It is hard to believe at times that rich and developed countries like the United States of America (USA) are faced with staggering numbers of children and adults suffering from poverty, homelessness, and hunger. According to a United Nations report, poverty, homelessness, and starvation are issues affecting people of all ages. More so, they stated that all over the world, millions of people were living without access to food, housing, and basic education, poverty is the main reason affecting them from accessing the fundamental human rights (2017). The deepening poverty among the individuals, especially in the USA, has intimately been associated with the rising levels of homelessness as well as hunger or food insecurity facing many Americans with Children being the most affected. According to the “2019 Hunger Report”, hunger is mainly caused by poverty, and it affects people in both rich and developing countries, whether in rural or urban settings (2020).
Why the Issue Poses A Problem
Poverty is closely associated with adverse outcomes such as derisory nutrition, insufficient childcare, and results in schools being under-resourced, which negatively impacts the children and the youths of a country. When facing hunger in schools and at home, children and youths face the highest risk of performing poorly hence poor achievements in matters academic. More so, many children result in dropping out of schools, which may lead to them being abused and neglected by their families (“Effects of poverty, hunger, and homelessness on children and youth”, 2020). Additionally, when growing, these children may be faced with delays. Poverty impacts children in education particularly when in their early childhood. It is because, when living in poverty, these children might develop chronic stress affecting their ability to concentrate in class while still may impact their memory hindering their learning ability. In this case, dropping out of school is inevitable, and inadequate education makes it possible for the poverty cycle to repeat itself affecting the future generations.
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Additionally, poverty has severe effects on the physical health of individuals because it poses to both children and teens the problems associated with physical health such as low weight during birth (“Effects of poverty, hunger, and homelessness on children and youth”, 2020). Poor feeding when in poverty, it is inevitable and children might be unable to play sport, making them obese and overweight in some situations. Chronic diseases like pneumonia and asthma may also face them, and in many cases, they engage in dangerous behaviors like addiction to substance abuse.
Hunger during adulthood has detrimental effects, especially to women during pregnancy. It might cause augmented adverse birth outcomes, such as decreased brain weight and premature births (Lee & Greif, 2008). On the other hand, babies born with the above effects might be vulnerable to problems associated with health, and their probability of having learning problems during their school-age is very high. Hunger in early childhood may cause a deficit in children’s cognitive, social, and emotive development. Lack of essential nutrition in children might also result in them being impaired in their brains. More so, it causes the reduction of motor skills in children creating reduced activities and motivation of reconnoitering the settings they live in decreases (“Effects of poverty, hunger, and homelessness on children and youth”, 2020). Social and emotional development is closely related to cognitive development in children because the more a child is active, the likely they are to engage with their caregivers by getting full attention, which is vital for their development. In schools, hungry children are expected to develop conduct disorder like fighting and having trouble with teachers.
Homelessness poses the most severe effects affecting both the children and the youths, causing hunger, deprivation in both physically and emotionally, and in most cases leading to lost opportunities in education (Alowaimer, 2018) . Homeless children and adults are in a state of constant movement leading to schooling disruptions impacting negatively on their academic performance. Their learning gets delayed, and the likeliness homeless children developing learning disabilities is very high, making them repeat grades and, at times, being suspended from school. More so, homeless people are mostly linked with hunger, which research shows that it is related to children and youth developing poor emotional and social skills and as well as reduced cognitive development (Alowaimer, 2018) . Additionally, homelessness is associated with violence or, in many times, witness violence. The exposure causes some to develop psychosocial problems like depression and anxiety, and aggression (“What Causes Hunger”, 2020). Almost half of the homeless schooling age individuals suffer from depression and anxiety, and in one out of five will likely develop emotional problems requiring help from professionals (“Effects of Poverty, Hunger, and Homelessness on Children and Youth | IGH Hub”, 2020) . More so, these children face the problem of accessing medical care. Also, unaccompanied homeless children are likely to develop an addiction to substance abuse is very high.
One Innovative Teaching and/or Learning Strategy to Address This Issue
Service-leaning One innovative strategy that can be employed in addressing the issue of poverty, homelessness, and hunger. It entails an approach for teaching and learning to enable the integration of expressive communal service and classroom instructions with reflections serving as a means of enriching thoughtful networks that ultimately impart civic obligation as well as strengthening the society for a stable and healthy democracy (Cress, Collier, & Reitenauer, 2013). When service-learning is employed as an instructional approach, the students develop an awareness of the local issues, learning that their voice and ideas make vast differences. By writing reflection journals, as a pedagogical strategy part, the process helps in making connections amid what they learn in class and the experiences faced in the community. They are encouraged to go beyond self by exploring ways of addressing social and environmental problems within their society. Teachers, in this case, help in providing answers and encourage the students to take ownership of solving the problem they are aware of (Williams, 2016).
In conclusion, poverty, homelessness, and hunger is an issue that extensively affects many people in the universe. It is not exempt from any nation. It has severe effects on humans, causing depression and anxiety. It makes individuals be socially and emotionally deprived, and hence making connections with the world becomes a problem. Addiction to substance abuse and increased violence is also associated with this issue. The government, therefore, must address the issues in food security to tackle hunger and address issues of housing and, on the other hand, create more job opportunities to increase income in poor households. Through this, they will afford food, get suitable accommodation and, in turn, reduce poverty.
References
2019 Hunger Report. Bread for the World. (2020). Retrieved 5 April 2020, from https://www.bread.org/report/2019-hunger-report.
Alowaimer, O. (2018). Causes, Effects and Issues of Homeless People. Journal Of Socialomics, 07(03). https://doi.org/10.4172/2167-0358.1000223
Cress, C. M., Collier, P., & Vicki Reitenauer and Associates (Ed.). (2013). Learning through serving: A student guidebook for service-learning across the disciplines. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing, LLC.
De Marcus, Ashley, “How Homelessness Affects Children & Their Education” (2005). University of Tennessee Honors Thesis Projects. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_chanhonoproj/841
Effects of Poverty, Hunger and Homelessness on Children and Youth | IGH Hub. Ighhub.org. (2020). Retrieved 5 April 2020, from https://ighhub.org/resource/effects-poverty-hunger-and-homelessness-children-and-youth.
Effects of poverty, hunger, and homelessness on children and youth. https://www.apa.org. (2020). Retrieved 5 April 2020, from https://www.apa.org/pi/families/poverty.
Lee, B., & Greif, M. (2008). Homelessness and Hunger. Journal Of Health And Social Behavior, 49(1), 3-19. https://doi.org/10.1177/002214650804900102
What Causes Hunger. Bread for the World. (2020). Retrieved 5 April 2020, from https://www.bread.org/what-causes-hunger
Williams, D. (2016). Service-Learning and the Hungry and Homeless: Tangible Sensibilities of Care among Young Urban Adolescents. Children, Youth and Environments, 26(1), 164. https://doi.org/10.7721/chilyoutenvi.26.1.0164
.With Millions Lacking Food, Education, Shelter, Targeted Approaches Needed to Meet Needs of Most Vulnerable, Mandate‑Holders Tell Third Committee | Meetings Coverage and Press Releases. Un.org. (2017). Retrieved 5 April 2020, from https://www.un.org/press/en/2017/gashc4209.doc.htm.
