Blog Post 4
Markie Nelson
4/23/2022
Professor Jenkins
American Government and Politics
Blog Post 4
Lack of proper education and healthcare is a problem across the world but is mainly a target of the homeless community. Lack of education “can be defined as a state where people have a below-average level of common knowledge about basic things that they would urgently need in their daily life… Especially in poor developing countries, educational inequality is quite prevalent” (environmental-conscience.com). On the other hand, lack of healthcare is a problem that affects nearly everyone, not just the homeless community. According to an article, “Society then bears these costs through lower productivity, increased rates of communicable diseases, and higher insurance premiums” (www.urban.org). Many people do not realize how much the lack of education and healthcare run hand in hand, and this is extremely hard for the homeless community to gain access to. This is due to the preconceptions that people of higher SES have.
The homeless community does not have the kind of access that higher SES people do. Without proper healthcare people’s lives are at stake, depending on the severity, but without even just medication the illness could spread. According to a PubMed Central article, it was said, “Homeless people are a heterogeneous population whose diverse health promotion needs are poorly met” (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). Not only are homeless people affected by healthcare ailments but are also limited to access to education. Another article mentioned,” … unsure of where their next meal will come from. But hunger isn’t the only setback that poverty brings. It also prevents access to something we often take for granted: education” (forgottenchildren.org). Without education, it is hard for people to find a living, so this is especially harder for homeless people. An article wrote, “Research has shown that education is a key stepping-stone to rising above poverty and pursuing a better life” (forgottenchildren.org). As stated on another website impoverished children experience, “Moreover, these children also often have to work instead of attending school since they have to contribute to the family income to support their family members financially” (environmental-conscience.com). Also written on the same website quoted above, “A lack of education and the resulting low income may also often lead to insufficient health insurance… they may suffer from serious long-term consequential effects since they are often not able to afford medical treatment due to their lack of health insurance” (environmental-conscience.com). Another toll on the homeless community because of these problems is the mental and physical distress caused by not being able to provide in a beneficial way for their family. These are just the beginning of the hardships that this community faces every day of their lives.
There are many different reasons people are homeless, but not growing up sufficiently can have a major toll on one’s mental and physical well-being. Many homeless people turn to crimes to provide for themselves and/ or their families. These crimes can stretch from many different aspects, big or small, but this usually results in them being put in jail or social isolation, thus making it even harder for them or their families to have the luxury of education and healthcare. Many times, as well children are having to work in some ways, to help provide for their families, so they do not even have the time to go to school sadly. In the same article referred earlier from PubMed Central,” Health promotion among homeless people should be practical and educative, taking into account their hierarchy of needs and specific housing environments” (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). In a scientific paper from PubMed, it was written that” There was emotional distress over social exclusion and depersonalization. Participants wanted to work and to be housed, yet felt trapped in a dehumanizing system” (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). People of higher status do not see first-hand or consider how people in the homeless community want a way out, and in our economy today there is barely any opportunities that will even consider them.
Some solution to the lack of education problem is the access to many different programs that consist of volunteers that will teach poverty children. Another solution is improving health insurance for impoverished groups, which can result in a better education for homeless children. Public schools also are a good way for kids and adults to gain access to free education. Many people within the school systems try to provide financial support and/or awareness for people that are of lower economic status. Another solution that sounds so small, but has a large movement, is awareness. People cannot make a change without knowing what problems are going on. Written in a scientific article it was mentioned, “Healthcare professionals, particularly community nurses, have opportunities to collaborate respectfully with these clients and work for changes in public policies, such as national housing and addiction treatment policies, and for streamlined, humanized services to smooth the processes of social reintegration” (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). Sadly, all these solutions are easier said than done, and change will not happen without a movement of people striving to desolate these problems. Hopefully in the future it will be easier for the homeless community to gain access to these things.
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1115032/
https://environmental-conscience.com/lack-of-education-causes-effects-solutions/