Family Assessment

Who are the homeless? Well, there is a difference of opinion as to who is homeless. The National Coalition for the Homeless, (NCH), the Stewart B. McKinney Act of 1994, which is the first major federal legislature response to homelessness, defines it as one who lacks a fixed, regular and adequate night-time residence; a primary night-time residency that is supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations; an institution that provides a temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized or a public or private place not designed for ordinary use as a regular sleeping accommodations for human beings.” This (National Coalition for the Homeless) However, Alice K. Johnson, in the Encyclopedia of Social Work, concurs with a portion of this definition of homelessness, citing three different terms defines it best. She defines homelessness as the lack of any type of regular dwelling. Those that are “literally homeless” are identified as those individuals who sleep in homeless shelters and on the streets; the “hidden homeless” are identified as families and individuals who live with friends and relatives or sleep in their vehicles; the “episodically homeless” are termed as individuals who go in and out of shelters. They may experience being homeless for a few nights or become chronically homeless, whereas they may have no shelter for extended periods of times. (Johnson, 1989) This classification of the homeless identifies most of those are homeless.

According to First, R.J., Rife, J.C., & Toomey, B.G. (1995), defining homeless families remains in dispute. Neither the government nor the academic circle is able to agree on what constitutes being a homeless family. A narrow definition of homeless families may produce a lower estimate in the number, whereas a broader definition results in larger numbers. Whereas many people agree that a person is homeless when he/she does not have a regular place to live, not as many believe that doubling up, living in welfare hotels, and migrant farm workers are homeless. Most times families are counted as homeless only if dependent children are present. If the child lives somewhere other than with the parent, the parent is not counted as being homeless. This type of counting system sometimes destroys the family. In the 1950s, the homeless population was comprised of men over 50 years old, compared to the disproportion number of single men, women and mothers with children who make up the homeless population today. Women with children who are homeless are more than likely to experience mental illness, substance abuse, and be homeless for long periods of time. (First, et al, p. 1331).

The homeless have been a part of our society for many years.

The older white alcoholic men who lived on skid row were the typical homeless population who were displaced, away from society and their family back in the day. These men were not cared for, but the widows, orphans, and the mentally ill were. (Johnson, 1995) By the 1800, almshouses, workhouses, poorhouses, and asylums were established to care for poor people without housing. For instance, the Protestant Orphan Asylum in St. Louis met the needs of the children who were left homeless after the Civil War. Orphan trains carried abandon and orphaned children westward to new homes. After the stock market crash in 1929, soup kitchens and bread lines sprung up nationwide to help those in need. Homelessness in America decreased during the prosperity of the post World War II era. (Encyclopedia of Social Work) From the earliest times, there have been homeless people in the United States . Even today programs are aimed a select group of people. If you don’t fit into a certain group, you are left out to fend for yourself.

With homelessness becoming a massive problem, the U.S. Bureau of Census in 1990 made the first official attempt to count the homeless. Census workers counted the people in the shelters and on the streets. Advocacy groups filed class action lawsuits, alleging that the census missed the homeless that lived in abandoned buildings and parked cars. Massive cuts in federal funds during the Reagan era had caused a shortage of affordable housing along with increased poverty and unemployment. Although there was an economic recovery during the eighties, the lower skilled laborers who were homeless were not reached. Means tested programs and strict eligibility made it almost impossible for the poor to afford adequate housing. Even today in Santa Clara County , the high cost of housing plays an important role in homelessness. (Encyclopedia of Social Work)

There are thousands of homeless people in Santa Clara County , (SCC). A quick stroll downtown San Jose alone will allow you to observe