It is apparent that a major problem in society is the increasing number of homeless people in our major cities. It is a common belief by some journalists and politicians that the amount of homeless people in the U.S. may be caused by the release of a large amount of deinstitutionalized mental patients in the 1970's. The reason behind the release, it seems, is that a newly proposed policy would give the former patients treatment from local community based centers. This project failed because the treatment centers were never built. Some people deny this to be a valid reason, especially those who work with the homeless. Most people who express alternate views believe it is an economic and social problem, rather than a psychiatric one.
While the government provides some financial support towards homeless shelters, funds have dropped from $30 billion in 1980 to $25,000 by 1989. This fact along with a survey by the MASSACHUSETTS MEDICAL SOCIETY shows that most frequent illnesses among homeless are non-mental, and only 13% of the sicknesses are neurological. It seems clear
that a direct psychiatric cause is not a valid argument or a real solution to this problem but rather an indirect manifestation of the lack of care and support. Along with this lack of funds comes a lack of social responsibility towards the homeless. While a few shelters are currently available, many homeless people with various health problems are denied treatment. As we hear the politicians tell us that "no one will be turned away " or just "horror stories" and that these situations don't exist we need to look at the hundreds of mothers who are turned away each year.
In my opinion this essay was impotent. There were many instances where Kozol had a chance to offer a solution. He criticizes the shelters that turn people away, and the amount of funding the government has for low income housing, but again he has no solution or even an idea. This essay was very affective in explaining the problem of homelessness and how many people it can affect. However, I think it had a very narrow view on what to do to fix it.
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