This essay will focus on the issue of homelessness. Homelessness is a term in which many may have their own option. Vijay K Mago's definition in the article “Analyzing the Impact of Social Factors on Homelessness: A Fuzzy Cognitive Map” was the most relevant definition. It states that “homelessness is a complex social problem with a variety of underlying economic and social factors such as; poverty, lack of affordable housing, poor physical and mental health, addictions and community and family breakdown.” Different combinations of these factors contribute to the duration, frequency, and type of homelessness. To be completely homeless requires living without shelter, however many experience partial homelessness which may include temporary, uncertain or sub-par housing. “Homelessness is a difficult term to define, so governments struggle with uncertainty when creating and implementing policies they hope will effectively manage or eradicate this problem.” Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The term homelessness largely influences sociology in many different factors. There was a dramatic increase in levels of homelessness from 1980 to 1990 and the level has continued to rise over the last 20 years or so. When you think of the term homeless you tend to think of the broader definition of “people living on the streets”. Of course, this is a rather narrow definition that has shaped much of the work of geographers on this topic. An alternative way to try to understand homelessness is to try to understand something about these same experiences, “defining; homelessness in relation to the absence of those feelings of emotional attachment, security and control (usually) associated with a sense of 'home'”. Homelessness is just one form of a much larger picture. This issue is not just about that person or family, but about the community as a whole, the state and even the government. When the number of homeless people increases, so does drug overdose, crime, sexual violence, etc...." The fact that there is no comprehensive national housing strategy to coordinate these levels of government often leads to inadequate policies and funding that fall far short of meeting the country's housing needs." The problem will continue to get worse if nothing is done to stop rising poverty rates that impact homelessness rates. Dating back to around 1840, the term homelessness was often associated with a habit of drunkenness. “In popular opinion, drunkards, usually men, devoured their wages and impoverished their families; they lost their jobs and homes and drove away their wives and children with cruel treatment. In the 1890s, the public had the same ideas about people who abused cocaine, opium, and morphine and the unhappy circumstances of their families who were affected. It was a term that continued to have a bad reputation and make everyone who was homeless sound like an alcoholic or drug addict until “studies of homelessness before the Great Depression noted that the number of homeless people went up and down depending on economic conditions” L he United States economy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries caused a significant number of people to lose their jobs and therefore their financial security. The term homelessness has begun to be challenged from being known as something caused by a “problem” to something that simply becomes unfortunate for a person and/or families. Workers without families to support and workersconsidered less productive they were the first to be fired. “Employers assumed that young single women would be supported by their families and that married women didn't really need a second income. Older men, single men known to drink heavily, and members of ethnic or racial minorities were more often targeted for dismissal. Financial income began to be the question behind the increase in homelessness and the reason why the numbers continued to increase. The period from 1941 to 1973 was a time of prosperity for the United States. The government began increasing welfare programs, such as Medicare, affordable housing, and disability benefits. New programs were created to help heavy drinkers and drug addicts, and local governments began investing in projects to clean up urban areas and breathe new life into cities full of homeless people. The government has seen an improvement in the economic conditions of the elderly, but the results have not been entirely as hoped. Some cities that had “skid-row” areas were bulldozed. . The government thought it would help people find new and better shelters, but in reality it did the opposite. The problem of homelessness became literal, the poor actually had no homes to live in. In 1980 the media began reporting that a new generation of younger homeless people had become the problem. These people of younger ages appeared to have high rates of excessive alcohol use, mental illness, and drug use. “As a result, many observers explained the new homelessness as the result of policies that addressed mental hospitals and imprisonment for public drunkenness and minor drug offenses.” “Homeless people are more likely to suffer from chronic conditions and complications due to housing instability. “Emergency rooms, crisis response, and public safety systems are used at a much higher rate by homeless people,” and recent studies on homelessness continue to argue that perhaps 85 percent of homeless people are drug addicts and/or mentally ill, which means homelessness is a very costly thing for our government and for us taxpayers. In the 1960s and 1970s, many states deinstitutionalized both alcoholics, drug addicts, and the mentally ill, making it much more difficult for a person to be involuntarily committed to a mental institution. Many states have also “decriminalized” public intoxication. People who were drunk in public were sent to places where they could sober up rather than being sent to prison. Similarly, juvenile drug offenders have been kept out of prisons. “Homelessness has been described by many as a condition in which troubled and problematic people find themselves. Not only were they homeless, but they were also excluded from the institutions that had once hosted them." “About 550,000 Americans were homeless earlier this year, and one in five of them lived in New York or Los Angeles.” Homelessness is more prevalent in urban areas and is not a problem that developed overnight, it is something that has happened over the years and continues to expand. Every year the number increases and more and more citizens take to the streets due to extreme poverty. “People affected by homelessness are usually unaware of the environmental and economic destruction that their survival reflects. However, those who live in the surrounding areas have seen the change. As unfortunate as this topic is, the need to examine how harm is done to all who share this landscape is warranted.” Stigmatization issues have been.