Why are you there?

 

Have you ever walked or drove passed a homeless woman in downtown Los Angeles and thought to yourself, "Where did it all go wrong?" The usual stereotype or generalization most people have of the homeless is that they are unemployed, unmotivated, drug addicts, but studies show that is not the case. For women, the leading cause of homelessness among women is due to Domestic Violence, in which "the majority of unhoused women across the nation– 57% according to recent data– say domestic violence is the direct cause of losing their permanent home. In L.A, almost 40% of women who are homeless say they've been abused in the last 12 months."(Paskin) 

Vulnerable

Vulnerability is the quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally. Many women who were abused, who leave violent relationships leave behind everything. In the article Cruel Cycle of Domestic Violence and Homelessness in LA by Carla Green, she explains how the cycle of Domestic Violence is with women in Los Angeles stating that "Many people fleeing violent situations leave everything behind – even, like in Cooley's case, their sources of income." (Green) In order to get out of that state of feeling vulnerable, fleeing feels like the only option for most women, at the cost of everything. 

Why?

This social issue personally effects me due to me living in Los Angeles all of my life and see the constant problem of homeless people. As a kid, I would always think to myself about why people were on the street. Thankfully I had understanding parents who did not teach me to look at homeless people any different from others and to not immediately judge. So to dig deeper and to find out that the majority of women on the streets is due to Domestic Violence did not sit right with me. Why is it that women who are in these terrible situations feel that their only possible outcome is to flee and leave everything behind, when it should be the abuser who should be getting penalized for the wrong doing. As stated in the article How Domestic Violence Became The No. 1 Cause of Homelessness For Women in LA, survivor and advocate Nikki Brown stated "There are so many complicated circumstances that make it really hard to leave. And when you can't leave, that element of shame and blame is the thing that makes it so hard to talk about." (Paskin) Women who are put in these situations are often feeling shameful for "staying" as if it is their fault. When the women feel like they are being at fault for being abused, is when we have failed them. So, if we can bring awareness and shed light on the numbers as to why people are homeless, then maybe we will start to see a difference. 

I chose this issue because I had previously written a paper about it and wanted to spread the word about the numbers and as to why women are homeless. I wanted to spread this because of the common misconception about homeless people which we all know is "all homeless people are drug addicts, or are lazy and just need to find a job, but don't actually realize why these women and others are homeless. Homelessness is not picky and can happen to anyone at any given time, so we need to break through the misconceptions and start creating a better system for the women anyone else struggling while being unhoused. 

References

Green, Carla. "Cruel Cycle Of Domestic Violence And Homelessness In LA". Aljazeera.Com, 2021, https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2017/9/27/cruel-cycle-of-domestic-violence-and-homelessness-in-la.

Paskin, Julia. "How Domestic Violence Became The No. 1 Cause Of Homelessness For Women In LA". Laist, 2021, https://laist.com/news/housing-homelessness/how-domestic-violence-became-the-no-1-cause-of-homelessness-for-women-in-los-angeles.

Roberts, Kimberly. Ph.Lacounty.Gov, 2021, http://ph.lacounty.gov/owh/docs/DataReport/KimberlyRoberts.pdf.