Homeless

The two positions taken by the respective teams decided that foster care and homelessness lead to chronic medical problems for children. These issues are not only found in children but within the family as well. Depending on the location of the shelters, whether it is gender/family specific, the office hours, restrictions to the length of stay, and the limited amount of resources and staff it can be detrimental to the clients. Our resolution is to advocate and help the families because they too have health needs that require care.
“Homeless families, generally headed by single mothers are the fastest growing population among the homeless.” (Letiecq, 1998) Often times these women were previously abused, mentally and physically. “Some mental health problems include depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and alcohol and other drug abuse. (Hatton, 2001:26) If the mother has these disorders, it would be difficult for her to multitask personal, family, and financial issues.   In order to receive health care, the mother must be able to have good communication skills. Many found it challenging to deal with health care professionals, especially those who do not speak English.   Staff amongst shelters is often volunteers or are incompetent to allot things like assessments and counseling. Some believe that the system was designed to keep certain people out and allow others in.   We need to take action in helping families now because depriving them of care will only lead to care that will be more expensive later.   (Hatton, 2001)
The pro-team developed their thesis around Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and as a whole group we came to the consensus that these needs must not only be met for children but for adults as well. If lower- order needs are not met it can have affects on their health, behaviors, and self-actualization. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, lower-order needs consist of food, thirst, shelter, and safety.   These must to be met before they can go...