The Social Problem Of Homelessness

The Social Problem Of Homelessness In this essay, the social problems I have chosen to write about is Homelessness. I will also be exploring different perspective of Homelessness and the policy responses and the impact it have on the society. The groups I will focus my discussion on are young people and rough sleepers as the evidence indicates that young homeless people experience rough sleeping before securing temporary accommodation. There are wide ranges of definition Homelessness and it varies from country to country or among different institutions in the same country. According to |Liddiard, M (2001:119) the immediate sense of the term as regularly employed by the mass media and politicians, simplistically equates homelessness with rooflessness or literally sleeping rough on the street. This is can be a straightforward and easy to understand definition but this does not reflect the true scope of the problem so a broader definition of homeless peoples include those lacking permanent residence and living in a range of unsatisfactory housing conditions. They can include those living in temporary hostels, bed and breakfast, night shelters and squatters. However, the legal definition of someone homeless is if they do not have a legal right to occupy accommodation or if their accommodation is unsuitable to live in. They also include families and peoples who do not sleep rough and some are accommodated by friends and family on temporary basis. So from the above definition the social construction of homelessness are not the small amounts of individual that sleep on the street, looking dirty and smells of alcohol and drugs but comprises of all individual who do not have a permanent decent place of accommodation or without a regular dwelling and are on a waiting list or takes housing benefit and in temporary accommodations. (Giddens 2007) The cause of homelessness varies as many are of the view that homelessness is a result of personal failings and consider if the economy is going on well, there is no excuse to be homeless. Shelter (2007) is of the view that homelessness is cause by a complex interplay between a personà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s individual circumstances and adverse structural factors outside their direct control. Among the individual factors include social exclusion, thus when a person lack of qualification because they did not have access to good education and decent job. Ones misuse of drugs and alcohol which result in lack of personal control, lack of social support and debts especially mortgage or rent arrears. Having mental health problems and getting involved in crime at an early age also contribute to homelessness. Family breakdown and unresolved disputes are a major factor of homelessness as a result of divorce and separation and a greater number of men and women are affected. People from institutiona l background like having been in care, the armed forces are likely to be affected. Ex-offenders who come out of prison and lose their friend and families can become homeless and the majority from ethnic minority or ex-asylum seekers who have the right to stay but have no accommodation. Structural causes of homelessness are mostly social and economical in nature often outside the control of individual or family concerned. These may include poverty, lack of affordable housing, unemployment and the structure and administration of housing benefit. According to the shelter (2007) the number of households found to be homeless by local authorities increased 31percent between 1997/98 and 2003/2004. Historically, homelessness had low publicity until the 1966 when the BBC screened Ken Loachà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s film about homelessness Cathy Come Home. This was watch by 12million people and the film alerted the public, the media and the government to the scale of the housing crises and then Shelter was formed. Another policy response was the 1977 Housing (Homeless Persons) Acts was the first measure to place responsibilities on local authorities to rehouse homeless families and individuals permanently. (Liddiard, M .2001) The 1977 legislation had Priority Need which included women with children or pregnant, vulnerable due to age, mental illness, disability, and loss of home by natural disasters. This did not cater for everyone who was homeless and the criteria by which local authorities accepted someone as homeless was complex and rest ricted. Hence the 1996 section 177 amended to include domestic violence as a priority need but strict eligibility remains (Hill, M: 2000). Young people were not covered under the existing legislation and the number of young homeless increased. Existing data on youth homelessness has significant limitation; in particular it is only possible to count young people who are in contact with services. According to ONS (2007) it can be estimated that at least 75,000 young people experienced homelessness in the UK in 2006-07. This included 43,075 aged 16-24 of which 8,337 were 16 -17 year old who were accepted as statutorily homeless in the UK and at least 31,000 non-statutorily homeless young people using supporting people services during 2006-2007. The Homelessness Act (2002) changes significantly the way in which homeless in England and Wales is tackled. The priority need categories was extended to includes 16/17 years rather those who social services are responsible for accommodating, care- leavers under the age of 21 who were looked after by social services when they were 16/17 and ex- prisoners, former soldiers and young p eople leaving care. This act also introduces greater flexibility with regards to social housing allocation giving more people the right to be considered for a council or housing home. The local authorities had a statutory duty to care for all the homeless people but no extra resources were added. This had a great impact on the number of homeless people who were able to relocate permanently at a given time and especially those under priority need. Young people experiencing disruption or trauma during childhood who may be from socio-economic background are at increased risk of homelessness. The main trigger for youth homelessness is relationship breakdown usually parents or step-parent. Among the impact of homeless on young people is poor health as they cannot take care of their health being. They lack basic food and shelter to help them grow to become healthy adults and they may suffer from depression. Homelessness can lead to increased levels of non- participation in formal education, training or employment. At times leaving school early without a qualification and a decent job may lead some young people into the misuse of drugs and some have mental health problems. Another homeless group of concern is the rough sleepers who were in temporary accommodation but some choose to roam the streets, sleeping rough free from the constraints of property and possessions. But a large majority has no such wish at all but they have been pushed over the edge into homelessness by factors beyond their control. Once they find themselves without a permanent dwelling, their lives sometimes deteriorate into a spiral of hardship and deprivation. ( Giddens 2009:503) The Homelessness Act 2002 extended the definition of the priority need to include new groups of vulnerable people, and requirement that all homeless people receive advice and assistance. In addition, Local Authorities are requires to periodically develop homeless strategies, including an assessment of levels of homelessness and conduct an audit of those sleeping rough. In 1998 there were around 1,850 people sleeping rough on the street of England on any one night. This follows on from the government drive to reduce rough sleeping by two-thirds in 2002. The Rough Sleeper Unit was set up in April 1999 to take the lead on delivering this challenging new target and help thousands of people to escape fro good from the humiliation and misery of life under a blanket in a shop doorway. One of the key principal of the strategy was to understand the cause of rough sleeping, why people end up on the street and what could be done to stop this from happing in the future. The strategy also place t he emphasis on encouraging rough sleepers to become active members of the community, to build self esteem and bring on talent as well as helping the individual to become prepared for the life away from the street. Positive result soon follows as reductions in rough sleeping were achieves around the country in December 2001 the target set by the government was met ahead of time. The target was met amid the controversy about how rough sleepers were counted and concern about the emphasis on street homelessness, which campaigners claimed was only tip of the homelessness iceberg. According to BBC New Magazine, housing minister Grant Shapps believes that the government figures on the count of rough sleeper is low and the system of counting is flawed. He argues that, under previous governmentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s system, councils with fewer than 10 rough sleepers were not obliged to count them, and that vagrants sitting up in sleeping bags were not counted as homeless. After Mr. Shapps insisted that councils provide estimates, the England wide figure rose to 1,247, this comprised 440 from 70 authorities that count and 807 from 256 authorities that provided estimates. Despite government investment in hostels to accommodate rough sleepers many are on waiting list as resources and financing is limited. Overcrowding, lack of bed space and sharing rooms or limited facili ties with others are also identified as a problem especially if you have a partner or a dog, your choices narrow considerably. Although the quality of hostels has improved considerably, hostels are often considered unsafe. Over 57 percent of those who stayed in hostels mentioned problems with other residents, including drug and alcohol use, violence, theft, bulling, noise and arguments. And some are of the view that it is not a place to go if you want to stay clean of drugs. People are under the same legislation and the local authorities are unable to permanently house all in priority need. In addition to the above, there are certain groups who are excluded from hostels, such as people from the EU and asylum seekers from non-EU countries who are homeless and destitute in the street of the UK. Their entitlement to benefits is restricted until they have lived and worked and paid into the UK system through national Insurance and tax for one year continuously. Such laws bring about social exclusion as street homeless people have reduced access to health care and dental services. They face discrimination and general rejection from other people and may have increased risk to suffering from violence and abuse. The impact of rough sleeping is limited access to education, not being seen as suitable for employment and loss of usual relationship with the mainstream. Most of all, living on the streets is dangerous as rough sleepers die young with the average life expectancy at 42. Inequalities among the population still remain one factor of homelessness. Privatisation and residualisation of the council housing meant that fewer houses are available for council tenant. This imposes greater long term risks on the former council tenants while also generating considerable costs for the taxpayer. The process also excludes the many tenants who either reject transfer or are not given the choice and therefore exacerbates inequalities. There are 1.4 million unfit home in England as the majority of homeowners are in the private sector. The increase of housing association rents and increases in house prices means most people cannot afford a decent accommodation. Low income families are the most affected as 4 million people receiving housing benefit. ( Quilgars D. et al 2008) In conclusion, the problem of homelessness has been tackled by the governments over the years through policies and legislation. However, the problem require long term policy solutions such as changes in the benefit system, the building of more affordable homes and ensuring that a wider cross- section of society benefits from the fruits of economic growth. For many people, there is no single event that results in sudden homelessness; instead homelessness is due to a number of unresolved problems outlined above building up over time. The achievement of one government policy on rough sleepers indicates much could be done to reduce the impact of homelessness as the number still rises. Ministers are now focusing on the prevention of rough sleeper and youth homelessness through a new government homelessness strategy.

A Clockwork Orange vs. No Country for Old Men

The movies A Clockwork Orange and No Country for Old Men are both very violent and action movies, but they are quite different in the way they are expressed. Both movies tell disturbing stories about men who killed other people but because of different reasons. This gives us a good reason to compare and contrast these two movies.First, let us look at A Clockwork Orange. This movie is all about Alex de Large, a teenager who is the leader of a gang of criminals. Alex and his friends habitually take in drugs, rob, rape, beat up and kill people, without any remorse or regret. They actually enjoy having pleasure at the expense of others. They have no actual purpose in doing these things, just having their own fun.Alex and his gang do their own thing without a care in the world, not thinking about the authorities or the people around them, not even their own families. Alex himself causes the crack in his friendships with those in his gang when he keeps on making fun of Dim and becomes over bearing over them.Dim and the rest of the gang start making plans on their own, without telling their leader Alex. The story takes a turn when Alex’s friends betray him during a failed robbery, after he hit the woman of the house in the head. They actually hit him on the head and left Alex passed out, to be captured later on by the police.Alex enters a new chapter in his life when the woman he hit eventually died. He was then charged with murder and was sentenced to 14 years in prison, and his friends were not captured because they all turned on him. As Alex was being processed into the prison, his self-pride is being broken down little by little when the prison guards and warden talked down on him and put him in his right place.As 2 years go by, you may think that Alex might be making some progress because of his closeness with the prison chaplain, and his growing interest in the Bible. He also told the chaplain of his desire to be â€Å"changed†. But the scenes where we can see Alex’s real fantasies and daydreams show us that that is really not the case. It seems that he is just interested in doing whatever it would take to gain some favors and get out of prison.Alex finally gets his chance when he hears about a new treatment that would make imprisoned criminals change and would help them stay out of prison. He takes his chances and even presents himself to the Minister so that he would be chosen for the treatment. You might think that Alex might have been having his doubts when he almost didn’t sign the contract, but he did anyway.Things become worse for Alex when he actually goes through the treatment; he cannot do the things he used to want to do! Every time he has the urge for violence or sex, Alex would involuntarily retch and feel nauseous. This is because the Ludovico treatment actually conditioned Alex to react as such. The government and the scientists actually think that the treatment is a success, and they eventually re lease Alex.As soon as Alex goes out of prison, it seems like all of the bad things he did in the past finally caught up to him. All of the pain he caused in the lives of other people all went back to him, making him suffer. His â€Å"redemption† comes in an unexpected way, when he jumps out of a window to escape the pain being inflicted upon him by one of his past victims.The movie’s last scene shows Alex in the hospital, and it seems that he’s back to his old self. It seems that Alex might get away with what he wants to do, after all.

Evaluate the Strengths and Weaknesses of Reason as a Way of Knowing

There are four main ways of knowing – reason, perception, language and emotion. However each one of them have their own strengths and weaknesses and only by knowing them will we be able to better use these ways of knowing to gain knowledge. This essay will seek to examine the strengths and weaknesses of reason as a way of knowing. Reason is often seen as one of the most powerful ways of knowing – for it ‘seems to give us certainty’ (Lagemaat, 112). Reason uses logic to form arguments and conclusions.A benefit of reason using logic in reason is that it allows us access to innate or a priori knowledge – knowledge we cannot access any other way. One definition of A priori knowledge is innate knowledge that is not derived from experience but rather, are universal rules that we apply. (Cahn,Eckert,Buckley). There are several different forms that reason takes but these are mainly inductive and deductive reasoning – which will be discussed later in t he essay. A major strength of reason as a way of knowing is that the information we gather from using it is certain.This is a great strength because we are provided with a strong prediction model that we can build knowledge upon, thus providing us with information that we can believe to be true. We look to how this is applied in an area of knowledge the natural sciences. Take for instance the concept of neutralization reactions in Chemistry. In theory we know that a base would react with an acid to produce salt and water – a hypothesis that, up till this point, has been proven to be true – to form a salt and water. If we are presented with the following argument:All bases react with acids to form salt and water. Unknown sample X reacted with an acid and formed salt and water. We can conclude that unknown sample X is a base. We used deductive reasoning to arrive at the conclusion above. Deductive reasoning provides us with a conclusion that is absolutely certain. The wa y deduction works is that we go from general premises to a specific conclusion (Langemaat, 234). Like the example above, so far we have seen that all acid-base reactions produce water and salt thus we believe sample X is a base as well.At this point in time, there is no dispute against the law of the acid-base reaction and this will remain a law of chemistry. This certainty reason provides is an extremely important strength as this shows that reason allows us to create strong foundations that can be expanded upon. However with this certainty that reason brings, it has its weaknesses too. The first weakness of reason as a way of knowing is that it is limited. While we realise that unknown sample X is a base, this is all we know of it.This is where the weakness of deductive reason lies, it provides us with an extremely certain conclusion so that we can build upon our foundations that have been set but at the same time, we are limiting our knowledge to just this small scope. Also, the certainty of the conclusion depends on the truth of the premises. How can we prove that these premises are true? We believe that the premises are true because they have not been renounced as of yet. However if they were in fact wrong, our conclusion would be false as well resulting in a completely false argument.From this we can see that while reason can provide us with very certain conclusions, it limits us to building knowledge upon a specific foundation and the truth of the conclusion is based on the truth of the premises. The next strength of reason helps us generate laws to explain abstract concepts and gain this knowledge in areas that our senses cannot reach. This is a very important strength of reason as it shows how detached reason is from the empirical and sense perception. We look to the natural sciences once again – the concept of temporary dipole attraction between diatomic molecules.If we have the following argument: I, Br and Cl form temporary dipoles I, Br and Cl are group VII halogens Therefore, all halogens form temporary dipoles. This example shows how definitions and laws in the natural sciences are formed and how we use reason to do so. The example above uses induction, a method of reason that involves going from the specific to generate a general conclusion. This is how laws of the abstract are formed in science – we are unable to use sense perception or empirical knowledge, since we cannot see dipoles, to formulate these laws, we use reason to arrive at these conclusions.However, this is where the weakness of reason comes in as well. The problem with using induction is that these conclusions could have been arrived at in an incorrect way. The fact that these conclusions drawn are that of something abstract, how do we prove for sure that it is not another variable that affects it? Furthermore, what happens when in the future, when something that is not a halogen is discovered to form a temporary dipole. What happens to our d efinition of what can form temporary dipoles then? This is the weakness of reason in the natural sciences.Many times, Science applies inductive reasoning and even if a hypothesis is subject to uncountable experiments and stands irrefutable at this present time, it might not be true in the future. Since the natural sciences are a combination of the math and empirical, we cannot solely rely on our a priori knowledge. Science’s discoveries are often based on observations and this flout’s the rules of rationalism. When our senses are involved, our ability to reason might be compromised and lead to false premises and thus false conclusions.However, this is where experimentation comes in to prove as far as we can the extent of scientific truth and discovery. Therefore when it comes to the natural sciences, reasoning has its strengths in clearly defining and classifying various concepts that are senses cannot reach. However, reason falls short in the test of time, where we do not know what future results might yield as well as the possibility of mixing our senses into our premises, leading to false concepts to begin with.Thus, we can conclude that reason is limited in science by time and the extent of knowledge we already have. Even though reason might follow a logical flow, one may still arrive at false conclusions due to problems in our web of coherence. This is a major weakness of reason as we jump to hasty conclusions and cause us to make fallacious statements. For example, in the area of knowledge of the human sciences, analysts have been trying to identify patterns in human behaviour and events. Take for instance in a certain country, crime rates reach an all time high.Analysts would be looking for the factor that caused this and if at the exact same time there was a decrease in abortions, they might form this argument Crime rates increased Abortion rates decreased Therefore the decrease in abortions caused the increase in crime rates. This is an example of a fallacy called ‘post hoc ergo propter hoc’ where (wikipedia). This fallacy occurs when we assume that event A is the cause of event B just because B comes after A. The example above is guilty of committing this fallacy of ‘post hoc ergo propter hoc’ as it quickly concludes based on two events that happened at the same time.The analyst may argue that he used logic to reason out this relation but in actual fact there might have been many other factors that contributed to this increase in crime and violence. This example illustrates the weakness of reason as even though this is a sound argument, its premises are not the cause of each other and thus the argument is invalid. To conclude, we can see that reason has a significant role in many of the areas of knowledge but also presents many shortcomings, especially when experience and other factors come in. We are empirical creatures and it is difficult to always think rationally and logically.As Thom as Aquinas once said, ‘Most men seem to live according to sense rather than reason. ’ Perhaps this then is the major weakness of reason as a way of knowing – it cannot exist alone but needs to coexist with the other ways of knowing. Works Cited Cahn, Steven M. , Maureen Eckert, and Robert Buckley. Knowledge and Reality: Classic and Contemporary Readings. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2004. Print. Alchin, Nicholas. Theory of Knowledge. London: John Murray, 2003. Print. Lagemaat, Richard Van De. Theory of Knowledge for the IB Diploma. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2005. Print.

Ludwig Van Beethoven - 1210 Words

Life of a Legend Ludwig van Beethoven, also known as The General of Musicians, was born on December 16, 1770. However, this date is not exact because it is believed that Beethovens father lied about his sons age in order to portray him as an infant prodigy. As a result, Beethoven is convinced he was born on December 16, 1772 at the Rheingasse home, which belonged to the Fischers, who were close friends of the family (Orga 8). Johann van and Maria Magdalena Beethoven bore five children of which three survived. Ludwig van Beethoven was the first child to survive, probably making him the most cherished especially in his fathers eyes. The other two surviving siblings were Casper and Nikolaus. They were said to have played†¦show more content†¦As time went on, Beethoven and Haydns relationship turned sour, resulting in a replacement teacher. His name was Johann Albrichtaberger. Their teacher-pupil relationship proved successful. Finally, Beethoven established himself as prominent pianist and composer. Moreover, his quick and easy success was accomplished by two things. First, he had immediate contacts with people in the aristocratic circle. Second, they undoubtedly welcomed him. A lack of either one of these opportunities would have significantly altered his fame and success (Kerman 358). In 1801, one of the most devastating incidents hindered Beethovens life. He suffered from a musicians worst nightmare, deafness. He realized that this would cause trouble for not only hi professional life but his social life as well (Kerman 360). Although Beethoven supposedly fell in love many times, he never was married (Marek 223). As a result of his deafness and inability to have long lasting intimate relationships, he focused all of his melancholy attention to his music. Therefore, that is why his most profounded works were written towards the end of his life. The greatest work he composed was probably the Fifth Symphony, which he wrote with great pa ssion due to these losses (Kerman 354). It is in succession of C minor to C major causing difficulty in copying the imagination. Even today the Fifth Symphony is interpreted as the musical project ofShow MoreRelatedLudwig Van Beethoven945 Words   |  4 PagesLudwig van Beethoven Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany in 1770 to Johann van Beethoven and his wife, Maria Magdalena. He took his first music lessons from his father, who was tenor in the choir of the archbishop-elector of Cologne. His father was an unstable, yet ambitious man whose excessive drinking, rough temper and anxiety surprisingly did not diminish Beethoven s love for music. He studied and performed with great success, despite becoming the breadwinner of his household by the time heRead More Ludwig Van Beethoven Essay1285 Words   |  6 Pages German composer and pianist, Ludwig van Beethoven, was born December 1770 and spent most of his life in Vienna, Austria. His first teacher was his alcoholic father, who worked as a musician at the Court of Bonn. Teaching him day and night, Ludwig suffered from his fathers harsh and erratic behavior. For a time, he and his father played at the Church. As his fathers alcoholism increased, Ludwig became the main musician. Beethovens talents were discovered at an early age, and he was sentRead MoreThe Music Of Ludwig Van Beethoven900 Words   |  4 PagesLudwig van Beethoven All throughout music history lived many composers that have impacted not only the societies in which they have lived in, but modern-day society as well. These particular composers have given many societies the chance to listen, feel and express themselves through music and instruments that were invented centuries ago that still remain essential components of music today. One example of a composer that changed the music world drastically was a man by the name of Ludwig van BeethovenRead MoreThe Talent Of Beethoven By Ludwig Van Beethoven1331 Words   |  6 PagesMany of my family members along with some family friends suffer from an extreme lack of hearing just like one of the greatest composers of all time, Ludwig van Beethoven. However, my family members and family friends are not musicians. The talent of Beethoven is very inspiring for not only the deaf, but for other people as well. He created most of his music while suffering from hearing loss which seems to be quite impossible , but somehow he managed to do it. Though his music is without a doubt unbelievablyRead MoreEssay on Ludwig Van Beethoven1148 Words   |  5 Pagesthe people on it as a whole, you see that there are very few influential people whose actions or opinions strongly influence the course of events. Ludwig Van Beethoven, a German musician, is one of those very few. He was an extraordinary musician that lived through hardship and had the horrific fate of deafness, any musician’s worst nightmare. Beethoven left a wall standing in history that captured the art of sounds and worked it beyond imagination into music so fragile and pure yet onerous, unableRead MoreThe Music Of Ludwig Van Beethoven1408 Words   |  6 PagesLudwig van Beethoven When I was 7 years old, my parents signed me up for music school. I did not want to go to music school, but they wanted me just to try. In first class we were just listening classical music and it really sounded boring. But when Beethoven’s fifth symphony came on, I fell in love with classical music and I wanted to study it even more. My sister was also in musical school and she played piano and when I came back from school, I was begging her to play me some of Beethoven’s piecesRead MoreThe Music Of Ludwig Van Beethoven1600 Words   |  7 PagesLudwig van Beethoven is known for much of his musical accomplishments. One of his most famous is that he is deaf and yet one of the best musical composers of the classical and romanic area. Beethoven has always been one of my personal favorite composers. When I grew up and started taking piano, Beethoven s Fur Elise was my first large classical piece. Ever since that point on I insisted that when we were in Germany we see his home, and that we did. In this essay I will be explaining Ludwigs YouthRead MoreThe Rise Of Ludwig Van Beethoven1458 Words   |  6 PagesThe rise of Ludwig van Beethoven into the ranks of history s greatest composers was paralleled by and in some ways a consequence of his own personal tragedy and despair. Beginning in the late 1790 s, the increasing buzzing and humming in his ears sent Beethoven into a panic, searching for a cure from doctor to doctor. By October 1802 he had written the Heiligenstadt Testament confessing the certainty of his growing deafness, his consequent despair, and suicidal considerations. Yet, despiteRead MoreLudwig van Beethoven Essay952 Words   |  4 Pagesmusic period. Ludwig van Beethoven was one of the composers, along with other greats of the time like Haydn and Mozart, which helped to create a new type of music. This new music had full rich sounds created by the new construction of the symphony orchestra. Ludwig van Beethoven was born in the town of Bonn, Germany on December 16 of 1770. Bonn is located in western Germany on the Rhine River. Beethoven showed an affinity for music at an early age. His father, Johann, taught Ludwig to play theRead MoreMusic: Ludwig Van Beethoven1670 Words   |  7 Pagesexpressiveness music is Ludwig van Beethoven. He was a musical genius whose composed some of the most influential pieces of music ever written. During the Classical period, Beethoven’s compositions were the expression as one of the most powerful musical personalities. Although Beethoven was influenced by most of the famous composers such as Franz Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, etc. but he was also innovated new techniques that will be seen in the next music period. Beethoven built a musical bridge