Homelessness

Have you ever seen a homeless person and wondered what their story is? 

Have you ever saw a homeless person and thought they were under the influence of drugs or alcohol?

Living in Humboldt County the majority of my life, I have seen a lot of homeless people. I have also traveled and seen a lot of homeless people as well. I am aware that drug abuse has a lot to do with homelessness but I don't think every homeless person is a drug abuser. There are so many different factors to contribute to homeless but it seems like a majority of people believe that homeless people are alcoholic drug abusers. 

There may be a high amount of homeless people that abuse drugs but all homeless people are not drug abusers. For some people, homelessness began when they were still in their youth and for others, it began in their adulthood. 

Here in Humboldt County, there are a variety of different factors that contribute to homelessness. For one, homelessness does occur during youth and this can create a lifestyle for the future of the youth that experience homelessness at a younger age. Another factor that is present in Humboldt County that contributes to homelessness is the low population and job opportunities. This area is not a very big area and many people have a difficult time finding employment in this specific area, especially if you don't have work experience or an education. 

How is a homeless child supposed to obtain an education while trying to live and make ends meet?

How is a homeless adult supposed to shower and clean up for job interviews or meetings?

What is a homeless person going to put down for a mailing address or home address?

I believe there are a number of factors that contribute to homelessness and these factors need to be acknowledged in order to assist the homeless population and attempt to decrease the number of people experiencing homelessness and getting stuck in the state of homelessness.

Colorful Low Paying Jobs

For the last couple weeks I have been in Fort Lauderdale, FL and I have noticed that most of the low paying jobs are filled with colored minorities. I know this is the case in most areas of the United States but I feel that it is more of a problem in this area. The majority of white people have high paying jobs while the colored, specifically African Americans and Haitians are filling the jobs that pay low and have intense labor. I have also observed that the colored people working within construction or landscaping jobs are put in intense labor positions while the white people on the same job site have the position of sitting in machinery or just watching the colored people work and I imagine that the white people are getting paid more for doing less work on the job site. I don't exactly know if that is true that the white people are getting paid more or why the colored people are in low paying jobs but it is issue that I have observed in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The homeless are still here...

I have lived in Humboldt County my whole life and I have noticed the high rates of homelessness my whole time living here. I have currently worked in Old Town Eureka for three years and the homelessness in the downtown area is outstanding. I have started becoming familiar with homeless faces just because I have seen them so much in the area. On my way to work everyday I would see the same homeless lady sitting on a bench and wrapped in her blanket. She is always there when I am on my way to work and she is always there on my way home from work. I see this and I want to fix it. But how? And another thing I wonder, does she and other homeless people I see on the streets want help? Have they already try to look for help? 

The Obesity Epidemic in Indian Country

Within the United States, obesity is an epidemic. According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, more than one-third of U.S. adults are obese. But one specific population that I would like to focus on is the obesity in Indian Country. I am a Native American and I may not live on the reservation but I do live near reservations such as the Yurok reservation, Hoopa reservation, and the Wiyot reservation. Over the past couple years I have been working within indian country and I have noticed that obesity is an epidemic within the American Indian population. I believe it all started around 1824 when the government created the Bureau of Indian Affairs and later the United States assumed responsibility of Native Americans. According to Chapin (2011), "Congress passed the Indian Removal Act, which ultimately forced many tribes to abandon their traditional lands and move to reservations located west of the Mississippi". When these American Indians were forced to leave their traditional lands they were not only leaving their land, they were leaving the location which holds their traditional and nutritious foods and needs. 

Later in the 1930s, the government established the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations which is also called the commodity program. This food distribution program was established in order to provide food for needy American Indians on or near reservations. This program provides canned fruits and vegetables, canned beef, pork, and chicken, and other various highly processed foods. In my opinion, you can't give people unfamiliar and new food and expect them to make healthy and nutritious food. Many reservations a placed in rural areas and are not close to grocery stores. While working with American Indians, I have noticed that I high rate of American Indians rely on the food that this food distribution program provides because it is not easy to obtain healthy and nutritious foods when you live far away from obtaining them. 

I believe that American Indians that live on or close to reservations should have easy and affordable access to healthy and nutritious foods. 

References:

CDC. (2012, August 13). Center for disease control. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html

Chapin, R. (2011). Social policy for effective practice. (2 ed.). New York, NY