Shaylie Green Information Effect

Shaylie Green February 19, 2019 ENGL 2010 The Homelessness Crisis

Each year, approximately 554,000 Americans are left homeless: drifting from place to place, in and out of shelters (US Homeless, 2017). We see them on busy street corners, their tattered cardboard signs pleading for our help. They sit outside our favorite restaurants, hoping an understanding employee will give them an incorrectly made order, instead of throwing it out. Day to day, we are surrounded by the homeless, yet we incredibly misunderstand who they are, and how they got to be where they are. In 2017, a survey was given by the World Economic Forum, asking millennials their opinions of the homeless, and how they got to be in their situation. The overwhelming response was that the homeless are not only lazy, but also a danger to the general public (Dittmeier K, 2018). Other common misconceptions include the idea that the homeless are unwilling to find jobs, or that their situation is generally caused by substance abuse. In Salt Lake City, this idea is

further solidified by billboards scattering the freeways, with ominous taglines such as “Support panhandlers, and you support drug trafficking.” Society has effectively painted a picture of the homeless, based on what we believe, or what we perceive from the outside. But is this an accurate picture of who they really are?

WHO ARE THE HOMELESS? Despite the mental picture we may paint of the homeless population, they come from many different situations, backgrounds, and demographics. The homeless range from those suffering from addiction, war veterans, to single mothers fleeing with their children from an abusive relationship. In fact, in 2003, children under the age of 18 made up 39% of the homeless population, with nearly half being under the age of 5 (Who is Homeless, 2007). Homelessness is sparked a wide variety of events, such as the loss of a loved one, unmanageable medical bills, divorce, depression, or a physical disability (Top Causes, n.d.). It’s also important to recognize that homelessness is not always chronic. Many people that we work with, that exist in our social circles, and that we talk to day-to-day have experienced at least temporary homelessness. USA Today recently estimated that 1.6 million Americans used some sort of homeless shelter or transitional housing at one point during the year (How Many, n.d.). That is nearly 1 million more than we consider to be “chronically homeless.” So what makes the difference between those who are able to experience a night or two without shelter, versus the hundreds of thousands who have become stuck in a cycle of

chronic homelessness? Of course, there’s not just one answer to this question, but there are a few factors that greatly increase the likelihood.

HOMELESSNESS & MENTAL ILLNESS According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, approximately 20– 25% of those currently homeless struggle with some sort of severe mental illness—the most common being bipolar disorder or depression (Mental Illness, 2009). A mental illness of this severity can be extremely detrimental to a person’s ability to perform work tasks and regular daily functions. It greatly increases the likelihood of a person falling below the poverty line, and into homelessness with any sort of financial stress of obligations. In turn, the traumatic experiences that are often attached with homelessness can greatly exacerbate symptoms of mental illness—leading to an inability to find a job, or cope with the situation (Homelessness, 2019). Often, people who didn’t start their homeless journey with a substance abuse disorder develop one in order to cope. A vicious cycle begins, a cycle nearly impossible to break for a person struggling with such severe disorders. In addition, poor mental health often leads to poor physical health. Without access to proper hygiene, it’s common for the homeless to develop staph infections, or much more serious diseases such as HIV or AIDS (Mental Illness, 2009). These “undesirable traits” make it nearly impossible for them to find work, even a minimum wage. A vicious cycle begins, a cycle nearly impossible to break free from.

POVERTY, HOMELESSNESS & HOUSING Another major factor in chronic homelessness is the lack of affordable housing in the Salt Lake area. Many think that if a homeless person can stay in a shelter for free A crowd of homeless Utahans gather outside the Salt Lake Rescue Mission.

temporarily, while they save to rent an affordable apartment, they should be able to eventually improve their situation, right? Well, not exactly. Based on the factors discussed earlier, many who experience homelessness are unable to get more than a minimum-wage job. The federal definition of affordable housing shows that rent would take up approximately 30% of an earners income. By that definition, for a homeless person working minimum wage to live in “affordable” housing, they would need to be working approximately 89 hours a week—a request that is nearly impossible, particularly for the group at hand (Who Is Homeless, 2007).

CONCLUSION While the homelessness crisis in Salt Lake can’t be fixed in a day, we can work toward a solution by correcting misconceptions, and addressing the real issues. Homelessness isn’t due to

the failing of an individual, but to a system that has failed them. Affordable and accessible mental health care, substance abuse programs, and affordable housing may not completely solve the homeless epidemic, but it would be a good place to start if we want to make a dent.

References: CDC, & MMWR. (n.d.). Percentage of U.S. suicide cases with previously known mental health conditions as of 2015, by homeless and military status. In Statista - The Statistics Portal. Retrieved February 22, 2019, from https://www-statistacom.libprox1.slcc.edu/statistics/869543/mental-health-condition-us-suicides-militaryand-homeless/ DITTMEIER, KERRY, et al. “Perceptions of Homelessness: Do Generational Age Groups and Gender Matter?” College Student Journal, vol. 52, no. 4, Winter 2018, pp. 441– 451. EBSCOhost, libprox1.slcc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=s3h &AN=134341752&site=eds-live. “Top Causes of Homelessness in America.” HomeAid America, www.homeaid.org/homeaidstories/69/top-causes-of-homelessness. “Homelessness and Mental Illness: A Challenge to Our Society.” Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, 24 Jan. 2019, www.bbrfoundation.org/blog/homelessness-and-mentalillness-challenge-our-society.

How Many People Experience Homelessness? National Coalition for the Homeless, www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/How_Many.html

Mental Illness and Homelessness. Mental Illness and Homelessness, National Colation for the Homeless, 2009. “US Homeless People Numbers Rise for First Time in Seven Years.” BBC News, BBC, 6 Dec. 2017, www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42248999.

Who Is Homeless? NCH Fact Sheet #3, National Coalition for the Homeless, 2007.

Notes: - I think I fall into persuasive at points. Sometimes I struggle coming up with a thesis without having some sort of persuasive style involved

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o I want to talk more about housing options, or lack of, to add more information and less opinion Is it okay that I separated into categories? Ex. Mental Heatlh and Homelessness, Housing & Homelessness, etc….particuarly the conclusion I’m unsure of

My paper is on the factors that fuel chronic homelessness in Salt Lake. My target audience is those that live and work right in the heart of downtown Salt Lake. They are the group that interact most with the homeless, and also the group that are constantly see the ads, billboards, and signs requesting we stop panhandling. While I understand the meaning behind the signs, it creates a misunderstanding of the homeless-that they are criminal, addicts, and homeless because of their own personal failings. My paper aims to correct this misconception, and lays out the true factors of homelessness. I chose this target audience with a hope to change the perception of homeless, so that we can offer them the support that they really need. Justin Jory09:23

alright reviewing your draft now. You09:25

My information would be valuable to the audience in correcting those misconceptions. The campaigns downtown that read "Support homelessness and you support alcoholism...or drug trafficking," or other phrases are all over Salt Lake, and have stirred up a lot of discussion. I'm hoping that as people begin that discussion, my paper can offer a second opinion. You09:25

Thank you! You09:28

I could probably be more deliberate in my tone. I fall into a fairly persuasive tone throughout the paper, and I wonder if that hurts my credibility. It turns my paper into an opinion article, rather than unbiased information. I run into the issue of trying to convince, rather than having enough information that it speaks for itself. I could cut some of the opinion related information, or the sentences that include a persuasive tone, and replace it with strict information. I also think I could include more locally-relevant information such as what the low-income housing market in Salt Lake is really like. In my paper, I explain that there aren't a lot of low-income options, but I could expound on that to paint a better picture on why it is so necessary. This is not necessarily in response to one of those questions, but I think I struggled to include a thesis without sounding persuasive. Justin Jory09:30

i like the information and data you have in your project. it's high-impact information that is educational and informative. i wonder about a few things as i'm reading: 1) How is this an appropriate genre (kind of text) to reach your target audience? 2) What is your purpose for this piece? You say to emphasize the factors that fuel chronic homelessness, but how do the topics you cover speak to the misconceptions of the billboard? Like, how does this section "POVERTY, HOMELESSNESS & HOUSING" speak to the logic of the billboard: support pandhandlersr and you support. alcoholism"?

i guess here's a point: You should work on establishing a stronger relationship between the current smear campaign against homelessness in SLC (if there is one in fact) with information that combats it. you start to do this already by leading with millennials opinions on the issue and then giving one example of a local billboard. can you provide more info there to develop the misconceptions a bit more? then, you can turn to the "facts" to challenge the info circulated in the campaign. You09:35

I think my purpose in including poverty, homelessness, & housing was to explain how hard it really is to get out of homelessness--they're not still homeless because they're not putting money to good use, it just is a REALLY HARD cycle to break. I think I could probably tie that in better to my purpose. I think you're right--I had a lot of information that I wanted to include, but didn't necessarily do it in a way that accomplishes ONE purpose. I think I maybe need to refocus on what I'm actually trying to accomplish with my piece, instead of trying to fit all of my data into one paper, in whatever way I can manage to fit it all in! Justin Jory09:37

the more i look at the intro i think you're doing a fine job at initially trying to lay out the issue, particularly when you cite the study about millennial perspectievs and turn to local information to show how it's not helping those perspectives. i think you could do a better job, a more deliberate and careful job, to develop those perspectives milliennials hold. that way, when you move into various sections, the reader can more clearly see how the sections relate to those misconceptions specifically. does that make sense? Justin Jory09:38

it's almost just an issue of more strongly and explicitly connecting the sections of information back to your introduction and ideas within it. Justin Jory09:38

but work on developing the ideas in your intro more so that you have more to tie back in to You09:38

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. :) As I read it back, I can see too where I can more closely tie my information back to the issue. Justin Jory09:38

ok, we're good to go. you have a GREAT draft to be sure. just trying to make it more cohesive really. You09:38

Thank you so much for all of your help! I really appreciate your insights. Justin Jory09:39

follow up with questions via inbox. bye!