The Effect of Homelessness on Society - Coursework Example

Introduction

The present-day society faces a vast number of issues that threaten its well-being and even its very existence. These problems include extreme poverty rates, pandemic diseases, homelessness, terrorism and international aggression, economic recessions, etc. It seems necessary to note that all of the problems mentioned above are interconnected and have an adverse effect on the social development prospects.

Homelessness is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that affects not only those experiencing it as an inevitable part of their lives but also the entire society as well as economic and political systems. A vast number of research works related to the spheres of sociology, anthropology, economy, politics, and psychology were dedicated to studying the problem of homelessness in various countries and the effective ways to address it. It is a widespread opinion that poor living conditions in the community contribute to the appearance of such phenomenon as homelessness. However, it has an inverse effect as well since the rising number of people devoid of their own households lose interest in life, ability to work and receive education and, therefore, cause the decay of the society from within.

People will always aspire to a better life, however, the society seems to have taken a wrong course in development because of increased poverty and homelessness levels. The dropping number of people capable of receiving a higher and even basic school education because of the increasing poverty and homelessness rates has a negative impact on the present-day society. This also makes it difficult to predict the future of the contemporary social structure because the effect the rise in the number of homeless people has on society is currently understudied.

Problem Statement

The importance of studying the impact of homelessness on society has long been recognized in the sphere of sociology. However, to date, the world of academia lacks reliable and complete sources of information concerning this very aspect of the homelessness problem.

In terms of the problem’s definition, it seems necessary to note that such phenomenon as homelessness derives from the flaws of the social system and, simultaneously contributes to their existence. The center of the problem resides in the sphere of education capable of both – opening the way towards a good job and general well-being and, in case of its inaccessibility, depriving a person and his or her present or would-be family of the chance for decent life.

Homelessness as a social phenomenon entails the changes in the social structure of a particular community by forming the lowest social class. The example of the sphere of education is perfect for revealing the adverse effects of homelessness on society since it encompasses the most vulnerable social group – children – as its key element and allows studying the above-mentioned impact and its consequences from the first stage of their development. Thereby, the key problem regarded within the framework of the current research would be the one related to the impact of homelessness in children and adults on the development of the contemporary society.

Research Objectives

The suggested research dedicated to studying the influence of child and adult homelessness on the course of the society’s development reflects the topical problem that currently remains unaddressed in the modern world. The problem of homelessness is studied well as a separate social phenomenon, as well as the impact of various social and psychological factors’ impact on the increase in the number of homeless people. However, the impact of homelessness on the society itself lacks proper coverage in the topic-specific literature, which makes the suggested research a valuable contribution to the studies in this sphere. In addition, it seems essential to point out that the study of homelessness in both children and adults as a negative factor influencing the society that, simultaneously, shows the interconnection between the two types of homelessness mentioned above and the progression from one to another would be unique in the array of the topic-related research works.

The results to be received within the framework of the suggested research presuppose their subsequent use for the longitudinal empirical studies dedicated to the problem in question and aiming to determine the efficient methods of reducing the negative factor. In addition, the result of the suggested research project will be valuable in the spheres of sociology and education as well as in the spheres of legal and political affairs dealing with the problem of homelessness’s impact on society on the state and global levels.

The key objective of the suggested study is to provide an in-depth analysis of the problem and review the existing literature dedicated to the problem in question in order to present a comprehensive overview of the phenomenon of homelessness as a pathogen contributing to the formation of new problems for the society to deal with. The long-term goal of the current research is to provide necessary information for the empirical studies in the spheres of education and sociology in order to predict and prevent the potential negative impact of such phenomenon as homelessness on the society starting from the very core of the problem.

Research Questions

The suggested research will analyze the problem of homelessness as well as the ways it impacts the contemporary society, as a separate social and economic phenomenon demanding close attention of the researcher. The research aims answering the following topic-related questions:

• In what ways the phenomenon of homelessness affects the contemporary society? – the answer for the given research question aims revealing the potential ways in which the phenomenon of homelessness could affect the society.
• The representatives of which social group (lower- upper- or middle class) contribute to the adverse impact of homelessness on the society? – the given question demands a comprehensive answer since the effect caused by a rising number of homeless people is concentrated in a particular social class affecting, at the same time, the entire society.
• What spheres suffer most from the rising number of homeless people? – the answer for this question would be directly related to the previous one. It is important to answer it in order to cover the problem in question fully and address it from different angles.
• What impact homelessness has on children and what are its consequences for the society? – this question is the most important and, at the same time, the broadest one demanding close study of the problem.

Definition of the key Concepts

The current research would operate several key concepts related to its major topic. Among them it is necessary to underline the importance of such concept as poverty since it has the greatest impact on the increase of the number of homeless people in various countries of the world. Being rooted in poverty, homelessness, in its turn, contributes to the impoverishment of the people since homeless people become obsolescent and unnecessary to the society but still consume its products and, rather often, contribute to the increase of crime rates. Therefore, one can observe the formation of the vicious circle poverty begets homelessness and the latter, in its turn, begets poverty.

The second concept regarded in terms of the research is the one of overpopulation that forces people to live on the streets because of the mere lack of other more decent places to live.

The third but not the least important is the concept of education that which effect is similar to the one of poverty. The lack of decent education leads to financial and family problems capable of turning a person from a good family to a homeless.

Preliminary Literature Review

A preliminary literature review shows that the problem chosen as the central topic of the present research remains understudied and, subsequently, lacks presentation in the reliable sources. However, the study suggested in terms of the given research proposal is going to employ the literary sources from the related spheres and those dedicated to studying the problem with the major focus residing on the child homelessness and adult homelessness separately in order to present a concise overview and cover the topic. It is important to use both literary and electronic sources in order to make the overview complete and concise. The following sources may be used in terms of the suggested study:

• Online sources
• “A Social Ethics Approach to Social Problems”. This source describes the sociological approach to the problem of homelessness and present reliable data concerning the functionalist perception of the problem in question in its relation to other spheres.
• “Impact of homelessness”. As it follows from the title of the source, it is focused upon the impact the concept of homelessness has on the contemporary society. As opposed to the impact it had during the previous centuries, currently homelessness affects the economy of the state as well as the well-being of the states’ citizens. The source dwells upon such phenomena as taxes that are not paid by the homeless people, hence, the appearance of the budget deficiency and other ways in which the homeless people deteriorate the society.
• Specific-literature sources
• “The Effects of Homelessness on the Academic Achievement of Children” (Evans-Attles, 1997, pp. 13-16). As it follows from the title of the book, it describes the impact of homelessness on children and, consequently, allows for the subsequent analysis of the impact the homeless children have on the society.
• The source entitled “Homelessness and Social Policy” (Burrows, et al., 2013, pp. 36-37) presents the information concerning the interrelations that exist between the homelessness and the concurrent political system. It describes the two ways of homeless people perception – the one focused on blaming them for the social and economic problems and the second presuming the innocence of the homeless and their need in social and financial aid.
• The book "Homeless Children: The Watchers and the Waiters" (Beker & Boxill, 2014, p. 9) employs the example of child homelessness to study the impact the latter has on the contemporary society. This source allows drawing parallels between the adult and child homelessness as two stages of the same process that impacts the development of social problems being, at the same time, rooted in them itself.
• "Homelessness and Its Consequences: The Impact on Children's Psychological Well-being" written by R. Downer (2013, p. 9) dwells upon the adult homelessness as the factor that impacts the psychological stability and well-being of children and, subsequently, deteriorates the living conditions of the entire society.
• "Sociology: Understanding a Diverse Society, Updated" by Margaret Andersen and Howard F. Taylor (2007, p. 20) aims to reveal the specific elements of homelessness and study its impact on society from the viewpoint of the functionalists theory, which reflects the necessities of the suggested research in terms of its theoretical grounding.

Theoretical Grounding (Structural-Functionalist Theory)

As far as the theoretical grounding of the research is concerned, it is essential to define the key theory to back up the subsequent study of the phenomenon in question. The complex structure of the problem necessitates its studying from the viewpoint of the structural-functionalist theory with regard to the the connections that exists between the phenomenon of homelessness and the elements of social system such as education, employment, etc.

The structural-functionalist theory views the society as a multifaceted system that consists of different elements related indivisibly to one another. As far as such phenomenon as homelessness is concerned the theory regards it as a disease of the society that disrupts the normal functioning of the latter (“A Social Ethics Approach to Social Problems”). Therefore, this theory could be used as the key one in terms of the given research because it operates the same viewpoint on the problem as the title of the research paper suggests and could also be used to analyze the phenomenon of homelessness as an element of society functioning within its framework

Research Methodology

Methodology, as an important element vital for every research work regardless of its nature, should be chosen with regard to the demands of the project and the nature of the problem researched within its framework. Therefore, the primary research methodology chosen for the given research is represented by such methods as conceptual modeling and review of the existing literature.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it seems necessary to note that the contemporary empirical and theoretical studies conducted by the specialists in various spheres and dedicated to the problem of homelessness provide little information concerning its impact on the present-day society. Therefore, it is essential to research this problem in order to provide its complete overview and prepare the basis for the following empirical and theoretical research works aimed to define the way to address it taking all its existing elements into account. The problem regarded within the framework of the current study is rather vast which necessitates the thorough literature review and the employment of the strict form of analysis allowing to avoid biased judgements and inconsistencies in the study.

Due to the fact that the problem of homelessness’ impact upon the society is currently understudied, the research process may face certain difficulties in finding information to support its thesis. But, nevertheless, the nature of the suggested research presupposes the use of various sources capable of providing reliable necessary information, its digestion, analysis, and evaluation with regard to the functionalist theory.

In general, it seems worth mentioning that the study of the effect of homelessness on society has a potential to contribute to the improvement of life quality of the representatives of different social groups from the bottom to the top of the social ladder and, subsequently, secure the prosperity of many states across the globe including advanced one and those with the developing economies.