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Running head: HOMELESSNESS

Homelessness: A Culture within Its Community

Meleina Reyes
University of Kentucky

HOMELESSNESS
Abstract
The Homeless Community is made up of individuals that are diverse but share common
factors that make them part of this culture. These factors include what has led them to
homelessness, whether it is addiction, alcoholism, abuse, mental illness or dysfunctions of
families. This paper looks at the beliefs, struggles and stereotypes that this culture faces.
It concludes by allowing the reader to look at this culture differently than they once did.

HOMELESSNESS

Homelessness a Culture within Its Community

We go about our day-to-day lives without recognizing the world around us. We all claim
that we are a part of this world, but in reality we are just living in it. We do not see lives the way
others see it. We do not consider the ways others are living. Until given this assignment, I would
have been rightly accused of this myself. People live a lot differently than me. There are many
cultures we are unaware of or do not specifically identify as a culture. The homeless community
is, in fact, one of these cultures.. This culture faces a number of stereotypes that do not actually
hold truth. Homelessness is caused by the struggles among addiction, alcoholism, abuse, mental
illness and the dysfunctions of families. The people who make up this culture who come from
diverse backgrounds have different beliefs and values but all share a common denominator, and
that is homelessness. These individuals can be assisted by others outside of the community and
ultimately leave the culture.
Furthermore, the homeless community includes all types of people. As I interviewed the
volunteer manager at the Hope Center, I realized that there were many aspects of their lives that
are misinterpreted. The Hope Center is a homeless shelter here in Lexington that provides crisis
shelter, clothing, food, and even recovery services to the homeless. Their mission is to get these
people the tools they need to live self-sufficiently. The Hope Center is a great way for
individuals living in the homeless culture to get back up on their feet.
First off we started with stereotypes. The homeless community comes off as men and
women who are lazy, uneducated, and unwilling to help themselves. Many are viewed as beggars
who do not deserve the hard earned money of working people. Some even see them as
unapproachable and even frightening. The reality of it is that these stereotypes are created from

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people outside of this culture. The real reason these people are part of this culture is because
they have fallen into a pit that they feel like they have no way out of (C. Cario, personal
communication, Sept. 20,2014).
Addiction is caused by the over use of a particular substance such as drugs. This causes
the brain to change and function in a way it usually does not. Sometimes people feel that they
can escape their feelings or problems by altering their brain to explore other areas that only drugs
take them to. After this takes place, many start to rely on these drugs as a solution to their
struggles. A lot of money and time can take up this addiction leading to a downward spiral. Soon
before they know it they have given up their lives for this addiction. They cannot function
without the drug and will do anything to obtain it. This then cuts off family, friends and financial
support. All together leaving them homeless with no moral support (Homeward Bound of WNC,
2014).
Another cause of homelessness is abuse. There are different types of abuse such as verbal
and mental. Numerous amounts of men and women face this everyday. Both types of abuse
cause these individuals to feel unwanted or unloved. Once they have had enough and build up
the courage to leave these unhealthy relationships, most have nowhere to go. Although this
happens with both sexes, it is most often put into the case as women being the victims (Hope
Center For Men, 2013)
In addition to abuse, there alcoholism is another large problem within this culture.
Alcohol plays the same type of role as addiction to drugs plays. Once these individuals have lost
everything and have nowhere to go they are inducted into this homeless community.
Besides those factors mental illness can also become the source of homelessness. Mental
illness is caused by disorders that cause a humans thinking process to differentiate from what is

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actually going on. Twenty-five percent of the homeless community suffers from mental illness
(The Hope Center 2013). Most often these individuals cannot live independently because they
cannot carry out the daily tasks required for self-sufficiency.
Furthermore physical disabilities are another cause of homelessness. Believe it or not, a
majority of the people in this culture are individuals who are U.S. veterans. They were physically
hurt during war or other scenarios and cannot physically function properly. This problem is often
paired with a mental illness known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
This can be seen in Dr. Drews interview with a homeless man in Los Angles, California.
This man served in the Iraqi war, Panama war, and Granada war. He endured emotional trauma
leading to his PTSD disorder. Ultimately because of his disorder, he could not serve or work at
all (Dr. Drew 2014)

Figure 1. Graph of the amount of homeless veterans in U.S.. Note. Photo National
Alliance to End Homelessness

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Moreover, another cause of homelessness is the dysfunctions of families. My second

interviewee, a young lady that would like to remain anonymous, had fallen into homelessness
because her stepfather left her mother for another woman. Her mom relied on him for financial
support and realized she could not afford the rent of the house they were living in. They were
then evicted from the house. This led to living in hotels for days at a time then having to move to
a different hotel because the special or price would go up. My interviewee was young at the
time and did not think much of it. She would get excited about getting to stay in hotels and little
did she know how much her mother was struggling, until she became older. Her mother worked
long and hard hours to provide for her and her brothers.
At that point, she did not know she was homeless because she had somewhere to lay her
head down at night and food in her stomach. Although she did have necessities for life, she did
not have a stable living environment. Moving from hotel to hotel during grade school was not
healthy. She remembered that even though it had been fun for a while, it grew old quick. Friends
of hers would tell stories about their moms and dads getting them new toys and clothes, but she
could not relate. Her friends had no idea what she was facing; her mother did not allow her to
question the situation.

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Figure 2. Children pray before dinner provided at UMC. Note. Photo United Methodist
News Service

Finally, her mother was able to get back up on her feet. She worked three jobs and
decided to ask her family for help. With the money coming from both places, they were able to
get out of this situation and rent a new house.
Furthermore, through this obstacle that this young lady faced she is able to reach others
who are walking through hardships. No matter what the situation is there is always help. It may
take time and pain but the conditions will be overcome and there will be brighter days
(anonymous, personal communication, Sept. 26, 2014).
Indeed if there is a will there is a way. The Hope Center and other shelters around the
world are a great way for individuals living in the homeless culture to get back up on their feet.
Through these shelters and programs provided specifically for the homeless, they can attain

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rehabilitation. This ultimately leads to living self-sufficiently without the struggles they once
faced. Once they have reached this step they are no longer part of the homeless culture.
Another issue that people outside of the community do not see is the children and
families that are stuck in this situation together. Many like my second interviewee cannot get out
of the situation quickly, leaving them without a home. One in 45 children experience
homelessness in America each year (Children, 2010). Because of this they are more prone to
problems in their future. They have no way of choosing this lifestyle and cannot get out without
their caregivers support.
In addition to the stereotypes there is a question that is aroused by those outside of the
culture. That question is what about those who choose to be homeless? This is answered in
different ways. Many of these individuals have their own stories as to why they have chosen this
lifestyle, whether it is forced or chosen.
One of the reasons that people choose this lifestyle is because they have allowed the
struggles in their lives to rule out a better life, per say. They may get entrenched in it, like
someone who becomes institutionalized and doesnt know how to navigate the world outside of
an institution (Understanding the Homeless 2014). They learn how to navigate outside of a
home. They learn where to find shelter and food. Some even feel that this is who they are and do
not remember their life before being homeless. This is their sense of comfort. This is their sense
of home.
On the contrary, the homeless culture is not specifically identified with a specific group
of people. This community is as diverse as any other. Men and women whether they are black,
white, Spanish-speaking or any other ethnicities face this struggle. Shelters and programs, like
The Hope Center, fits the needs of an individual precisely upon what they are facing. This allows

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these people to seek the appropriate help they need. Within each program, there comes specific
treatment to meet their demand s in taking the first steps of living self-sufficiently. Once this is
accomplished successfully, patients are given a second chance at life. Some programs provide
the opportunity to get a job and start back in the right direction. Many are given housing areas
that are a drug free and safe environment.
At this point, once a member of this community has received the help they need to live
and support themselves they leave this culture. This process can take anywhere from a few
weeks to a few months to even years. Whatever the case is as to why they are part of this
community they can always opt out. They must be seeking help.
The beliefs of this culture are not always shared. Like said before the community is very
diverse and come from a variety of areas. They include all ethnicities and do not specifically
relate to a certain race. Therefore the beliefs depend on their backgrounds. What is found
commonly believed within the homeless community is that this life was not destined for them.
In addition, there are people outside of this culture that want to help these individuals.
This community can be assisted through volunteer work through the shelters and programs that
provide for these people. Another way to help these people is through donations. Now some may
not want to donate or give money because these people may abuse it and use it for other things.
They can be given things such as food and clothing. Although these are small ways of helping
this impacts the community in a vigorous way.
Through my interview with the volunteer manager at The Hope Center I learned what had
impacted her the most with helping this community. Cario explained that she had seen many
people come in that were strung out on hardcore drugs and had thrown their money, families and
potential futures away. Once they realized that they had hit an all time low and decided to get

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help from the shelters and programs they were completely transformed. Through the help of
others outside of this community they were able to find their way out of the problem.
In conclusion, the homeless culture face a variety of stereotypes that are not true. They
face struggles, although different from others outside of the community, like any other person.
The people involved are diverse in most aspects. They do not hold a specific belief or value
together but have their own. They share the common denominator of being homeless. Hopefully
this paper has allowed others to see the Homeless culture in a different way than they once did.

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References

Pinsky, D. (2014, July 30). There is a way out: Homeless in America. Retrieved from
http://www.hlntv.com/video/2014/07/29/homeless-america-dr-drew-call-hear-theirstories

Walker, S. (2012, March 12). Understanding Homelessness- Homeward Bound of WNC.

Retrieved from http://www.homewardboundwnc.org/about-homelessness/

Williams, C. (2013, January 1). Mental Health Program. Retrieved from

http://www.hopectr.org/services/mental-health-program/

Claire, M. (2012, November, 3) Children American Institutes Research. Retrieved from

http://www.familyhomelessness.org/children.php?p=ts