Women and families represent the most rapidly growing population of homeless populations in the United States. About 34% of the homeless population is a family with children. Among homeless families, 90 percent have female heads. Most homeless families in the United States are led by single young mothers without family support and material resources.
Some of the major factors of homelessness among American women include domestic violence, where women are extraordinary victims, poverty, lack of access to health care and family planning, and the role of women as the primary caretakers of children. These factors contribute to the income and housing implications and inequalities that occur, divorce, welfare state decline, and lack of affordable housing. In addition, poor mental health and hygiene of women are precursors and consequences of homelessness among the female population to be addressed.
Video Homeless women in the United States
Domestic violence
Domestic violence is a major factor contributing to homelessness among the female population. Homeless women are more likely to experience childhood sexual abuse and/or foster care and adult partner abuse than the average female population. Nationally, twenty to fifty percent of all homeless women and children become homeless as a direct result of getting out of domestic violence. In 2005, fifty percent of US cities reported that domestic violence was a major cause of homelessness, and New York City, in particular, reported that about fifty percent of their homeless population had been abused and twenty-five percent of their homeless population are homeless as a direct result of domestic violence. Domestic violence is believed to be embedded in a sense of privilege or privilege, hierarchical belief (gender hierarchy), and cultural devaluation of women.
The women's movement provides resources and security for victims of domestic violence. Prior to the women's movement of the 1960s, victims of domestic violence in women had several options for seeking security. With the encouragement of the women's movement, a "safe house" was created, which gave birth to a protective movement. Much progress has been made in the fight against domestic violence since the women's movement of the 1960s. The Family Violence Prevention and Services Act was passed and has since become an important source of funding and support. The Violence Against Women Act 1994 includes funding authorizations to improve temporary housing for victims of domestic violence.
Maps Homeless women in the United States
Decrease of welfare status
Participation in the Assistance to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program and food stamps began to decline dramatically after the enactment of the Federal Welfare Law passed in 1996. In 1996, President Clinton authorized Private Responsibility and Employment Opportunity Law which requires that a person has work to receive government assistance and support. The bill converted AFDC to block grant- Provisional Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) -with fixed funding. This is where the federal government gives the state "blocks" of money to be distributed for income support and work programs based on what they spent in 1994. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the bill includes nearly $ 55 billion in cuts in low-income programs. in a period of six years.
Another provision allows countries to withdraw large amounts of state resources from basic income support and work programs for poor families with children to divert TANF federal grant funds to other uses. The law allows states to refuse help for poor families or poor family categories. Also, the law prohibits countries from using grant funds to provide assistance to families who have received assistance for at least five years, but the state can also cut shorter deadlines - including availability for cash auxiliaries and work slots.
The bill cut $ 28 billion in food stamps, cutting benefits by nearly twenty percent. This reduction affects the working poor, the disabled and the elderly. In law, the provisions of food stamps affect the poor between the aged 18-50 who have no children. The bill reports that these people are limited to three months of food stamps while unemployed in a three-year period.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that all of these provisions will reject the benefits of food stamps for an average of 1 million people per month who are willing to work but can not find a job and are not offered a job. Lack of food eats into the housing budget.
Women and poverty
Among the homeless women, there are too many adults responsible for taking care of dependent children and inadequate financial resources. Women, especially single parent family mothers, are more likely to live in poverty when they have children and must balance income while raising and caring for their children. They are more likely to work part time and lose their jobs to care for their children. Many homeless and low-income women work in the service industry, offering little benefit and low wages, contributing greatly to their poverty. This work is often referred to as "Jobs Pink-Collar." it is important to note that job-based discrimination targets all women, but is present on a larger scale among minority women. On average, a larger percentage of minority women struggle to obtain and retain jobs. "The first employed and fired complex" refers to higher unemployment rates among minorities. Thus, while all women are confronted with some degree of injustice in terms of job offerings (largely as a result of being expected to care for children), the struggle of minority women is much greater.
Lack of affordable housing
Many people believe that affordable housing is an urban or welfare issue, but a problem for people with and without work, and that happens in every ethnic background. The poor have risen in part because of the decline in minimum wages, and government assistance such as welfare and HUD money. In the 1970s, the United States Congress increased funding for housing aid due to the dramatic increase in homelessness. But after the 1980s, HUD aid fell at an alarming rate.
In 1996 to 1997, Congress allowed zero funding in the budget for the new Section 8 Certificate. Stage 8 is a housing program that allows low-income tenants to pay 30 percent of their income for rent in unsubsidized units in the private market. Since the "one-for-one" rule has been abolished, the federal government does not need to provide new or additional Section 8 certificates for each destroyed unit. The private market to the point where they do not want to create and maintain affordable housing through the government.
Reports show that 30 percent of low-income people receive housing subsidies. It condemns most people to live with just one salary from living on the streets. Moreover, as the number of people in or near poverty increases, affordable housing has declined, due to a decrease in government housing aid, rising rental costs, new upscale construction, condo conversion, and old projects being torn down. Most homeless people rely on shelters until they can find permanent homes, but due to an increase in the number of homeless people, shelters must deny people and family homes because they are over the limit and have no room for them.
Women and homeless crime
See also : Discrimination against the homeless
Women who experience homelessness are often given more severe punishment for similar crimes than men who experience homelessness. Double standards among men and women allow tighter pressure on the procedure when it comes to women. Research shows that 20% to 52% of women with a homeless history also have a history of arrest or detention. Therefore, homeless women tend to mask their visibility to limit interaction with law enforcement. For example, babbling and diving in the trash is legal, however, they can bring them increased visibility to the police and may increase the likelihood of police detecting illegal activity. Unwarranted interaction with law enforcement often leads to the detention of homeless women, based on "protection" policies by the judicial system. Feminist criminology highlights the paternalist bias in the criminal justice system when women are arrested "for their own good". The needs of homeless women are neglected because they do not conform to the conventional construction of women's identities: "The idea of ​​femininity and proper behavior of 'good girls' seeps into the police, courts, and penitentiaries." This creates fear amongst women who experience homelessness that has a lot of influence. One is, homeless women are afraid to contact law enforcement when it comes to sexual assaults because their "illegal activities" may exist. Thus, women victims of homelessness are often unreported and unprotected.
Health and health of homeless women
With limited access to health care, the homeless are at an increased risk of poor health outcomes. Homeless women in particular, benefit less from regular medical help, health insurance, cancer screening, adequate prenatal care, appropriate outpatient care, and special care. In addition, the homeless population has a higher mortality rate than the general population in the United States. Research conducted from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s shows that health conditions such as hypertension, arthritis, mental illness, substance abuse, victimization and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as tuberculosis, HIV and most commonly in homeless populations.
Menstrual health of homeless women
Another problem to overcome in a homeless woman population is the lack of access to women's hygiene products. Apparently, this problem may seem very small for most women, but when an individual who is menstruating is homeless there are many factors to consider when getting access to tampons and pads or even a hygienic dressing room. Homeless women are degraded every month because they are not given the basic rights to menstrual privacy as other women do. In order to have a healthy period, women should have access to clean up the changing area, new clothes if needed, tampons and replacement pads, and privacy comforts. If a woman does not have all of the necessary protections, health problems can arise like toxic shock syndrome, infection, and basic comfort. In addition to the basic health and comfort issues that come with being homeless and menstruating, the problem of even affording a feminine hygiene product is enormous. This is not just a problem for homeless women, but also a problem for low-income women. When it comes to deciding whether to eat or not to eat or to buy tampons or pads, the choice is obvious that homeless women have no human rights or dignity and comfort when faced with monthly menstruation.
Infectious diseases in homeless women
The social determinants of health go hand in hand with the occurrence of Herpes Simplex Virus type 2 (HSV-2), as well as homeless. In the United States, about 21 to 24% are infected with HSV-2 compared with 88% among homeless women and a higher prevalence among HIV positive homeless women. Despite these seroprevalencies, homeless women are not considered high-risk populations in national guidelines. HSV-2 increases the risk of infection with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Most homeless women are unaware of their HSV-2 infection. This makes them more vulnerable to HIV exposure.
In addition to financial instability, HIV/AIDS contractions have been shown to be more related to homelessness. Homeless women are more likely than poor, women housed to practice unprotected sexual activity with multiple partners exposing themselves to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Mental health of a homeless woman
Poor women's mental health is a precursor and an important consequence for the homeless, as well as the consequences of homelessness for women and their children. Mental illness is reported in 30% homeless, and 50% to 60% of homeless women. Homeless women without children are more likely than homeless mothers to express their acceptance into mental institutions. Homeless women are heavily influenced by certain mental health ailments including antisocial personality behavior, depression, stress, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
References
- Arangua, Lisa; et al. (2005). "The Health Situation of Homeless Women in the United States". Volume 34, Issue 2 . International Journal of Mental Health. pp.Ã, 62-92 . Retrieved April 2, 2012 .
- Richards, Rickelle; et al. (May 5, 2011). "Health Behavior and Infant Health Outcomes in Pregnant Women Homeless in the United States". Journal of the American Pediatric Academy . Retrieved April 2, 2012 .
- Butler, Sandra S., 1957. Middle-aged, female and homeless.
- Bulman, Philip Michael. Caught in mix.
- Arrighi, Barbara A. The shame of America.
External links
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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