Homelessness and inequality in the United States and Europe

Homelessness in the United States

The Definition of Homelessness

Within the United States, homelessness is defined as the lack of a dwelling or structure in which to reside. People who are homeless are also often unemployed, and many of them are disabled and/or have problems and struggles with drugs and alcohol. Explored here will be the issue of homeless in the United States and in the state of Massachusetts as well. Various issues that surround homelessness or that relate to it will also be addressed so that a complete picture of the issue, how important it is, and who it effects can be seen.

Historical background of Homelessness

All societies, not just the United States, struggle with homelessness. When Europe is looked at in contrast to America, for example, it is easy to see that much can be learned by both nations. When only income inequality is looked at, it appears that Europe is doing a much better job than America, but if one looks at homelessness, Europe falls short, and America appears to be doing a better job. This is because Europe does not allow the huge difference in incomes that Americans tolerate, but it does have an extremely high rate of homelessness.

While Europe accepts its 12% unemployment rate, it does not tolerate some of the others things Americans are used to, such as lack of support for people who are impoverished and indigent. Europeans tend to take better care of their own people, and try to see that everyone has a way to survive. Their unemployment rate, however, causes a huge fiscal burden on the people who are working, because the government is trying so hard to support everybody.

So what can be done to help inequality and homelessness? Economic changes are clearly needed, as well as a plan to get more people working and bring down the homelessness rate, which would ease the burden on the working people. Political responsibility is also called for. Public policy needs to take into account the burdens of homelessness that cannot be measured by a bank account. Measures need to be taken to help the other problems that come with being out of work for an extended period, such as poor physical and mental health, and low self-esteem. Some of this can be accomplished through social work programs and ways that individuals who are homeless can get the help that they need.

In addition to this, leadership is very important. The only way that changes can be made is through strong leadership from people who are truly interested in helping their country change for the better. It is not something that can be done overnight, and it is not something that one person can do. It must be a team effort. Expanding the job market would be one of the main things that could be done to help alleviate the inequality society. Not only would it benefit the homeless younger people who are looking for work, but it would help to find jobs for the older people who were forced to retire early and are now at least partially dependent on the government for financial help. Some of these people also end up losing their homes.

The Emotional Implications of Homelessness

Homelessness is rampant throughout the United States, and the war with Iraq coupled with economic problems has done nothing in recent months and years to help this situation. The purpose of this section is to show that homelessness is bad in all states, but that Massachusetts needs some extra attention, as the amount of families that are living below the official government homelessness line is particularly high there. In this section, it will be shown that the homelessness level in Massachusetts is one of the highest in the nation, there is no end to this in sight, and that it is the children in Massachusetts and all over the country who suffer the most, as they are unable to fend for themselves and protect themselves against so many of the problems that come with homelessness such as poor health and lack of education.

Children that struggle with homelessness often do not get the immunizations that they need, they do not get access to adequate health care, and they also have difficulty with education (Lichter, 1997). They often cannot keep up with their more affluent peers. Homelessness in general, and the high rate of homelessness in Massachusetts especially, contributes in a large way to the desperate situation that homelessness is putting the nation's children into. In order to understand how the children are affected and how the country got this way, it is important to look at why homelessness occurs and what caused so many people in the United States, who were once doing well and supporting their families, to end up going from paycheck to paycheck, losing their cars and homes, and wondering how they will feed their families and where they will sleep at night.

While homelessness in the United States has always been a problem, it has recently gotten worse. There have been so many things that have caused this issue that is becomes difficult to count them all or even separate them from one another (Bianchi, 1993). However, it is important to understand that homelessness is a developing issue that is continuing to change and take shape as it grows. Not long ago, homelessness was reserved, at least stereotypically, for inner-city families. These families were often run by single parents, contained a large number of children, and survived on government hand-outs such as welfare (Lichter, 1997).

This might have been the stereotypical poor family that ended up homeless, and there are certainly families of this description living below the poverty line and/or on the streets, but there are also many other types of families that just cannot survive anymore on the amount of money that they make. These families do not overspend. They simply do not make the kind of money needed to survive in a world where prices continue to rise but wages do not (Bianchi, 1993). Most of this started with these families losing their health insurance because their employers could no longer afford to pay the premiums. The premiums went up because doctors were suddenly required to pay exorbitant amounts for malpractice insurance, which went up because of the lack of a cap on damages that could be awarded in lawsuits.

However, all the families were aware of is that they suddenly had no employer-sponsored health insurance, and they couldn't afford to get some on their own. So they decided to do without and hope that no one got sick. Some of them did get sick, however, and the medical bills from their lack of insurance were so great that they ended up poor because they could not afford to pay the hospital the money that they owed them. All of their extra money went to the bill, but it still was not enough, and there were collection agencies and other issues that these people fought with.

Even for those that did not get sick, trouble was still coming, and it was coming in the form of layoffs. Many large corporations began having troubles. Their CEO's were being indicted for fraud, they had spent the 401(k) money on something that had lost all of the original investment, and companies were folding up and disappearing. This left behind bewildered and unhappy workers who lost not only their jobs but their pensions and retirement funds as well, in most cases. Many of these people were at or near retirement age. Getting another job was difficult for them. They are, however, not the chief concern. While what they have been through is very tragic, there is another consideration - the children.

Many of the people who lost their jobs, pensions, and retirement funds were younger people who had been patiently working their way up the corporate ladder. They were working on this, and had been doing so for many years. They knew that they could make it to the top, and their family would be set. They had a lot of debt, though, and not much savings. When the company that they were working for folded, or they were laid off because of downsizing and other issues, they lost all that they had worked for, and they could not just go to another company, because almost all of the companies were doing the same thing - downsizing and laying off workers, or closing up.

These people lost everything and could not even support their families. They moved to smaller houses, collected unemployment or took jobs paying considerably less than what they were originally making, and sold vehicles to get away from the high car payments. Eventually, many of them lost their homes. With all of this job turmoil came an economic slowdown which kept many of these people from finding jobs that they were qualified for. They made too much on unemployment to flip burgers for a living, but they did not make enough to keep from being what the government classifies as "working poor." These were not welfare people, but they had about the same amount of money available to them. Who suffered most out of this terrible mess that the country managed to get itself into? The children (Bianchi, 1993).

Massachusetts has been one of the hardest hit areas for homelessness, but it is not alone in its struggle. The whole country has felt the pain of economic downturn and difficulty. It is causing problems for the whole country, but here the focus will be placed on Massachusetts as much as possible. The main issue in this focus will be the children, and how the homelessness in Massachusetts has affected them. They are the future of this nation, and they are missing out on many of the things that they need to grow up and be prepared to handle what the world will throw at them (Lichter, 1997).

The amount of poverty and homelessness in an area effects reading and math scores, and declines in many other areas of schooling are also apparent. Children's self-esteem can also be affected by the lack of money, as many of them grow up feeling inferior to children who have money, and those that have no homes grow up living in cars or shelters - many of them do not attend school, and so the cycle perpetuates. The mental and physical health of the children of Massachusetts is a primary concern, and without stopping or reversing the homelessness that is there, it will only become worse. Some feel that getting children out of homelessness is a waste of time, but there are many misguided opinions in this world that should not be followed, lest the moral fiber of society actually be damaged by them. This is one such opinion.

Children need to be removed from environments where there is a great deal of poverty. This does not mean that children should be removed from homes while the parents are left to suffer, or that parents and children should be separated if they do have a home to live in. For children that have no home at all, however, something must be done. Instead, the parents and the community must find their way back out of homelessness into something resembling a normal life. This would be the kind of life that they were used to before so many jobs were lost; the kind of life that can only be had by living above the official government poverty line and having a home to call their own (Lichter, 1997).

Not everyone who lives above the poverty line has abundance, but most are able to pay their bills and provide for their families. It would appear, in Massachusetts like many other places, that there are those that still cannot survive financially even if they are above the poverty line, and these people often lose their homes and end up living on the streets. Getting these people and their children out of poverty and homelessness may mean more than just helping them to rise above a number that has been set by the government. Instead, poverty can vary with different people and their needs (Lichter, 1997). It is not only about how many people are living in the house. Other issues must be taken into account, and when the house is lost there are further problems created for these individuals.

These include things like whether anyone in the family needs special care. Families that have one or more children that are very sick with chronic ailments will need more money, or at least better insurance, than a family that is the same size but that has healthy children, but money and insurance are not options for those that are homeless. According to the United States Census Bureau and their computations of poverty, a family of five (three adults and two children living in one household) must make at least $22,007. If this family makes even $25,000 per year, they are not considered to be in poverty (Poverty, 2003). It would be difficult, however, to feed and clothe a family of five on $25,000 per year, given the cost of everything today, and so people in these kinds of situations are in danger of becoming homeless.

It is also true that some homelessness is self-induced, in that some people do not care about themselves or others enough to work to have more. These families are also sometimes plagued by abuse or alcoholism, and these people need help, which many are not willing to get. Some would get this help, however, if they were able to afford it, and being in poverty takes its toll on these people, their children, their relationships, and their health. Many of them feel defeated, and they raise their children to feel the same way. These children do not know any different, and because of that they will not work to make more of themselves.

This is part of the reason why children in poverty do not perform as well in school as their peers. They feel inferior physically, since they are often not as clean and well kept, and their clothes are not as new. They also feel inferior mentally, however, which is far worse. These children that must live in poverty quite often believe the other children when they are told that they are stupid, or that their parents do not want them because they are just an extra expense. It is sad for these children, and also sad for society, as there are more and more poor children that must face these feelings, and they often leave permanent scars on the minds and hearts of these children. These scars are carried into adulthood, and they continue to affect every part of that person's life (Lichter, 1997).

As can be seen by the information offered on the previous pages, the United States has a large issue with homelessness. The homelessness in this country is not going away. In fact, it is actually getting worse, and at a rapid rate. The current economic problems and the war in Iraq have caused considerable difficulties for many people across the nation, and it would appear that Massachusetts is one of the states that have been hit hardest by this problem. Because of this, the children of Massachusetts, and the children all across the nation, are suffering and being forced to live in substandard housing and receive substandard care because their parents are unable to make the kind of money that would allow their children to grow up with new clothes and books that they could read at home.

There are several reasons for the homelessness problem, but in the course of helping the children the reasons for the homelessness are not all that relevant. They only matter in the sense that they must be reversed or changed in order to correct some of the damage that has already occurred.

This will allow the children that are languishing in homelessness to have more than they are able to have now, and it will allow the parents of these children to have a sense of pride and enjoyment of work and life once again, while still allowing them the precious family time that is so often missing in today's society. It appears that either this family time or a reasonable amount of money must be sacrificed.

It is very difficult in the United States today to have both, and this is very unfortunate, because both are needed for children to grow and develop into confident adults who will be able to handle the world that this generation has left for them. If the current trend of little money and little family time continues, one must wonder what kind of values these children of poverty-stricken parents will grow up with, and what kind of values they will pass on to their own children when the next generation comes along.

No one can say for sure, but the rising illiteracy rates and the rising crime rates might be some indication. These children may not get the tools that they need to repair these things when they get older, and one has to question whether they will even be taught to care about such things, or whether the way society is currently heading is just the beginning of a long downward spiral that the children of today are caught up in.

Help for Homelessness

Within the homeless population there are many individuals that require medication for a psychological illness or problem. Unfortunately, many of these individuals do not receive the medication that they need for their mental disorders as there are psychological, social, and economic issues that affect their ability and their desire to seek treatment and to remain on a medication once it is prescribed to them. Where psychological issues are concerned, many people with mental illnesses stop taking medication once they start to feel better because they convince themselves that they are 'cured.'

Socially, these individuals may also have a difficult time with taking medication because they often find that they are already ridiculed enough by many segments of society and therefore they do not want to take medications that might stigmatize them further. Economically, they often cannot afford their medications. If they are homeless, they already have serious problems with their finances and if their day of asking for handouts or working as a day-laborer nets them profit they will use it to eat and perhaps buy cigarettes or alcohol (although not all of them will do this) as opposed to saving their money for their medications.

It is clear that compliance with taking medication needs to be increased within this population but this is a difficult thing to do. Putting them in a 'home' or an in-patient residential treatment facility is a short-term fix but will not help them when their treatment is over and they still have no home to live in and no money with which to purchase their medications. Compliance can be best increased in two ways: 1) make medications for these people extremely affordable and 2) combine the medication and/or treatment that they receive with other services that can help these individuals find jobs, inexpensive but decent housing, and social networks that can help them to reach out to others that have struggled or that are still struggling. Support is very important to those that have a mental illness and this support might be one of the best things that these individuals could receive with their medication.

Homelessness in this country is a growing problem. Since there is such a high number of homeless individuals it is important to examine not only what causes this but how it can be remedied in the future. In order to do this, this section will look at homelessness from the perspective of the education moral philosophy of Immanuel Kant and will also seek to come up with suggestions that may explain how the problem should be addressed. The categorical imperative will be discussed as well as the difference between perfect and imperfect duties. The End-in-Itself formula is also important to the issue of homelessness and the effect it has on the categorical imperative. A utilitarian approach to homelessness will also be looked at because it contrasts with what Kant has to say. Tentative suggestions will be created that may help to deal with the problem of homelessness in this country as well.

The categorical imperative is something that Immanuel Kant believed to be a supreme rule (Coffey, 1917). It was the foundation for all of the virtues and morals that individuals utilize and act under. Basically, it is a statement that indicates that one should only do things that they would be willing to see accepted as the universal law (Coffey, 1917). In other words, if one believes that it is right to tell a lie, one must also believe that it is perfectly acceptable for everyone else in the world to do the same (Coffey, 1917). Since most people believe that it is not all right for everyone in the world to lie then that person should not lie as well. This will help to keep everyone on a more even and equal footing (Coffey, 1917).

The categorical imperative generally makes a great deal of sense but there are some flaws in the argument (Van Cleve, 1999). There are times when behavior that is normally seen as inappropriate is necessary (Van Cleve, 1999). if, for example, someone knows that someone else is about to be murdered and the murderer asks him where the particular victim has gone to it would be wrong to tell this murderer where the victim is. Regardless of these types of issues, Immanuel Kant maintained that there was never a reason for anyone to lie and that it should never be done (Van Cleve, 1999). This was based on the fact that the future is unknown and the type of consequences that a particular lie could cause would remain unknown until some point in the future (Van Cleve, 1999). In other words, even if they were good intentions underneath the lie, there are upsetting things that could still take place.

Kant sees whatever happens as being acceptable as long as the truth was told (Coffey, 1917). He believes that the end in itself is what is truly important and not to be taken lightly. This applies to people as well, as Kant believes that each person is an end and should not be seen as a means (Coffey, 1917). He also sees a distinction between perfect duties and imperfect duties. Perfect duties are those that are not forbidden and that an individual is largely obligated to do, although this obligation may be seen in a rather weak sense (Coffey, 1917). Imperfect duties are those that are expected to be done but would not be considered wrong if they were not performed (Coffey, 1917).

When applying Kant's idea of end in itself to the issue of homelessness in this country or anywhere else, it is important to see that each individual homeless person should be considered as an end and not a means to get to somewhere else. Unfortunately, much of what Kant believes about the end in itself when applied to this homeless issue somewhat disagrees with the categorical imperative that he has already created. The categorical imperative indicates that there are many things that should never be done regardless of the reasoning behind them, but the end in itself formula talks about how the individual is what matters and that the individual should never be used as a means to something else (Coffey, 1917). These two things do not mesh well together because many people would apply the categorical imperative in such a way that they would be able to use individuals to get to other individuals or to gain recognition or some other thing.

If every individual is seen as an end and not a means, those who are homeless in this country are just as important as wealthy individuals in all areas of the country or the world. It is often hard to look at a homeless person and see this, because most people believe that homeless individuals are worthless and that they are lazy, and that all they do is take up space. This is not entirely true, however. Some homeless people are lazy and choose not to work or try to better themselves, but there are others who have ended up homeless through very unfortunate and painful circumstances that truly were beyond their control. These people get stuck in the pattern of homelessness, drugs, and other unsavory behaviors and are unable to get themselves out because no one will give them the opportunity.

Kant apparently believed that all of these individuals were very important and he would find ways to give these people the opportunity to grow and move off of the streets and into real life once again. As a comparison, it is important to look at the utilitarian approach and how it would deal with homelessness as a problem. Utilitarians go against what Immanuel Kant has to say, and believe that the only correct answer to any given problem, including homelessness, is the answer that will give the greatest amount of benefit for all of the individuals involved (Knox, 1958). This sounds like a good idea, and sounds as though it would help many people, but when the rights of the individual are overlooked for a plan to help the greater good, many individuals are left floundering because their own personal rights have been overlooked.

Where Kant sees every individual as having the same rights and opportunities as everyone else, the utilitarian philosophy sees that whatever is for the greater good of society is what should be done (Coffey, 1917). Logically, the greater good of society would not involve spending time and money to help homeless people that most people feel are also hopeless. Where Kant would insist upon these people's rights and place and society, a utilitarian would simply overlook them as not important (Knox, 1958). If something that benefited society greatly also helped the homeless people that would be fine but no one would go out of their way to ensure that the homeless people were actually helped over and above the rest of society.

To address the problem of homelessness in this country, there are many things that could be done but many of the suggestions that could be created are not actually feasible based on time, money, and other issues. There are good points to the utilitarian argument and good points to Immanuel Kant's argument as well. The individuals who are homeless should be seen as ends and not means. Homeless shelters and other places where these people congregate should be able to offer them more in the way of training or education that may help them get a job somewhere. Even if it is a relatively low-paying job it will be a step toward moving them off of the street and into their own homes. Places like Habitat for Humanity and others that build homes for low income individuals could also be encouraged to help these homeless people as those who were willing to get a job and work for what they wanted could be offered housing for free or very cheaply and this would be an incentive for them to get off the street.

Sadly, there are some people who can never be helped by any suggestions for homeless people because they have no interest in being anything else, but in general it appears that there is a great deal that can be done with those who are willing to work for it. Utilitarian ideas that indicates the good of society should be utilized, but Immanuel Kant's categorical imperative that everyone should be treated equally and his end in itself formula that indicates no one should be the means to something else are both vitally important when it comes to the fair and nonjudgmental treatment of those who are far less fortunate.

As can be seen, there are many causes of homelessness, and many problems that it creates. Many of these are harming the children of today that are growing up in poverty, sickness, and pain, not understanding why their lives are like this or that they could get better in the future. Another group that struggles with homelessness is veterans. These people have fought and oftentimes been injured for the country and now they are begging on the streets and sleeping on street grates at night to keep warm. It is very unfortunate for anyone to be homeless, however, regardless of their age or other circumstances.

It is an important issue that should be further addressed in order to help find solutions for the problems that are plaguing society today. The issue of homelessness is not one that will be going away without help from the government and concerned citizens alike. With effort, however, the issue can be lessened so that fewer and fewer people must spend their days and nights on the streets or in shelters, with nothing to call their own.