Homeless+Women

=__Homeless Women__= There are many reasons that drive women into poverty and homelessness, such as the ones discussed on the wiki page about the major causes of poverty. The biggest cause of homelessness is due to the lack of affordable housing due to the current weak economy. It is difficult to calculate the number of homeless people due to the fluidity of the population. It is difficult to obtain data on homeless people due to the lack of the ability to track them. Despite this difficulty, there are several methods used to obtain estimates for the overall number of homeless women. As of the year 2010, it is estimated that about 3 million Americans are considered homeless. However, about 50% of homeless women are homeless due to the fact that they are running from domestic violence (Deward 2010). For those who may not know, domestic violence is mental or physical abuse directed towards a spouse or domestic partner. As a result of the struggling economy the number of homeless women has gradually been increasing over the past few years.

**__Typical Life __**
Homeless women are faced with two options, either get help form some organization or to battle their way out of homelessness themselves. However, whether on the street or in a shelter, homelessness is hard living. Most women do attempt to seek some way out outside help such as, food stamps, cash, medical assistance, soup kitchens, and shelter (Connolly 2000). All of these give women the extra help they need in order to keep positive and see the light at the end of the tunnel. Women who seek refuge in shelters usually benefit greatly as more options and resources are typically available to them. Most women in shelters do not have a job, but there are a fair amount that do. These women that do wake up, either walk or catch a bus to work, come back to the shelter and socialize with them other women. Their daily schedule is very similar to if they were at home, therefore it is typically easier for them to remain positive. On the other hand, the women who were not lucky enough to find a job have a less pleasant experience. Most shelters kick the women out the the morning reguardless if the women work or not, and then reopen at night for the women. Therefore, every single day these women wake up whent their told to leave and then kill time all day long until the shelter reopens again later that afternoon. This leads to a very depressing and boring life for these women. However, not all shelters are like this and are open all day long for the women to cook and eat meals, relax, and even watch some tv. These shelters are obviously much more enjoyable for the women than the ones that close during the day. Overall, reguardless of which type of shelter a homeless woman chooses to live in there are similarities between each. Women in both are usually required to do some type of chore to keep them productive such as cleaning up the shelter. This also serves as a way for the women to give a little something back to the shelter. In addition, there are usually time requirements such as when they can leave or when they are all expected back at night. Women staying in shelters also commonly have a very difficult time getting enough sleep due to much noise and movement from all of the other people (Williams 2003). Either way, life in a shelter is much better than being out on the streets.

Surviving homelessness out on the street is a much less plesant experience. Women out on the street live like animals so to speak, struggling for food, water, shelter, security, and sleep. In contrast, homeless women in shelters typically have all of these things. These women have great difficulty getting the things they need to survive and live much more harsh and dangerous lives. Life can even be so tough where many women become so hopeless and may even want to die (Liebow 1993). Every single day on the streets is a battle for survival for these women. Overall, it is very easy to see that living in a shelter is the best option for homeless women, and if they are not lucky enough to get in a shelter their chances of getting out of their homeless state is very slim.

"The homeless constitute a large proportion of the low/no income who, as a result of housing shortage, rapid urbanisation, population growth due to the high birth rate, and migration, invade or squat on vacant private or public land" (Olufemi). There are up to 100 million homeless people in the world, with the majority of them being women and dependent children. According to the HABITAT Press Release (1998), everyday some 50 000 people, mostly women and children, die as a result of poor shelter, polluted water and inadequate sanitation. []
 * Alyxandra Howard:**

__**Sources**__
Liebow, E. (1993). //Tell Them Who I Am//. New York, New York: The Free Press.

Williams, J.C. (2003). //A Roof Over My Head.// Boulder, Colorado: University Press of Colorado.

Connolly, D.R. (2000). //Homeless Mothers: Face to Face With Women and Poverty.// Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.

 Deward, S., Moe, A. (2010). “Like a Prison!”. // Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare, //37, 115-135. Retrieved from [|http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail ?vid= 3&h id=1 7&s i d =917bfb63-c3d0-4ef3-9b1d-db6becf7f67f%40sessionmgr 12&bdata= JnNpd G U 9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=48169023]