Understanding Homelessness: Causes, Profiles, and Recovery
The Process of Social Exclusion and Homelessness
Social exclusion is a complex process influenced by many interrelated factors.
- Housing: Factors related to rental policies, income and wealth distribution, pensions, social policies, legislation, and housing prices.
- Individual Factors: Age, gender, race, status, physical and mental health, and disorders such as alcohol or drug addiction, and compulsive gambling.
- Family-Relational Factors: Conflicts and ruptures, widowhood, loss of social networks and friends. A person who is lonely, has broken family ties, and is socially uprooted is vulnerable and may lose legal and administrative references.
Sociological Profiles of the Homeless
Homeless individuals have diverse sociological profiles and can be classified according to the severity of their situation:
- At Risk: Individuals who maintain some contact with family and friends, engage in odd jobs, and do not have significant physical or psychological disorders. They maintain links with their social environment and sporadically access social services.
- Mild or Early Stage: Individuals who maintain fragile contacts with family and friends, engage in precarious jobs (with periods of begging), and may have alcohol or drug problems. Intervention at this stage is crucial to prevent the total breakdown of social ties.
- Advanced Stage: Individuals who have broken their basic social ties, have little family contact, rely on begging, and may have psychological and personality disorders, and loss of self-esteem. They often turn to social services and may have alcohol or drug problems. They require intervention mechanisms, support, rehabilitation, and reintegration.
- Chronic: Individuals who reject any kind of attention and institutional support, either because of mental illness or a life philosophy. They lack personal networks and family connections, are unemployed, beg, are uprooted, unmotivated, and focus only on short-term survival. They need intervention mechanisms of support and harm reduction programs to prevent physical and mental deterioration and to protect their lives.
Rehabilitation and Recovery Strategies
Individualized treatment should be tailored to the person’s path, desires, and available resources. The individual’s desire and confidence in their rehabilitation are essential.
The process involves reversing the path that led to exclusion, aiming for social reintegration.
It is easier when some social or family ties remain, even slightly.
The goal is social integration at the individual’s level.
It is more feasible when there is access to housing, employment, health, and social protection.
It is necessary to restore self-esteem and self-confidence in the future and society.
It requires social skills development, job training, and learning new habits.
Regaining social and family networks is crucial.
Public awareness of solidarity and acceptance of these individuals is very important.