AMCS 350, Group Presentation, Introduction on topic of Homelessness

Homelessness: It's Not My Problem!

Introduction
1. Ask Audience: Can homelessness be eliminated? (Accept short answers only.)
  - Short answer: Yes (offer extreme "solutions" not acceptable to most people in society.)
  - Short answer: No (resources are finite and wants are infinite - population will grow to exceed capacity and there are natural disasters even if population is .)
  - Short Answer: No (Rare: some people prefer to be homeless)
  - Long Answer: Homelessness is primarily a side-effect of over-population.
  - Long Answer: Maybe (we will discuss)
2. Competing labels describe people who do not have shelter. Which is best? (Write on board, ask which is/are "best" ask why.)
  - Vagrant: One who lives on the streets and constitutes a public nuisance._I1
  - Drifter: a wanderer who has no established residence or visible means of support._I1
  - Homeless: Destitute of a home._I1
  - Transient: Remaining in a place only a brief time._I2
  - Couch surfer: (Colloquial/Slang) One who stays with different people on rotation -- often on a couch.
  - Bum: A lazy or shiftless person, especially one who seeks to live solely by the support of others._I2
  - Hobo: One who wanders from place to place without a permanent home or a means of livelihood._I2
  - Riffraff: People regarded as disreputable or worthless._I2
  - Vagabond: A person without a permanent home who moves from place to place._I2
  - Tramp: One who travels aimlessly about on foot, doing odd jobs or begging for a living._I1
3. Our definition of homelessness for this presentation:
  - A person who desires but does not have legal shelter from the elements.
4. Our proposed path of actions to eliminate homelessness:
  - Identify causes for homelessness
  - Address causes and find solutions to deal with causes or eliminate causes.
  - Ween users of anti-homelessness public services and ensure there is a path out of the cycle of dependency upon government services.
5. Ask classmates for causes of homelessness (Interactive)
  1. Write causes on the board
  2. Circle any causes that we will cover
  3. Link or group other causes to each other as appropriate based on audience statements.
6. (Lasse: demographics money and the homeless)
  - How many amercians are homeless? Is it possible to not be homeless if a person is employed full-time at minimum wage? Where? Are there solutions to minimum wage, salary, and income that could possibly resolve issues of homelessness?
  - Many questions and statistics to be covered by Lasse in his review of the demographics of wages and homelessness.
7. (Drea: mental illness)
  - At one time in California, mental illnesses was treated in institutions, but what happens when changes of policy releases people with mental illness who are unprepared to deal with daily living?
  - Drea will cover themes associated with mental illness and how it can, but need not lead to homelessness.
8. (Keri: Physcial Disability)
  - Physical Disabilities can make simple tasks in life difficult, and may require more resources than others. In extreme cases, some who suffer from physical disability would have no choice but to become homeless if it were not for government services.
  - People on the edge of homelessness can be pushed into homelessness as a result of a new physical disability.
  - Keri will address issues associated with physical disability and homelessness.
9. (Julie: death of spouse)
  - Death of a spouse can be a contributing cause of homelessness.
  - Julie will provide us with a proxied testemonial in the form of an interview with a relativie who had to deal with the the financial and emotional implications of the loss of a spouse. (ME REVISE THIS LATER.)
10. (Yessica: domestic violence)
  - When domestic abuse jeopardizes the happiness of a person in a relationship, what choices do they have?
  - If they choose to leave, where can they go?
  - Will some become homeless?
  - Yessica will provide you with information on how homelessness can effect domestic abuse and how victims of domestic abuse may become homeless.
11. (Annette: runaway teens)
  - Children who runaway from home, often do not know their future risks
  - Life on the streets for runaways can be filled with violence and degredation.
  - Annette will take us to the street to view the lives of runaways and show us how runaways contribute to homelessness. (ME Exapand later)
12. (Tim: medical care)
  - With skyrocketing healthcare costs, are more people closer to the edge of homelessness than before?
  - What kind of negative feedback-loops exist with respect to healthcare and being homeless?
  - Tim is going to offer us a view on how issues of healthcare may influence homelessness.
13. (Ruth: offer conclusion)
Lasse presents homessness caused by financial loss of assets
Drea presents homessness caused by of mental illness
Keri presents homessness caused by Physicial Disability
Julie presents homessness caused by death of spouse
Yessica presents homessness caused by domestic violence
Annette presents homessness caused by runaway teens
Tim presents homessness caused by issues of medical care
Ruth brings the Conclusion

Bibliography (These are not yet in MLA style):

http://www.dictionary.com/ : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary