By Ama Banahene
This article originally appeared in the print version of the Spring 2013 issue of The Wall.
For many people, including myself, homelessness has a negative connotation. It is usually believed to be the end of result of engaging in social vices: excessive gambling, drug and alcohol abuse, prostitution and general irresponsibility.
Many will confess their conflict surrounding this issue. They are willing to help those in needs yet believe most homeless individuals are simply corrupt and have low morale. However, this could not be further from the truth.
The reality is that people with mental illness are the most vulnerable to becoming homeless. With increasing healthcare cost, high unemployment levels and with a spike in those without or with inadequate insurance, members of the society with mental disorders are at a very high risk of losing shelter.
The high level of stress caused by the present state of the economy has led to an increase in the occurrence of mental illnesses. The hike of symptoms leads to bad health and poor performance, placing many of these individuals at a high risk of job loss. Lack of adequate insurance deprives many of proper treatment, making their disease become a source of liability. More importantly, with the increased competition for jobs even in the menial ones, the mentally disabled face a higher risk of job-based discrimination than other applicants.
The sub-group of the mentally disabled with the highest risk of becoming homeless is those with drug and alcohol related issues. The criminalization of chronic drug users, social attitude towards substance abuse problems and weak mental health care system places these individuals at a risk of not having a secure place for shelter.
Criminal laws that punish drug use and distribution leads to many chronic users being incarcerated; they are then faced with many difficulties during the process of re-introduction into society.
More often than not, societal misconception about substance abuse issues being a reflection of personal characters leads to those with abuse issues facing family and social rejection. The lack of support cripples their successful readjustment. Most ex-convicts face job and housing-based discrimination. Also because of so many substance abusers are of low socioeconomic status, there is less of a chance they will receive the rehabilitation or familial support they need to move on—particularly after years of alienation.
These problems are not going away. To be aware is the first step. Homelessness can befall anybody; this must be known.