Groups in Context

The Homeless

Community and Family Studies

HSC Enrichment Day2010

Legal Definition

ABS Identifies 3 Types of Homelessness (Chamberlin & McKenzie, 2003)

Primary Homelessness are those people sleeping rough, in parks, under bridges, in squats.

Secondary Homelessness include those who couch-surf at various friends’ places and those staying at refuges, hostels or crisis accommodation facilities.

Tertiary Homeless are people living in single rooms in private boarding houses or in caravans”

Social Definition

• The homeless are people fromall walks of life, who haveundergone various hardships.

• They are often dismissed as second class citizens and experience discrimination in all aspects of their life.

• Homeless persons are REAL people who have endured extraordinary events and by their existence it provides hope to the wider community and allows society to demonstrate compassion.

Homeless Characteristics

Focus Question

• Past paper HSC question: 2003

• For ONE group you have studied, suggest ways of resolving conflict that might exist between the needs of the group and the expectations of the wider society.

(6 marks)

Specific Needs SHE HAS Soup Each Friday

People experiencing homelessness belong to a vastly diverse group. Which in turn means that they have different needs and

different abilities and often come from vastly different circumstances.

Specific Needs

• Financial Support: Centrelink payments, some homeless do not access these services, WHY?

• Security & Safety: Shelter is a basic need, incredible unpredictable, insecure & unsafe way to live.

• Housing: Demand for low cost housing far outweighs the supply.

• Employment & Education: Face many barriers.

• Access to Services: Significant needs but may not have the resources to access the services they need.

Specific Needs

Which IMPACT on……

Health: Experience poor levels of health, e.g. malnutrition due to poverty or drug dependency.

Self-esteem: Usually low, due to being socially marginalised, disconnect to family, friends and their community.

Sense of Identity: Extremely difficult to achieve when it seems as though you are invisible to most of society.

Societal Expectations

Kevin 07 has made homelessness a national government priority consequently highlighting the

issues facing the homeless in Australia.

Hopefully by the media raising the awarenessof the homeless situation they may foster an understanding through explaining homelessness to the wider community and hence alleviating the prejudice that still exists in the community towards the homeless.

Potential conflicts that may arise...?• Need for shelter

• Begging for money

• Can’t access the necessary treatment to help fight mental health issues thus turn to illegal drug use

• Need for social contact as they may have been cut off from family/friends

• Business owners don’t want homeless people sleeping in their shop front

• Individuals have a perception that they are bludgers and should work for their money

• Community doesn’t want drug users walking their streets

• Don’t want to interact with people who look poorly and live on the streets, thus avoiding the homeless and ignoring them

Resolutions?

OK so you now need to be able to

“..suggest ways of resolving conflict that might exist between the needs of the

group and the expectations of the wider society.”

Should we be judged as a society by the way we treat our homeless?

Another Day in Paradise