The Homeless Population

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Living in a world with poverty is inevitable. People come across others who suffer from poverty and homelessness daily. There is more to the story of that person standing on the side of a corner, appearing diminished in health and spirit. Those who are a part of the homeless population have struggles every day, which can result in great suffering; obvious perhaps, but what is not seen is the fear and depression felt in these individuals’ hearts. The homeless population has vulnerabilities that are extremely noticeable to criminals and results in a higher victimization rate than the population that is not poverty stricken. For this reason, an individual in the homeless community has a higher level of fear of crime against them than other citizens. Being homeless, itself, can be seen as a huge disadvantage to criminal predators, but these three categories draw even more attention and increase susceptibility to crime within this community: Mental disorders and disabilities, age, and gender. The homeless population consists of many who have mental disorders and disabilities. There has been a link with mental disorders and disabilities causing a high number of …show more content…
The homeless youth population is one of the fastest growing groups within the homeless community. Additionally, they are seen as one of the most vulnerable groups. This is not only due to the effect of age on the street, but they are subject to a higher level abuse within their families. With an increase in vulnerability, the homeless youth are effected psychologically to a great extreme, and it can result in long-term depression. The challenges brought forth from the psychological incidences not only include depression but can also lead to substance abuse, distrust in service providers trying to lend aid, mental illness, and life-long homelessness (Coates, J,