © 2015, 2011, 2007, 2001, 1997, 1993 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc.
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Defining Homelessness (Cont.)
ETHOS Types of Living Situations
Rooflessness
Houselessness
Insecure housing
Inadequate housing
Copyright © 2015, 2011, 2007, 2001, 1997, 1993 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc.
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Defining Homelessness (Cont.)
Canadian Homelessness Research Network (2012) defined four major categories based on ETHOS:
Unsheltered
Emergency sheltered
Provisionally accommodated
At risk of homelessness
Copyright © 2015, 2011, 2007, 2001, 1997, 1993 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc.
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HUD Legal Definitions in the United States
Category 1. Literally Homeless. Individuals and families who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence and includes a subset for an individual who resided in an emergency shelter or a place not meant for human habitation and who is exiting an institution where he or she temporarily resided
Copyright © 2015, 2011, 2007, 2001, 1997, 1993 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc.
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HUD Legal Definitions in the United States (Cont.)
Category 2. Imminent Risk of Homeless. Individuals and families who will imminently lose their primary nighttime residence
Category 3. Homeless Under Other Federal Statutes. Unaccompanied youth and families with children and youth who are defined as homeless under other federal statutes who do not otherwise qualify as homeless under this definition
Copyright © 2015, 2011, 2007, 2001, 1997, 1993 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc.
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HUD Legal Definitions in the United States (Cont.)
Category 4. Fleeing/Attempting to Flee Domestic Violence (DV). Individuals and families who are fleeing, or are attempting to flee, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or other dangerous or life-threatening conditions that relate to violence against the individual or a family member.
– U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development,
Office of Community Planning and Development (December 5, 2011)
Copyright © 2015, 2011, 2007, 2001, 1997, 1993 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc.
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Definition of Homeless Student
McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Improvements Act of 2001 ensures that each child and each homeless youth has equal access to the same free, appropriate public education, including a public preschool education, as provided to other children and youths.
Includes children and youth who are:
Sharing the housing of other persons (frequently referred to as “doubling up”)
Abandoned in hospitals
Awaiting foster care placement
– U.S. Department of Education (2001)
Copyright © 2015, 2011, 2007, 2001, 1997, 1993 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc.
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DHHS Definition of Homelessness
Runaway Youth is “. . . a person under 18 years of age who absents himself or herself from home or place of legal residence without the permission of his or her family”
Homeless Youth is “. . .a person under 18 years of age who is in need of services and without a place of shelter where he or she receives supervision and care”
– U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
Administration for Children & Families, Family and Youth Service Bureau (2012)
Copyright © 2015, 2011, 2007, 2001, 1997, 1993 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc.
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Prevalence of Homelessness
Point-In-Time (PIT) count of sheltered homeless people on a single night in late January of every year and submit this data to HUD—use data to prepare an Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR)
Department of Education includes youth and families for services through Education for Homeless Children and Youth (ECHY) program
Conference of Mayors’ Hunger & Homelessness Survey gathers data for their cities each year
Copyright © 2015, 2011, 2007, 2001, 1997, 1993 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc.
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Copyright © 2015, 2011, 2007, 2001, 1997, 1993 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc.
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Table 22-1
PIT Estimates of Homeless People January 2012
Population Sheltered & Unsheltered Single Night January 2012 Change Years
Households
Individuals 394,379 -6.8% 2007-2012
Families with children 239,403 -3.7% 2007-2012
Total 633,782 -5.7% 2007-2012
Subpopulations
Veterans 62,619 -17.2% 2009-20123
Chronically homeless 99,894 -19.3% 2007-2012
Estimates of Homelessness, Retrieved September 2013 from http://abtassociates.com/CMSPages/GetFile.aspx?guid =77fdb6fa-6e6b-4524-8b5a-8e68c68caca9.
We would be wise . . . to avoid the numbers game. Any search for the “right number” carries the assumption that we may at last arrive at an acceptable number. There is no acceptable number. Whether the number is 1 million or 4 million . . . there are too many homeless people in America.
– Kozol (1988)
Copyright © 2015, 2011, 2007, 2001, 1997, 1993 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc.
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Demographic Characteristics
Based on Jan 2010-2011 reports on homeless:
More men than women
Women head up more single families
Younger than general population
Minorities were overrepresented
Disability rate twice that of all families
Veterans were primarily male
– U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Community Planning and Development (2008)
Copyright © 2015, 2011, 2007, 2001, 1997, 1993 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc.
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Factors That Contribute to Homelessness
Shortage of affordable housing
Income insufficient to meet basic needs
Inadequate and scarce support services
Note: Factors contribute to homelessness rather than cause homelessness.
Copyright © 2015, 2011, 2007, 2001, 1997, 1993 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc.
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HHS Homeless Services
Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) and FQHC Look-A-Likes
Provide services to generally underserved populations (low income)
Health Care for the Homeless
Provide primary health care and substance abuse services to homeless populations
Copyright © 2015, 2011, 2007, 2001, 1997, 1993 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc.
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Health Status of Homeless Adults
Homeless population experience morbidity rates that are higher than those occurring in comparable groups in the general population.
Acute physical health problems (including respiratory and trauma)
Chronic disorders and poor dentition
Mental illness and minor emotional problems
Alcohol and drug use
Copyright © 2015, 2011, 2007, 2001, 1997, 1993 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc.
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Health Status: Homeless Women
Higher rates of pregnancy (often unintended) with higher preterm births and low-birth-weight infants
More stressful life events, foster care as children, IPV as adults, hospitalization for psychiatric issues
History of violence from childhood to adulthood
High risk for physical and sexual victimization
Women veterans:
Being unemployed, disabled, or unmarried strongly predict homelessness
Many report history of military sexual trauma
Copyright © 2015, 2011, 2007, 2001, 1997, 1993 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc.
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Health Status: Homeless Families
Histories of chronic physical and mental health conditions, substance abuse, victimization, and low education and job training of adults are also risk factors for compromised caregiver-child relations
Impact on children:
Affect children’s educational achievements
Missing days of school repeat grades
Risk of nonacceptance or teasing
Copyright © 2015, 2011, 2007, 2001, 1997, 1993 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier Inc.
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Health Status: Homeless Youth
Unintended pregnancy
STDs, physical/sexual abuse, skin disorders, anemia, drug/alcohol abuse, unintentional injuries
Depression; suicidal ideation; disorders of behavior, personality, or thought
Family disruption; school failures; prostitution or “survival sex”; involvement with the legal system
Social health…
