Running Head: ANAYLSIS OF A FAMILY'S ETHNICITY OR GROUP'S DIVERSITY

Analysis of a Familys Ethnicity or Groups Diversity

Shena Poma
Wayne State University
SW 3110
March 20th 2014

Analysis of Family Ethnicity or Group Diversity

Homelessness is a reality for more than half a million Americans. According to

the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, On a single night in January
2013, there were 610,042 people experiencing homelessness in the United States,
including 394,698 people who were homeless in sheltered locations and 215,344 people
who were living in unsheltered locations (para. 1). This paper will focus on
homelessness and certain topics such as the history of homelessness, general roles that
occur within this group, stressors and strengths associated with those whom are
homeless, and the discrimination in which this group is subjected. In an effort to better
understand this group and the circumstances surrounding them, an interview was
conducted. I interviewed Mike (pseudonym), a fellow Alcoholics Anonymous member
who has been homeless for a number of years. Mike was gracious enough to share his
story and shed light on what it is like to live on the streets of Detroit, Michigan.
First, the guidelines to define homelessness must be explored. There are two
main factors that separate homeless individuals: sheltered and unsheltered. Sheltered
homeless people still have some type of safe place to temporarily stay whether that be
in the form of public shelters or government housing. Unsheltered homeless people
are those that sleep in public places such as park benches, subway stations, twentyfour hour diners, or under a bridge. Homelessness is not a new phenomenon.
Although, the number of homeless persons has sky rocketed in the recent decades.
Michigan's Campaign to End Homelessness reported 86,189 homeless persons in
Michigan. They stated that nearly 69% of those homeless individuals were single
mothers (2008, para. 1). According to Adapting your Practice: General
Recommendations for the Care of Homeless Patients, As many as 80% of homeless
persons tested have marked deficits in cognitive functioning (Advisory Committee on

Analysis of Family Ethnicity or Group Diversity

Adapting Clinical Practice for Homeless Patients (authors), 2010 pp. Vii) The deficits in
cognitive functioning that the textbook includes, but is not limited to, are substance
abuse, brain injuries or trauma, strokes, infections, poisonings, developmental
disabilities, and mental illnesses. Rather than being compassionate towards
individuals who are less fortunate than us, many judge and discriminate against those
who do not have the luxury of a permanent residence. Many homeless people have a
difficult time finding a job because of their appearance and the fact that they do not
have a permanent address or phone number. The common depiction of this group
continues to be that all homeless people are just alcoholics or drug addicts that deserve
to live on the streets and do not deserve any sympathy. One major example of this
group being discriminated against is the recent laws occurring in cities such as Seattle,
Myrtle Beach, Phoenix, Jacksonville, Columbus, Boston, Austin, New Orleans, Long
Beach, Virginia Beach, Atlanta, Sacramento, Tulsa, and Miami have criminalized
homelessness (National Coalition for the Homeless, 2013). This group is an easy target,
and their vulnerability is taken advantage of by the government, the state, and their
peers. The chronic stress and anxiety of being homeless, mixed with discrimination,
causes a much higher rate of diseases and illness. The average life expectancy drops
from 78 years old to 46 years old for those who have experienced chronic
homelessness (National Health Care for the Homeless Council, 2014). Certain
organizations such as National Health Care for the Homeless Council, National
Coalition for the Homeless, and the Health Care for the Homeless Clinicians Network
are all working towards common goals such as diminishing the number of
homelessness, increasing safe public housing, reducing discrimination, and providing
more programs and services to assist the homeless.
Mike discussed the stressors and strengths related to the homeless community

Analysis of Family Ethnicity or Group Diversity

during the interview. According to Mike, the common stressors involved with homeless
are discrimination, financial issues, lack of food and clothing, embarrassing hygiene,
unemployment, no transportation, and limited communication with others because of
not having access to a phone or computer. The strengths Mike mentioned were being
street smart, having survival skills, being thrifty, being compassionate towards others,
and gratitude. Mike stated that being homeless has taught me what is really important
in life. Some people walk around complaining about the tiny $500 ring their boyfriend
bought them for Valentine's Day, but I am grateful for finding some spare change on
the ground to buy a hamburger off of the dollar menu. I look forward to the coffee and
cookies provided at the AA meetings, sometimes that is first thing I have eaten all day.
There is nothing glamorous about being homeless, and life on the streets is
overwhelmingly difficult on a daily basis, but I do believe that I will be better person
overall because of these circumstances. I truly still believe everything happens for a
reason (Mike, 2014). Other than obvious areas such as finances, this group
experiences stress due to unmanaged mental illnesses, lack of medical attention due to
no health insurance, higher rates of abuse, developmental discrepancies, higher risk of
communicable diseases, limited education, lack of transportation, cultural/linguistic
barriers ( Advisory Committee on Adapting Clinical Practice for Homeless Patients
(authors), 2010 pp. Viii).
The interviewee, Mike, had this to say about gender roles in the homeless
community, males and females have very different roles when it comes to living on
the streets. It is very unfortunate but the reality is that many homeless people are
involved in illegal activities to survive. Many of the women eventually sell their body
to make money, and the men generally turn to shoplifting, robberies, and even
pimping the women out to other men. The gender roles have a lot to do with how you

Analysis of Family Ethnicity or Group Diversity

survive. The women usually have a easier time finding someone to help take care of
them, but they experience a great deal of sexual abuse (Mike, 2014). According to
Bassuk and Browne stated this when discussing homeless women, In one study,
almost 90 percent reported having been violently victimized at some point in their
lives (1998). It is generally agreed upon that victimization is both a cause and a
symptom of homelessness.
The outside organizations that Mike associates most with are churches. The
reasoning behind his answer is because soup kitchens, clothing drives, and 12 step
meetings are usually held at churches. Mike said that he owes these organizations a lot
because they have provided him with a hot meal, and probably saved his life, the last
few years (Mike, 2014). Unfortunately, the judicial system is another one that homeless
individuals know all to well. Whether it be in the form of crimes to provide income or
to support their drug addiction, prostitution, or petty crimes such as loitering or public
urination due to lack of housing, the homeless community have a higher rate of
criminalization (Advisory Committee on Adapting Clinical Practice for Homeless
Patients (authors), 2010 pp. Viii). Some of the smaller crimes such as loitering can be
viewed as unfair and cause the individual to have a harder time finding employment,
and therefore, get in the way of improving their financial situation. The cycle then
continues for the individual seeking a way out of it. Mike stated that the occupational
and educational systems are much more difficult for a homeless person to get involved
in, which affects their financial situation and makes them complacent. It is hard to get
out of the cycle of homelessness once you are in it because these systems look past you
when applying for school or a job. I believe they think of me as being lazy, unreliable,
and on drugs, when in fact that is not true at all. I have applied for hundreds of jobs
recently and none of them gave me the time of day, even though I have an impressive

Analysis of Family Ethnicity or Group Diversity

resume up until a few years ago (Mike, 2014).
Mike proposed that homelessness is a transmitter by causes other people to look
at their own values and personal characteristics. He gave the example that when
people are near a homeless person, they are faced with their own reactions in the
situation: do they help or do they turn away? Mike and I agree that the American
obsession for money has lead to the increase in homelessness. The popular saying, the
rich get richer, and the poor get poorer, demonstrates that point. According to Mike,
the materialistic viewpoint of the American culture makes opportunities, and life in
general, more difficult for those who are less financially fortunate (Mike, 2014).
Although Mike agrees that much of the reliable literature of homelessness is
accurate, he is annoyed with many of the pieces undermining the disease of addiction,
and over reporting the number of homeless people as being addicts. He admits that a
large portion of the homeless community are addicted to drugs, but he believes that
some of the literature are unsympathetic to this group, or do not report the whole
story. Mike believes that majority of the population who have not experienced
impoverishment do not fully understand the harsh reality of a homelessness, and if
they did, they may actually start to understand the want to self medicate and
temporarily escape that reality.
There are numerous social work implications that can be pursued on all three
levels of the social work practice: micro, mezzo, and macro. First, the micro level
implications include individual counseling for homeless patients, pointing out
resources for rehabilitation centers for substance abusers, referrals for employment
and housing opportunities, guidance into what government assistance is available and
appropriate for their situation, working towards goals to improve their situation such
as schooling, financial aid, and tutoring. The second level, mezzo, will work towards

Analysis of Family Ethnicity or Group Diversity

reuniting families, group therapy, referring specific support groups, cleaning up
neighborhoods, building or fixing safe shelters in the neighborhood, workshops and
training to improve skills (resume writing, job training, reading, writing, etc). Lastly,
the third level, macro focuses on larger scale implications. This may include spreading
awareness (within the community, country, or globally), increasing the amount of
shelters nation wide, increasing jobs, increasing the number of days insurance
companies will cover for inpatient rehabilitation, help make treatment more accessible
for homeless individuals, work on improving government assistance programs such as
WIC, EBT, child care, and public housing.
The Generalist Intervention Model (GIM) is a step-by-step directional guide for
helping professionals such as social workers when working with a client for a plan of
change (Kirst-Ashman and Hull, 2012). The first step, engagement is a critical step to
prove genuineness, warmth, and compassion to the client. For a homeless client, the
second step, assessment, would involve addressing the issues, gathering information
on the client's environment and identify the client's strengths. Next, a mutual plan to
move forward will be discussed, and then implemented. Some plans that may be
beneficial for a homeless client are applying for jobs, saving and budgeting money,
applying for government assistance, check into treatment, etc. During the fifth step,
evaluation, the social worker and client will have to take accountability where
necessary and determine if the intervention was effective or not. The final steps are
termination and follow-up (Kirst-Ashman and Hull, 2012).
In summary, the diverse group of homelessness is increasing in population. The
reality of those living below the poverty line and without a permanent residence is
overwhelmingly challenging and disheartening. Mike, a homeless man from Detroit,
Michigan, was kind enough to allow me to interview him about a topic that usually

Analysis of Family Ethnicity or Group Diversity

makes other people in a similar situation uncomfortable. Mike, openly expressed his
thoughts and experiences of living the last few years without an address. Social
workers are expected to have an eclectic basic knowledge of the diverse groups and
cultures. The Generalist Intervention Model was developed to instruct social workers
on the proper way to guide an effective session. With diverse groups, such as homeless
individuals, that experience discrimination and oppression often, the professional
must be extra sensitive to the needs of the clients.

Analysis of Family Ethnicity or Group Diversity

References
Kirst-Ashman K., and Hull G., (2012). Understanding Generalist Practice. Brooks/Cole.
pp. 41-45.
Bassuk EL, Melnick S, Browne A. (1998). Responding to the needs of low-income and
homeless
Women who are survivors of family violence. J Am Med Womens Assoc.; 53(2): pp.
5764.
Burt, M., Aron, L., Edgar, L., Valente, J., (2001). Helping America's Homeless: Emergency
Shelter or
Affordable Housing? Urban Institute Press. Retrieved from
http://www.urban.org/pubs/homeless/chapter1.html
Michigan's Campaign to End Homelessness (2008). Homelessness in Michigan: Fact
Sheet. (para. 1). Retrieved from
www.thecampaigntoendhomelessness.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket
National Coalition for the Homeless (2013) National Coalition for Homeless:
Criminalization of
Homelessness. Para.2-3. Retrieved from
http://www.nationalhomeless.org/projects/nhcrop.html
** (Washington D.C.)
National Health Care for the Homeless Council (2014). National Health Care for the
Homeless
Council: Breaking the Links between Poor Health and Homelessness. Fact Sheet.
Retrieved
from http://www.nhchc.org/resources/general-information/fact-sheets/ **
(Nashville TN.)