Homelessness and Mental Health (Part 1)

I will be dedicating the next few posts to the topic of homelessness. Unfortunately, the homeless represent a forgotten and neglected segment of our population. Society tends to ignore their suffering or pretend they do not exist. Or worse, they are often viewed as somehow less than human, almost justifying what they are going through and making it okay. We ignore the issue or make it seem more okay to minimize our own emotional distress about it. If it is not there or is not that big of a deal, then I don't need to feel so bad about it. The truth of the matter is that every homeless individual is equal to every non-homeless individual on the planet, and his or her pain and suffering is the same as the pain of suffering of anyone else. We must accept the reality of the situation and face the problem head-on, as this is the only way we will ever reduce and eliminate the suffering of our fellow brothers and sisters. And the reality of the situation is that many individuals in our very own country do not have their basic human rights met, as outlined by the United Nations' Declaration of Human Rights, which include food, shelter, and adequate medical and mental health care. Although gathering accurate statistics on homelessness is difficult, estimates are that between 600,000 to 750,000 people are homeless on a given night in America. Over a five-year period, 2%-3% of the population, as many as 8 million people, will be homeless for at least one night. So it is clear that homelessness is a significant issue and not one that only affects a small segment of the population. This also means that there isn't an "us" and "them" when it comes to homelessness, as it is more common than most of us would like to think. Homelessness is not their problem, it is our problem. The next few posts will delve deeper into the issue of homelessness and its relationship to mental health.
“Poverty is not an accident. Like slavery and apartheid, it is man-made and can be removed by the actions of human beings. Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life. While poverty persists, there is no true freedom.” –Nelson Mandela