Monday, June 13, 2011

Week 2, Blog #5 Youth Homelessness

What are some similarities and differences between the kids on Skid Row vs. those running away from home in the article? What are some differences between generational and situational homelessness? Consider some of these relationships in your blog posts today.

Triangle:
Two important differences between the video participants and the research article were race and age. The article stated that their sample was comprised of 25 women and 25 men. Nearly three-quarters of the participants identiļ¬ed their primary ethnic background as Caucasian/White, while slightly more than one quarter of the respondents were of mixed ethnicities, including Mexican/Anglo-European, Argentinean/Mexican, Persian, Native American/Anglo-European, and East Indian/Brazilian. The mean age of participants was 20.5 years, ranging between 18 to 23 years of age (Hyde, 2005). The video participants were primarily African American and under the age of 18.

Although the primary similarity was that each population described was in a poverty stricken condition that neither felt was optimal, one population appeared to have made a choice towards that condition in order to escape a livelihood of other conditions versus a population that was generationally homeless because their parents were unable to provide them with an adequate standard of living.

Square:
When the article told the story of Twig he emphasized that he had been placed in 3 foster homes and that those were unsuccessful in addressing his underlying issues (Hyde, 2005). We are hard pressed in finding foster parents. It is a daunting task taking on a child that has been abused or neglected. I believe that when the children enter the system it’s not enough to only address the immediate physical circumstances of abuse. A psychological component needs to be implemented in order to address the issues that these kids are facing.

Circle:
The film, Living on Skid Row, states that the average age of homelessness in the United States is 9 years old and describes Los Angeles as this countries first third world city. The children in the piece are aware of their conditions and “present” as described by the narrator. Seeing images of a naked man writhing on the ground and another man freely displaying a machete while the camera rolls from a top a nearby apartment, I question where are the authorities? Where is the police department? Why aren’t these children being protected? I didn’t see a single police unit drive by once during that audacious display that from the point of the view of film is the norm in that community.


Hyde, J. (2005). From home to street: Understanding young people's transitions into homelessness.  Journal of Adolescence , 28 (2), 171-83.

No comments:

Post a Comment