Homelessness and Racism: A Major Issue in the United States
Homelessness has always been a major issue across the United States. It is typically a reflection of all that is broken in our society that is our perceptions of one another as fellow human beings, our lack of compassion, our meanness, and our biases. No matter how hard we attempt to avoid this issue, the blunt reality is that there is a massive correlation between homelessness and racism. The truth is Black Americans are highly overrepresented in the homeless shelter across the U.S. The articles "Does Race Matter in Addressing Homelessness?" and "Stigmatized Identities, Psychological Distress and Physical Health" can confirm this fact.
Exploring Connections: Homelessness, Discrimination, and Race
In the first article "Does Race Matter in Addressing Homelessness? A Review of the literature," the author, Marian Jones explores the connections between homelessness, discrimination, and race. She conducted a comprehensive review of thirty-four behavioral and social science studies published between 1985 and 2015, which addressed the issue of race and homelessness. She chose to start in the 1980s since this was when the debate about homelessness as a social issue began in the U.S. The study indicated that Black Americans are overrepresented not only in the homeless population but also among the incarcerated. Jones claims that incarceration increases the risk of homelessness typically. According to this study, African Americans make about 40.4 percent of the homeless population in the U.S. which indicates substantial disproportionality since black folks make about of 12.5 percent of the general population (Jones). Her findings strongly suggested that the causes and experiences of homelessness differed for people of various racial backgrounds.
Intersections of Homelessness and Race
The second article I read "Stigmatized Identities, Psychological Distress and Physical Health: Intersections of Homelessness and Race," written by Weisz and Quinn strongly supports Dr. Jones findings. Weisz surveyed homeless adults of different races (57 whites and 81 people of color) concerning their understanding of discrimination experienced and expected due to race and homelessness. 175 people volunteered to take part in the study, and they all completed a confidential survey. At the end of the study, each participant was given a $15 grocery gift. Regression analyses were carried out regarding racial stigma with people of color only. Black Americans made up the majority of the homeless population in the United States. Furthermore, this study confirmed the fact people of color had a completely different experience of homelessness in comparison to people from other ethnicities. One finding was that African Americans were likely to have high levels of poor health and psychological distress in spite of their experience with homelessness stigma (Weisz and Dianne 12). In addition, People of color are less likely to use services when they feel that racial stigma from service providers is imminent.
The Need for Attention: Structural Discrimination and Homelessness
These two studies have one primary thing in common. They both shed light on a long-ignored problem by investigating the connections between structural racial discrimination against people of color. Through my experience volunteering with the homeless, I have noticed that homelessness is inextricably associated with poverty as well as racism. I think this is an issue that policymakers should look into instead of avoiding it. The high rates of African American homelessness should no longer be assumed to be the result of the massive numbers of Black Americans living in poverty. The best thing about homeless shelter from my experience working there is that everybody is usually treated equally despite their race. Here, African Americans can have a safe ground, and they won't have to go through homeless stigma which, as indicated by Weisz's study results in poor mental health. I think since the staff at the shelter are from minority groups makes it unlikely that anyone will be discriminated against since they understand best the impacts of racial discrimination.
Works Cited
Jones, Marian. "Does Race Matter in Addressing Homelessness A Review of the Literature." World Medical and Health Policy (2016). Print.
Weisz, Carolyne, and Quinn, Dianne. "Stigmatized Identities, Psychological Distress, and Physical Health: Intersections of Homelessness and Race." American Psychological Association (2017): 1-16. Print.
