Reasons why more Single Men are Homeless

Single men are more often represented as homeless. Many homeless people are combat veterans with PTSD (Chapter 18). As women historically have not fought in combat until very recently, 99.999999% of homeless veterans would be men (de Vet et al., 2019). Nonetheless, society assumes that men are supposed to be breadwinners and providers. Since a man is supposed to be providing for a family, if he cannot even provide for himself, people have little sympathy for that. In contrast, if women and children are not provided for, society sees that as their duty. There are also far more resources for homeless women than there are for homeless single men. For different reasons, single men are prominently presented in the homeless population.

The fact women most often get principal custody of their children also plays a factor in the representation of single men. If individuals have children, their safety nets are far more protective. If they do not have children, they are far less protective. If an individual is a single male that appears healthy, quite often the caseworkers will try to avoid helping him because they perceive him to not need their help (Winetrobe, 2017). Homeless men generally do not have any money. The problem is often related to mental illness or addiction. For those too poor to afford a place to live we, the government, must step in.

A primary prevention program that could be a part of a public health initiative to help single homeless men is the Continuum of Care (CoC) Program. An affordable, accessible, and effective healthcare system that provides mental health services and treatment for addictions must be part of any comprehensive solution to the problem of homelessness in America (Winetrobe, 2017). There are many things that the Continuum of Care (CoC) Program can do, but the most important is to provide safe and sanitary accommodations for a single man who has lost a home. Many agencies use government funds to find housing for people who are homeless without considering the immediate need for a safe environment. Therefore, the average homeless person spends the day trying to survive without having the energy needed to apply for a job. The shelters for the most part are filled and do not meet the growing demands of people who are experiencing homelessness. If the Continuum of Care (CoC) Program assured immediate safe escape from the elements for individuals without homes, more people would have the ability to find a job.

References

Chapter 18: Underserved Populations- Class Lecture

de Vet, R., Beijersbergen, M. D., Lako, D. A., van Hemert, A. M., Herman, D. B., & Wolf, J. R. (2019). Differences between homeless women and men before and after the transition from shelter to community living: A longitudinal analysis. Health & social care in the community, 27(5), 1193-1203.

Winetrobe, H., Wenzel, S., Rhoades, H., Henwood, B., Rice, E., & Harris, T. (2017). Differences in health and social support between homeless men and women entering permanent supportive housing. Women’s Health Issues, 27(3), 286-293.