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1 Sociological Imagination and Homelessness

Sociological Imagination and Homelessness

Sociological imagination can be defined as the ability to see the relationship between individual experiences and the larger society (Kendall, 2018). Sociological imagination can be used as a tool to guide individuals in understanding how their personal experiences enhance a greater society. An important social force that is often overlooked by our society is the concern of homelessness. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, in 2018 alone, approximately 553,000 individuals were experiencing homelessness in a single night, which is about 17 in every 10,000 Americans (HUD, 2018). When an American hears about a homeless individual, a common, recurring thought is the linkage between homelessness and the person’s will to improve their situation. In other words, others are quick to assume that they are deemed homeless due to the fact that they are lazy, careless individuals, especially since opportunities for housing are available all over the market. Instead of examining the greater societal issues linking with homelessness, the public is quick to imply that it’s a personal matter. The concern of global homelessness is a social force that is a large public issue, and the tool of sociological imagination will help us further assess this. According to Kendall, the sociological imagination quickly splits into personal and public issues (2018). Public issues can be defined as problems that affect large numbers of people and can only be solved at a societal level (Kendall, 2018). In regards to public issues, we come across many different concerns, some including domestic violence and substance abuse. An important public concern that we tend to overlook would be that of homelessness. According to the Economist, in New York alone, approximately 60,000 people are now in shelters, up from about

2 Sociological Imagination and Homelessness 38,000 in 2010, racking up 870 million dollars a year on emergency beds (Anonymous, 2015). Sociological imagination can help us come to the understanding that there is a bigger picture behind an individual’s case of homelessness. Matters concerning economic status, poverty, financial burdens, and many other social forces come into play in regards to one’s housing situation. Looking at the example stated in The Economist, a young mother of three was left alone to pay her costly rent, while her husband was doing his time at Riker’s Island. This woman was facing risks of being evicted, due to a racking $5,000 of unpaid dues (Anonymous, 2015). In this one scenario alone, one can come to understand that this woman’s situation has many social forces coming into play. Many questions come up when one considers this woman’s situation. What caused this woman’s husband to end up in Riker’s? Did it have to do with substance abuse, or perhaps another societal factor? After analyzing other significant social forces, it became very evident that homelessness is in fact a greater societal issue. According to the Cowra Guardian, people who face housing difficulties have a variety of rental options all over the town (Cowra, 2018). In this article specifically, the author places significant emphasis on a woman’s struggle with housing, and her individual, personal issues that come into play. The Cowra Guardian writes about how this woman struggled to pay rent, but specifically, how a greater, societal issue took over her life. As a diabetic with demanding health care needs, Ms. Byrd, the woman mentioned in this article, had to prioritize where her daily earnings went. Over all else, her health was her first priority, just like any other person living in America. Although one’s health is deemed to be the most important factor when living in the United States, the costs say otherwise. Americans nationwide are being forced to pay bills out of pocket for life-saving medications like insulin.

3 Sociological Imagination and Homelessness Asking for up to $1,000 for a few vials, populations are struggling to pay for medications needed to stay alive. The concept of Americans having to pay an incredible amount of money for these medications is most definitely a public, societal issue coming into play with concerns of homelessness. Homelessness can clearly be considered a personal issue, but affordable healthcare is a concern nationwide. If everyone in the U.S. could afford generous healthcare, the number of homeless people would decline tremendously, as these two go hand in hand. Using sociological imagination, we can take a step back and adjust our perspective. Looking into the concept of homelessness allows us to do so. As mentioned earlier, when looking at homelessness as an individual issue, we quickly make judgments based off of the individual’s appearance and character. In reality, this is most definitely not the perspective we should be aiming for, rather looking more into the societal aspects that come into play. According to Kendall, when analyzing suicide as a personal vs. public issue, sociologists came to the understanding that societal forces such as substance abuse, poverty, race, and other elements had an effect on a person’s will to live (Kendall, 2018). Likewise, societal forces should be analyzed the same when analyzing homelessness. All in all, sociological imagination allows us to understand the relationship between individual experiences and the greater society. With this tool, individuals are given the opportunity to learn how their one-dimensional, personal matters can affect a substantial society, and vice versa. Along with benefiting people on a personal level, this tool can have a great impact on aiding our society in eradicating dangerous factors such as suicide and homelessness.

4 Sociological Imagination and Homelessness

References Kendall, D. (2018). Sociology in our times: The essentials (11th ed). Boston: Cengage Learning

Anonymous. (2015). Nipped in the bud; homelessness. The Economist, 415(8941), 24-25.

(2018, December). 2018 AHAR: Part 1 - PIT Estimates of Homelessness in the U.S. Retrieved from https://www.hudexchange.info/resource/5783/2018-ahar-part-1-pit-estimates-ofhomelessness-in-the-us/ Homelessness. (2018, Jul 24). The Cowra Guardian Retrieved from https://chamberlainuniversity.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search-proquestcom.chamberlainuniversity.idm.oclc.org/docview/2073694454?accountid=147674...