Before class on Tuesday, I would like you to do two things: First, after reading the first section of Jonathan Kozol’s Rachel and Her Children, I would like you to reflect on your initial response to this text. What do you find interesting so far? Or, what issues strike you as significant? Or, what do you find engaging about Kozol as a writer?
Second, share your initial thoughts with the rest of class about what topic or issue you’d like to focus on for our first assignment. Don’t worry, you don’t have to choose yet or be absolutely certain, but I’d like you to explore the issues that you think are the most promising at this point. What sub-topics in relation to gender and homelessness interest you? Which ones would you like to explore further? Feel free to sketch out a few ideas or ask questions about potential issues. The point is to get you moving towards a focal point so that our research seminar with the librarian will be as productive as possible for you on Tuesday.
In the first section of Jonathan Kozol’s Rachel and Her Children, I noticed the consistency of Kozol’s statistics that he used to explain the widespread homelessness epidemic in the United States. At times it was hard to follow him; nonetheless, I understand numbers are imperative for clarification. Once the numbers are put out on the table, a debate ensues over what x amount of homeless people constitute a problem.
ReplyDeleteKozol begins his study with a story of a conversation with husband and wife, Peter and Megan, a family of seven. They live in one of the homeless shelters in New York, Martinique Hotel. They have been living there about two years and have been unable to get back on their feet. They can’t get out of the shelter into an apartment because welfare limits a family of seven to $366 for rent. I find this astounding and disheartening. This organization is essentially there to provide for the people and in practice they work in contradiction to their own goals. In reality, it is not realistic to think that a $100 difference between a family of four and seven is sustainable. Consequently, the number of children living in poverty has grown to 14 million, an increase of 3 million over 1968, while, welfare benefits have decline one third.
Pursuing this further, I applaud the many homeless throughout, not just the United States, but throughout the world. Their bravery, persistence, and motivation is inspiring. Kozol mentions a father in San Antonio who sells blood plasma to get, in a good month, as much as $100. Another incident involves “a women living in the Martinique for almost two years. She travels three hours by bus and subway twice a month; and waits an average of four hours to receive the check she then hands over at the desk in the hotel.” (23) It is striking to me to learn to what extent an individual will go in order to survive. I worry about the father in San Antonio who sells his blood plasma to support his child and himself. I, myself, am not very educated in selling blood plasma, but I question its safety. Also, having to sell a part of yourself in order to survive must be psychologically afflicting. The second case is an example of a flawed system. A system that provides shelter but not an effective or efficient program that would help bridge the gap between income and payment. An individual is stuck in the program (welfare) because what they earn from work is eventually used up to cover rent costs. Ultimately, they have no extra money left over to save and move out into their own home; the viscous circle continues.
The issue I would like to focus on my first assignment is the debate between handout versus hand up. In particular, I would like to investigate into the educations programs that exist within the welfare program itself. What are these programs? How are they run and who runs them? What are the benefits of a hand out? Are those benefits longstanding and/or sustainable? How do policies aimed toward a “hand up” type of approach work or do not work for the homeless?
I'm going to have to throw my lot in with the Chicago Tribune regarding this book. I too have not been similarly shocked over a book since Grapes of Wrath. Jonathon Kozol paints a seemingly devastating portrait of homelessness which seeps from the page into your soul, affecting your mood.
ReplyDeleteThis was rather a difficult read for me. The whole time I couldn't help but think about the homeless children in my mum's third grade class. Do they too have to put up with the insane bureaucracy with which many of the families in Kozol's narrative deal? It is this focus on muddled governmental channels and overall inefficiency which I found to be Kozol's most interesting. Although this book was published in the late 1980's, I'm sure many of the statistics remain the same or have gotten more shocking. With this in mind I look at current national political conversations and shake my head. People are constantly going on about education, jobs, international aid, military conflicts over seas, and never look at the mass of homeless and decrepit in our own country. Kozol mentioned that giving up of one Pentagon budget item could allow one million low-income children to have morning snacks (73). What other superfluous spending could we cut to aid those in our country who actually need it?
My initial though is therefore to concentrate on the experiences that homeless people have had with the government and other institutions that deal with them. Are there governmental channels that move more quickly in terms of housing or welfare? Do groups that inhabit the non-profit sector provide assistance that may be lacking from the government? Have there been personal experiences with corruption when dealing with the government? Etc... By taking this angle, I feel like I can gain a holistic look at how our country deals with the homeless while still understanding the personal struggles of un-housed individuals.
Jonathan Kozol’s Rachel and her Children is a captivating and enlightening read regarding the homeless in America, particularly New York City. In the section we have read thus far, I was appalled to discover what sort of living circumstances people in the hotels such as the Martinique are forced to reside in. Lack of working elevators, unsanitary conditions, and not even enough room to sit down for a family dinner are only a few of the myriad horrors within such a place. It was also disheartening to discover that once a person has moved into a hotel or comparable shelter it is near impossible for them to get out to a better living space or even to be out on their own again. Given erroneously low rent allotments, it is near impossible for residents of the hotels to move out and into a more suitable and livable apartment or home. For me the most heart-wrenching aspect of this section of Kozol’s book was when Annie talked about how she and her husband used the little money and food they had to give their children everything they could. Annie specifically says that they are “nice children,” who deserve to have everything that “normal” kids have. Annie and her husband’s devotion to their children can be used as a lesson even for those of us who are fortunate enough to have homes.
ReplyDeleteFor our Literature Review essay, I would like to go on a different topic than we have discussed in class or read in either book thus far. When one thinks of a homeless person, the image of a veteran very often comes to mind, usually a man with a scraggly beard holding up a sign on the side of the road. But how many homeless women veterans are there? What are their different struggles and how do they cope with their lack of a home? What particular problems to homeless women veterans faced in relation to homeless male veterans and other homeless people? I would very much like to explore their plight further, as it is a topic that is not often discussed. I only hope that I will be able to find enough information about it!
Coming into this class knowing so little about homelessness, Kozol’s introduction and beginning stories were extremely alarming to me. The one thing that struck me most was the non-profit shelters, where families have a shorter length of stay, charge New York City $34 to $41 nightly for a family of four, while the Martinique that we read about costs $63 (21). It seems like the city would be doing everything in its power to keep costs down, especially when known alternatives are available. What’s more is that the city is not bargaining with these hotels, nor planning for the future, as mentioned in the Voice, “The city now pays about $1.2 million a year to house families in a building it owned four years ago” (45). I was even more dismayed by the fact that the city was not hiding their love for paying too much money, as Annie discovered when she tried to get an apartment. She was doing everything in her power to find a place to live for her family, so much so that it consumed her every day. When she did find someone willing to help her, the city said no, even though in the long run it would be costing considerably less. Annie described how they were paying $1900 a month for her family to stay in the hotel, but the apartment would only cost $365. I was sickened more when it was mentioned that Annie’s husband must live with her illegally, and that to see their families some men must pay $12.40 (59). Overall my heart was just hurt after reading all of the illogic consistently happening, making it impossible for families to change their circumstances. I appreciated Kozol’s writing style, putting it so plainly for anyone to understand the magnificent horror of the entire situation. It is a shocking story, but one people can’t afford to not read.
ReplyDeleteFrom here, I am interested in learning how the cities and states must work to change their systems to better help families. Why do men have to pay to see their families? How do family dynamics change because of the system? What are more holistic ways in helping the entire family?
Having read only the first section of Kozol’s book, I am struck by his effective and affecting weaving of qualitative facts, personal stories, and political and social structural factors to offer a well-rounded overview of the problem of homelessness among American families. To be more specific, what makes this books so powerful is Kozol’s ability to pull on the reader’s heartstrings by telling the personal experiences of homelessness through the family accounts (Annie’s, Gwen’s, etc) while also situating the problem of homelessness in a broader political framework. The book would not have the same impact if he only discussed personal accounts of homelessness without shedding light on the inadequacies of government in addressing homelessness, and vice-versa.
ReplyDeleteThe accounts the families shared of their experiences being homeless, the histories that brought them to the Martinique, and the daily struggle to change their circumstances showed me how difficult and trying it is to be a homeless family in the United States. However, I am sure many would simply assume the individuals and families had landed in these circumstances due to laziness or because the welfare system offers too much “cushion” to encourage people to remove themselves from welfare. Kozol’s elaboration on the political and social structures that hinder even the hardest working people from accessing a home is vital to this book. The fact that the New York City government pays $1,600 a month to put homeless families up in hotels like the Martinique, yet gives these families a monthly rent budget between $200 to $300 is ridiculous and explains why so many families are stuck in these hotels for so long. Additionally, when Kozol explains the powerful financial incentives that sway politicians to maintain this inadequate and heartless welfare system, one questions how change can be achieved in opposition to such strong financial forces.
For this essay, I would like to focus on homeless people living with HIV/AIDS. Often, the cost of paying for HIV/AIDS treatment and medication propels people into poverty and homelessness. Eventually, they become reliant on the state for financial support. I would like to study this pattern and the experiences of these people in different welfare programs, specifically Medicaid. But I will see where the research takes me…
In the first section of "Rachel and Her Children" by Jonathan Kozol, I first and foremost noticed the drastic difference between what the homeless population needs and what is provided for them. It was appalling to see that the government was willing to spend so much money to shelter the homeless in terrible conditions but refused to give them more money to pay for rent in a decent place. The bureaucracy of the situation just was very frustrating to me. I also, however, noticed that the book's statistics are from the eighties so I hope that in modern days the situation is better for the homeless. I still understand that there is much work to be done though. I also think that Kozol does a good job of depicting both the hope and uncertainty the homeless face on such a personal level. Based on his writing style, it is apparent that Kozol cares for people and is trying to reach out to his readers to care too.
ReplyDeleteThe sub-topic in relation to gender and homelessness I would like to further explore is that of prostitution in girls and homelessness. I would like look more into this as I think it is a heartbreaking circumstance for a girl to find herself in. Therefore, I would like to learn more about how prostitution out of homelessness could be prevented. I also want to look into the issue from a perspective of non-drug users, but rather survival sex, to show that drugs do not always equal prostitution. This also correlates to some things I have learned in my Sociology Female Offender class, so I think some of the sources for my research paper may be easier to find.
When I began reading Kozol’s novel Rachel and Her Children, I was immediately struck by his well-rounded writing style and how effectively it mixed the stories from the homeless with statistics. I found the entire text captivating and the first pages flew by. When Newsweek states “bitterly eloquent” they capture the essence of this novel entirely. While reading, I felt enlightened with new facts while also disgusted.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most disheartening topics Kozol approached was the welfare system and its inherent flaws. He tells the story of Annie and her search for a new place to live. The welfare system gives her “$270” (51) as a “rental limit” (51) and pays around “$1900” (52) per month to house her family in the Martinique. The Martinique possesses horrible facilities, a cockroach and rat problem, and overall poor living conditions. So while the government pays the expensive monthly fee to house her family in a hole of despair, she searches for apartments to escape. However, what shocked me was that she found a cheap apartment for “$365” (52) and asked her social worker for the extra $95 to buy an apartment so the Martinique had one more room for another family. She was denied an extra $95 and was forced to stay in the MORE expensive hotel in worse conditions than if she had purchased a cheap apartment.
Kozol intermingles facts of government corruption with personal narratives of homeless people and their various experiences. I found myself questioning the government while becoming attached to the people he discussed due to his engaging writing style. He brought to attention another shocking issue: children. Kozol showed that often a child is allocated more welfare money a month when they are not with their mother. He states that a “twelve-year-old child living at home in New York City is allocated a maximum of $262 a month for all food, clothes, and rent expenses” (59). If this same child is then taken away from the mother for various reasons including abuse, they would then be allocated “$631” (59) , $396 more than with their own mother.
This part begged a series of questions in my mind. My initial question was how can they separate a mother and child in this sensitive time? Then I began to wonder how it is that they can justify taking the child away and giving the child more money monthly for this. Yes, the child is now independent and needs more money to survive, but also is now subjected to life without family.
Therefore, I would like to address the issue of children and the foster care system in accordance with homelessness. What kind of psychological effect does the separation from family cause? How do homeless children do in the public education system? How is the government working on educating homeless children? How does the child feel in the school system when they are homeless? Does this cause long-lasting psychological damage?
I really want to dig deeper into the child psychology aspect of homelessness and how the kids who are watching their families “fail to thrive” (38) feel about life/themselves. Also, how this effects their education, reading levels, etc. later.
When I started reading Jonathan Kozol's book the thing that immediately struck me was how blunt he was in his writing. He did not try to sugar coat any of the facts or try and present the numbers in a manner that left any room for the reader to feel anything other than despondent. I think it was an excellent rhetorical move on Kozol's part. Clearly it is important to him to show his audience just how unbelievable this epidemic is, both in proportion and in the seriousness of the problem.
ReplyDeleteWhat I found the most interesting, and the topic I think that I would like to pursue further in my paper is the government's inefficiency in handling the problem. Statistics are purposefully being underestimated for the purpose of budget cuts and possible just to make uninformed constituents feel better about the work supposedly being done to help with the problem. I would be curious to see who is responsible for this misrepresentation of the facts, how this tampering is changing the type of help the homeless are receiving as well as the reasons it is being done. I would also be curious to see what it is that needs to be done on the part of the government to have a serious and lasting impact towards solving this problem.
One part that struck me as particularly vivid in Jonathan Kozol’s writing is the way he describes not only the scene of the Martinique Hotel but also the mood that bears down on those living inside. While I find I can picture a dirty scant place that’s musty and too loud, how it feels to be in such a place and live in such a place is a rather abstract idea. Kozol captures this idea when he describes the hotel occupant’s inability to even take a breath. He explains, “the pressures of life have drawn in so tightly that they often feel they cannot breathe… as though they are always smothering” (49). Throughout the text, Kozol has provided many outrageous numbers: how many are homeless, how many are kids, how little money welfare gives for rent, and how much money the state wastes. While I find these numbers shocking, the emotional experience of the people experiencing homelessness is what moves me the most.
ReplyDeleteMy initial idea for our first assignment was to look at the relation between medical bankruptcy and homelessness. I once read an article on healthcare systems around the world which stated that medical bills are the number one reason for bankruptcy in America. It also explained that in other countries with more socialized healthcare systems, such as Taiwan, not a single person would ever need to declare bankruptcy due to medical bills. I am also interested to see what kind of impact America’s healthcare reform is having on the given situation.
The most startling aspect I found in Jonathan Kozal's book Rachel and Her Children was the fact that though help was given and shelters were provided, they were a static place with no room to move forward. A homeless person cannot progress with finding an apartment when they are given almost one hundred dollars lower than the lowest rent in New York City. They cannot be their best self when they are suffering from asthma attacks walking up the stairs. The stories are what really struck me, rather than the statistics. Statistics place people in numbers and though it does have power in the truth, it allows people to separate themselves from it because it is a number rather than a story. A story is more tangible for me to understand because it makes me empathize with the person in it. When Kozol started telling the stories is when I fully engaged in the text. Hearing about the woman who had to climb fourteen sets of stairs to get to where her family resided with her asthma really demonstrated the poor conditions of the life these people with no homes were/ are given.
ReplyDeleteFor my topic I would like to focus on domestic abuse and how that affects homeless women and children. I would also like to update some of the numbers of Kozol's book because I think some of them are outdated now, just to see what reform or perhaps back tracking has happened with aid for the homeless.
Korzol delves in the “common misery of millions” (4) in his book Rachel and her children. Korzol carries his readers into an often-overlooked reality. The condition in which many persons find themselves homeless is often under studied or stigmatized. Korzol creates a reality where the homeless are not just faceless figures with hands held out asking for change. Korzol begins his accounts by analyzing the weighted debate on how systemic or extensive the epidemic of homelessness has become. My initial reaction was of trepidation due to what I thought could be a dated book. Obviously the copyright and first edition of the book was from 1988, his research spanning years before then. My fear is that while reading I was investigating a problem that has become even more exacerbated. While the emotional narratives are anecdotes that establish a informative narrative, I fear the facts and data behind his research, even though the book was updated in 2006, is dated. Beyond that trepidation however, I found some general trends that obviously still persist that are quite disturbing. Public housing in response to homelessness has often treated the symptoms and not the source of this epidemic problem. As one account articulated “Bill and Gwen were unaware of 200,000 names ahead of them on the public housing list” (42). Low-income housing was not “constructed or renovated fast enough to meet the needs our cities annually predict.” (47). The condition of homelessness resonated to me most through the triumphs and tragedies of the people he met and recorded. One woman said, “Inside things, I lost it. I don’t have it in my inside anymore” (52). One of the other most interesting aspects is how shelter is not a substitute for a home. Korzol talks about this critical distinction between “home and shelter. Shelter if its warm and safe, may keep a family from dying. Only a home allows a family to flourish and to breathe. When breath comes hard, when privacy is scare, when chaos and crisis are on every side, it is difficult to live at peace, even with someone whom we love.” Korzol speaks to the larger symbolism of a home, a sanctuary that allows for family growth and cohesion.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, I am interested exploring homeless LGBTIQA youth. As Korzol and the class has talked about, other issues beyond affordable housing cause individuals to be homeless. I plan to explore to what explore to what extent are gay youth susceptible to being homeless and the reasons behind not having a home. I am inferring that there will be strong geographical and religious influences that affect the status quo and breadth of gay youth homelessness.
Jonathan Kozal's piece thus far presents readers with many numbers and statistics, however, far more powerful than the sheer numbers is the personal narratives he includes. Adding a story to the numbers strengthens his argument for the poor and those facing homelessness. For me the overall inclusion of names and descriptions makes the book more influential. However the combination of both pathos and logos weaves a compelling perspective.
ReplyDeleteThe point that shocked me, or stood out the most, was that often families become homeless due to illness in a family. The stereotype is that people become homeless due to laziness or mental illness, and sometimes is extended to include issues of drug addiction or teen pregnancy. These issues, aside from mental illness, are ones which can turn the problem into a personal issue, one which places blame on the individual. However, in most cases presented, the reasons for losing housing stems from illness which is often unavoidable. Because of this, perhaps the issue of health care is one that should be explored as an attempt to reduce homelessness in the United States.
For my topic I have considered researching two issues. Either narrowing down a broader concept of what causes teen runaways and how they statistically play into homelessness, as well as if they ever recover from having left everything behind. Do they pursue an education? Do teens who are forced to run away from home due to domestic abuse, drugs, pregnancy, etc. ever relocate and find a house again?
My other topic would be to further investigation into the idea of health care reform working to reform homelessness.
What perspective I gained from Dorothy Allison’s memoire, Jonathan Kozol has raised to an entirely new level of understanding. He brought light to the effects an uncontrollable turn of events can have on an average American family. It is hard enough to imagine that entire families are homeless in America due to a fire, loss of a job, or illness, but it is even harder to imagine what exactly those families do when they are evicted. Where do they go? How do the kids go to school? And how do the parents find shelter, housing, and employment?
ReplyDeleteKozol uses a combination of statistics and poignant anecdotes to create a picture of what life is like for these homeless families. He introduces the processes these families go through with the state to find shelter and welfare.
Kozol has the remarkable ability to draw empathy from his readers in very few words. Every anecdote he uses entices his readers to question the humaneness of the states’ systems, and reasons why some families manage to stay together while others are torn apart.
The description of Bill and Gwen’s situation sheds a new light on men that Dorothy Allison’s memoir did not elaborate on. Despite the fact that many shelters do not allow the fathers or husbands to live with their families, (in some cases they are forced to pay for visiting hours) some men, like Bill, and Annie Harrington’s husband, work hard to support their families, illegally sneak into the shelters, and help to take care of the children. Kozol’s short description cradling his baby after coming in from the cold (42) made me realize that I too often stereotype homeless people. Bill and Gwen’s family is just as loving and caring and good as any other. What sets them apart from average Americans is a terrible string of bad luck and a profound strength to carry on.
One major argument presented in this first section is that there is a severe lack of efficiency and logic in the governmental system that is supposed to provide for these families. Kozol uses a combination of numbers and stories to show that the system is spending more money to keep families in unsafe and unsanitary hotels than it would cost to provide rent for families at decent living quarters (52). It seems that there are serious flaws in communication that are keeping families trapped in endless cycles of poverty.
The issues for homeless children that Kozol presents especially caught my interest. For our upcoming assignment, I would like to focus on the foster care systems in the US. Kozol touches on the subject. He mentions how some families that are forced apart by social services and complications with welfare, but also shows families that have managed to stay together. I want to know why some can manage this and others can’t. He also uses statistics to show that the governments are willing to provide more money for a foster child than they are for a dependent child, which in some cases leaves parents with no choice but to put their children into foster care. I’d like to study how systems within social services function and how they affect the children they take in.
I was shocked that it is hard to get a father on a woman’s budget because: “the jobs available to like Annie’s husband are unlikely to be permanent, rarely offer health insurance, and could not support a family in New York, the forfeiture of benefits… poses unacceptable risks. Thus, loyal fatherhood becomes a fiscal liability. The father becomes extinct within his family. If he wants to see his children he must sign in as a stranger” (Kozol 59). That is ridiculous! The family should get more benefits because they have more people. The book continues to explain that fathers and grandparents have to pay to see their family which is outrageous! Also, when the author was getting to know some of the people through asking them questions, I was surprised that “People in pain move to the heart of things more rapidly than I expect” (39). I knew that older people love to tell whoever will listen about their life stories, but I believed that other suffering people would keep their problems bottled up. Yet, it makes sense that by educating whoever will listen about their problems is a way to spread the information and hopefully take action. Moreover, I was surprised that the author found the Martinique Hotel “the saddest place that I have been in my entire life” when he has spent a “great deal of time in recent years in some of the most desolate, diseased, and isolated areas of Haiti” (37). At my high school, I heard more about actions to help homeless people in Haiti than in Denver.
ReplyDeleteOne idea for a topic for my paper is based on homelessness due to natural disasters like the Hayman Fire, Katrina, the earthquake in Japan. We send them money immediately after the disaster, but how are the survivors doing now? Has the city of New Orleans been cleaned up and rebuilt? To what extent? However, I don’t know how to incorporate gender in that topic. Maybe I will research how depression or other diseases cause homelessness like on page 40. Or, I will write about how gender may determine the amount of money you receive from the state and how a husband may lead to the provision of fewer benefits from the state. What are better ways to help the families stay together?
I found Rachel and Her Children to be a very engaging text so far. I like Kozol’s style of storytelling, because he makes each story very personal and specific, but uses these stories to make a much greater point about homelessness. The facts and overview he provides at the beginning of the book helped to put the stories in context for me and to understand the issues the families were facing. It was definitely hard to read about the hotels and the horrible conditions there; I had never heard of hotels being used to house the homeless before. What I found really interesting was how much money the city paid to provide the hotel rooms for these poor people, and that as this money added up it would be enough to buy or rent a home. I know Kozol gave some reasons why this system was in place, but it just seemed so hard to understand why so much money would be put to basically such a waste. It seemed like these people were trapped in a system they really couldn’t escape, and that no one was actively trying to help them escape, just letting them barely get by on a day-to-day basis. It was really heartbreaking to read about.
ReplyDeleteFor my research project I thought it would be interesting to research homelessness specifically in Denver. Kozol focused on New York City in the 80s, definitely a different time and place. I’m wondering how things compare in Denver, and steps that Denver has taken in more recent years to end homelessness. I really don’t know much about the issue.
Here's Lauren's comment:
ReplyDeleteAfter reading Jonathan Kozol’s Rachel and Her Children, I was most intrigued by how seemingly impossible it is for the homeless population to be able to make it in society once one is struck with illness, unemployment, divorce, loss of home, tragedy, etc. I respect and admire those who are so persistent and motivated to not give and give in to being helpless and give up their families. They have the will to survive and they fight to rebuild their lives, even if this does not seem like a realistic possibility. Society and the government make it very difficult to rebuild and receive support where it is needed. Most victims of homelessness are left powerless with no options to help themselves or their families. Society creates a system / cycle that leads poverty to homelessness and is almost impossible to beat. Most people are under the misconception that homeless people are lazy, however, those that want to work unfortunately do not have jobs available to them.
The story that I was most affected by was the story of the family who lost their house in the fire. I can’t imagine one losing their house and everything they own and then having their kids taken away and losing them too. Homelessness does not easily allow families to stay together. Kozol is very good at representing the voice of the homeless population and presenting their stories in an affectively emotional manner. I have enjoyed reading this book, as sad and painful as some parts are, and I look forward to continuing to read further.
The issues within homelessness that I am considering focusing on for the first assignment include several because I am indecisive. I am interested in the relationship between crime and homelessness, specifically within the wrongfully convicted population who are exonerated without receiving compensation to rebuild their lives that were wrongfully taken from them by the criminal justice system. This population is larger than most realize, and they face numerous struggles once leaving jail, causing them to lose their families, struggle to find work, develop dependency on drugs and alcohol, and eventually find themselves homeless. I am also interested in drug and alcohol abuse in relation to the homeless population, and the detriments of dependency and addiction. I am also interested in women who come from abusive relationships, and the events and psychology that leads to them feeling unable to leave their harmful circumstances that put them and their kids at harm, and those that continually seek abusive partners, and feel unable to see a way out. Lastly, I am interested in the veteran population, specifically dealing with the emotional effects after war such as post-traumatic stress disorder. I find it heartbreaking and a disgrace that after these people risked their lives to fight for our country, they are treated as worthless “hobos.”
I guess generally, I am interested in mental health issues such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and addiction within these different homeless populations.