Who Are The Homeless

Who Are The Homeless

In 2014,  California retained the highest population of homeless in the country. There are people living in 

the streets of every city in California, but who are these homeless people that we consistently see on the 

streets, in the parks, under bridges. and at the shelters?   *great placement of images here  

(what do you think of adding this info in between your photos so it is part of your intro info?)
Definition

According to Health centers funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
A (homeless individual) is defined in section 330(h)(5)(A) as “an individual who lacks housing 

(without regard to whether the individual is a member of a family), including an individual 
whose primary residence during the night is a supervised public or private facility (e.g., shelters) that

provides temporary living accommodations, and an individual who is a resident in

transitional housing.” A homeless person is an individual without permanent housing who may live 

on the streets; stay in a shelter, mission, single room occupancy facilities, abandoned 
building or vehicle; or in any other unstable or non-permanent situation. [Section 330 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C., 254b)].

Homeless people are of all ages, under 18 to elderly persons, men and women , different ethnicity, and even 

families. These homeless have been victims of domestic violence, veterans of wars, persons with 

mental illness, persons suffering from addiction disorders, Runaways from broken homes and 

employment victims whose declining wages put housing out of reach for many workers .
-this is a good start to opening up the conversation on the homeless.  Consider narrowing your info even more and getting into the stats/data about Californians homeless population and the demographics and numbers that make that up- actually you do that below at the end- consider moving some of that info here- what do you think?
Demographics of homeless

Homelessness
California accounted for 20 percent (113,952 people) of the nations homeless population in 2014. 

Homeless Individuals

California accounted for 25 percent (90,765 people) of the nations homeless individuals population 

in 2014. Nation wide 87 percent were over 24 years of age, 11 percent were between 18 and 24 and 2

percent were under 18 years of age.

Homeless Families

California accounted for 11 percent (23,187 people) of the nations homeless families population in 

2014. California had the largest number of people in families with chronic patterns of homelessness 

2,862 people or 12 % of the Homeless Family Population.

Unaccompanied homeless Children and Youth

California accounted for 30 percent (13,709 people) of the nations Unaccompanied 

homeless Children and Youth population in 2014. Unaccompanied homeless children under 18 years 

of age (1,782 people) unaccompanied homeless youth 18 to 24 years of age(11,927 people).

Homeless Veterans

California accounted for 24 percent (12,096 people) of the nations homeless Veterans population in 

2014. California has one of the highest rates in the nation for unsheltered Veterans 63.2%.

Chronically Homeless people

California accounted for 34 percent (28,200 people) of the nations chronically homeless population 

in 2014.

John Albert Rogers - love this intro to John with his own sub-heading, nice

An interview with a Vietnam veteran sheds light on a homeless veterans plight.Vietnam War Veteran

 John Albert Rogers one of two children from a low income family.  describes how his

brother was drafted into the army and subsequently killed in action. This led john to enlist in the army

and fight in Vietnam. He became a sniper and amassed numerous kills while serving in Vietnam.


John stated that ''I was so scared of noises back then, they kept me in the VA Hospital. 35 days in

the psychiatric ward there''. John a kind soft spoken man telling his story leaves you wondering

how many more john's are out there and what can we do for them as a society and a country.
-okay, what is your purpose in including John's story in your final article?  Is it to share a story of someone who is homeless that deserves more help?  If it is this then consider following this up with a section getting into the resources/programs offered to the California homeless population or discuss the lack of resources
- Is he an example of someone who doesn't fit the negative stereotypes we usually assign to those who are homeless?  If is it this then you are going to want to spend some time getting into  negative stereotypes and representations of the homeless and how they affect us- how are they created, how do they stick around, etc. 


-consider what your overall focus/position is- is it to be informative and she light on our homeless population?  This seems like this is what you want to focus on in which case I would focus on building up the info that deals with current resources or a lack or resources/ current legislation or opposition to legislation 

Sources

National Coalition for the Homeless 

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2014 Annual Homeless Assessment 

Report (AHAR) to Congress October 2014