Comparison of Homelessness in the U.S and South Africa Essay

The term rooflessness has a very wide scope and umteen take issueent agencies and governments attempt to define it differently. The homeless committee of the city of Montreal adopted rough definition of the homeless. Casavant (1999) further translates the definition as a person with no contumacious address, stable, safe and healthy housing for the next 60 days, an extremely low income, adversely discriminated against in access to services, with problems of mental health, alcohol and drug abuse or neighborly disorganization, and not a member of each stable group, (para 9).Comparison of homelessness in the U. S and southeast Africa Having established a sanely clear definition of the homeless, it is paramount so that the three types of homelessness be pointed out. First are the chronic exclusivelyy homeless whose case is more(prenominal) severe than the rest and they face former(a) problems like drug abuse or mental illness. The other groups are cognise as the cyclicall y homeless who piddle give up their homes due to some situation arising from for casing a prison term or released unemployed detainees.The last category are referred to as the temporarily homeless, who lose their dwellings for a very short period of clipping due to circumstances such as floods, drought and clashes displacement (Casavant , 1999) . The United States of the States does face the homelessness issue like all other nation. Statistics on the anatomy of homeless pile in the United States of the States is never fixed and is ever move because of the cyclical, nomadic and temporary nature. From recent studies done, the add up do range surrounded by 650,000 to 2. meg people depending on factors that have been canvas above (McCarty, 2005).The 2004 U. S conference of Mayors regard gives the following information regarding the come ins and ethnicities involved. agree to the survey that was carried out in all the cities, it was established that the number of homeless people in the United States gradually increase at a rate of 7% per annum in numbers. Of the entire world 41%, were men. 40% of the existence was composed of families time only a meager 14% were women.The youth comprised of only 5% of the population. By ethnicities, the African American population took the vauntingly bulk of people with approximately 49% composition. 35% were whites, 13% Hispanics, 2% native Americans and 1% Asian. According to the survey, also the veterans or old people accounted for 10% of the population (McCarty, 2005). southeasterly Africa on the other fade gives a different picture as compared with the United States. The biggest cause of homelessness in South Africa was the adverse effects that were brought along the apartheid era.The number of people that were living in shacks was aim to be among 5 million and 7. 7 million (Nduru, 2010). South Africa is a multi racial nation with both the sinister corporation and the white community coexistent toget her. The char community comprising of ethnicities such as Zulu, Xhosa, Ndebele and others comprise about 80% of the population while the whites and red heads comprise near 19% of the population according to the Africa community survey of 2007. It has been established that most of the population living in shanty towns is the discolor community.In fact, around 80% of South Africas population lives below the poorness line and a very vast gap do exist between the rich and the poor (Sherwood , 2003). Conclusion We have observed that the causes and the number of people cosmos affected by homelessness do differ in great detail between the two countries. The United States though a very big country with a huge population accounts for lesser number of people without adequate shelter. Also, the United States dispersion of homeless people across the ethnicities is a lot fairer than South Africas where the biggest of proportions lies among the black community.