Homelessness is living in insecure, unstable and congested accommodations. Youth are a new face of homelessness due to the brutal economy on them. The young people who are mostly at risk of becoming homeless are those aged between 16-25 and especially those living in foster homes. There is an increase in numbers of youth who are homeless and have to spend their nights in the cold on the streets and pavements. This question needs to be addressed by the government and the local authorities since it is becoming a social issue and it is a breach of the right to safe and adequate housing which is a basic human right.
There are three common sociological views on homelessness, the functionalist, internationalist and the conflict based perspective. Functionalists suggest that many homeless individuals can endure all the hardships they encounter on the streets and support themselves no matter what. They also suggest that the homeless problem can be for the better good of the society because it helps solve some problems like unemployment and lack of education in the society (Watson and Austerberry 98) It forces the local authorities to shelter the homeless youth and gives them the right to education which maybe they could have not got if they were not homeless. Furthermore, functionalists argue that the society benefits when jobs and heath care is provided to the homeless thus it reduces poverty in the community. The homeless problem is a functional conflict that is between social groups with opposing interests like the capitalists.
According to the interactionism perspective, homelessness is brought up as a result of interaction and exchange of ideas between the individuals who are homeless and those who arte financially stable and have class (Stein 114). The homeless individuals will always be on the streets hoping to get some good housing and education so that they can live a better life like those with class. Most youth end up on the streets because they have been brought up in foster homes thus they lacked emotional and parental support and they cannot afford to live like the other youth who stay with their parents. They are forced to leave to the streets at the age of 18 because at this age, they are no longer supported at the care homes and so they have to look for ways to fend for themselves. Through interaction with the people with class, they hope to find employment and better education so as to live a good life like them. The government does very little to support these young adults who are at the age of 18 and so they are forced to go to the streets to find money for their support. Most of them end up being drug addicts and criminals on the streets. The foster care system is the main driver of youth to the streets because they feel that they want to live a life like the other youth who have parents and jobs live. In addition, youth facing family breakdowns in their families interact with the other youth who do not face such problems and through these interactions, they are forced to run away from home so as not to face the everyday fights from their parents and negligence where they are rejected by their families.
Conflict theorists do not consider homelessness as a problem but they do argue that capitalists and their motives are the problem. They argue that homelessness comes as a result of oppression from capitalists who deny the homeless jobs because they do not have a physical address to call a home (Woelfer and Hendry 2307) This is very unfair because most youth become homeless because of different reasons and most of them are not responsible for their homelessness situation. The capitalists deny homeless youth education simply because they lack legal guardianship requirements to attend school, residency requirements and lack of transportation. Most youth end up on the streets due to abusive family situations and family breakdowns and this forces them to run away to the streets, they should not be denied their right to education and employment due to lack physical addresses they call a home. Through getting jobs and education, they will be able to free themselves from their homeless situation and get themselves a home to stay.
Preventive measures should be implemented to address this issue of youth homelessness since they are exposed to both physical, emotional, health and mental problems. Research has shown that, youth on the streets are risk of contacting HIV/AIDS and other related diseases like STD’s (Main 49). Most youth on the streets lack food, clothing and shelter and this forces them to exchange these things with sex which puts them at health risks. The government and local authorities should make it easier for the youth to access education, employment and housing despite the fact that they are on the streets. Policies should be implemented where experts are to work with families which have breakdown and domestic issues to resolve their problem so as to prevent their children from running away to the streets. Faults in the capitalist society should be addressed so as all the youth should have equal opportunities in the education and employment sector.
There is need for the local authorities to go beyond by providing accommodation for the homeless youth and also focus on preventing the homelessness problem in future. Educating the general public on homelessness and involving them in fundraising for the homeless youth should be a priority. The more people are informed on the homelessness problem, the more there is a chance of reducing and rehabilitating the homeless youth
Works Cited
Main, Thomas. How to think about homelessness: Balancing structural and individual causes. Journal of Social Distress and the Homeless, 7.1 (1998):41-54
Woelfer, Jill and Hendry David G. Stabilizing homeless young people with information and place. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 60.11 (2009): 2300-2312. Print.
Stein, Mike. What Works for Young People Leaving Care? Ilford: Barnardos, 2004. Print
Watson, Sophie and Austerberry. Helen. Housing and Homelessness: A Feminist Perspective. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1986. Print.
