Cultural Anthropology Report: Homelessness in Seattle, Washington

This report analyzes the multifaceted issue of homelessness in Seattle, Washington, from a cultural anthropology perspective. It examines the challenges faced by the homeless population, including health problems, lack of funding, and societal stereotypes. The report highlights the efforts of organizations like Americas Best Value Inn Lynnwood, which provides emergency shelter, humanitarian outreach, and connections to social services. It reviews existing research and solutions, such as tiny home communities and healthcare interventions, while also discussing the impact of addiction and mental health issues. The analysis incorporates anthropological concepts to understand the historical and cultural context of homelessness, offering insights into potential solutions and the importance of community support. The report emphasizes the need for awareness, rehabilitation centers, and government support to address this complex social issue.

Running head: HOMELESSNESS 1
Homelessness
Name
Institution

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Homelessness
Introduction
Imagine a universe where food remains a struggle to acquire; hygiene remains a forgotten
afterthought, as well as safety, is badly hoped for. While this can sound like a forgone issue to
some rich people, it is instead one of the tragic realities for so many individuals. Homelessness
has existed in the US throughout its history. For instance, In Washington, countless people live
without shelter. Also, some people lack basic human needs such as clothing and food. These
individuals, irrespective of circumstances, are collectively known as the homeless. There are
numerous effects of homelessness on people. Many researchers argue that homeless people
usually experience a lot of health problems in their lives (Klein & Reddy 2015). For instance,
most of them often acquire infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS. My volunteer site that will be
discussed in this paper is known as Americas best value inn Lynnwood. This organization works
with the social services and police to offer temporary emergency for homelessness. The purpose
of this paper is to analyze the issue of homelessness in Seattle, Washington.
Community (S) Serve By Americas Best Value Inn Lynnwood
Americas best value inn Lynnwood indeed works with the social services and police to
offer temporary emergency for homelessness. The organization provides emergency as well as
humanitarian outreach services to homeless people. The primary mission of my organization is to
meet individuals where they are, without judgment or expectation and provide basic human
needs such as water, food, tents, sleeping bags, bus tickets, and clothing. But more importantly,
my organization site offers a human connection to homeless people. Americas best value inn
Lynnwood creates relationships with its homeless neighbors as well as with the providers of
social service in the Seattle region to connect individuals with services that they require. The

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population that my organization works with is the homeless population in Seattle, Washington.
In modern society, homelessness is regarded as a social issue. The societal problem that my
organization addresses is homelessness.
How Have Others Tried To Research The Issue Of Homelessness Or Create Solutions?
Sociological studies of homelessness started back in early 1923. Most of the sociological
research on this social issue has concentrated on analyzing and describing the homeless,
specifically homeless men, though the field has widened since the 1980s. The most influential
2017 study of homelessness was Shirley Keating's Tiny Home Communities: Alternative
solutions to addressing Homelessness (2017). Keating addressed some of the socials issues that
affect homeless people in places such as Washington, California, New York, and the District of
Columbia. According to Keating, affordable housing remains a key issue that has led to
homelessness in Washington. He argues that to solve the problem of homelessness, the
government should provide tiny home communities. This program of tiny home communities
will provide a cost-effective way of assisting and supporting the present housing program in the
United States (Keating, 2017). Also, Keating suggests that the government should build tiny
home communities to provide accommodation to homeless people.
Challenges: One of the main challenges that Keating faced was that the national
government, as well as other city government, have impeded or prevented the placement and
creation of tiny homes due to safety concerns. To me, I think that this program can improve the
living standards of homeless people. In July 2017, Emily Fox and Chris Glynn published an
article that explores the relationships between homelessness and housing costs. The two
researchers argue that the relationships between homelessness and housing costs have vital

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implications for the way that national governments and cities respond to the increasing problem
of homelessness.
What Americas Best Value Inn Lynnwood Contribute To the Problem of Homelessness or
Population
According to Glynn and Fox (2019), the link between the two factors that is housing
costs and homelessness may help the government to come up with appropriate strategies to lower
the intensity in order to improve the standards of living of most people. These researchers argue
that the government should reduce the housing costs to help homeless people get permanent
housing in the United States. These are some of the essential strategies that my organization uses
to help in solving the issue of homelessness. Currently, Americas best value inn Lynnwood is
one of the organizations that offer homeless shelters for children, women, as well as families in
emergency circumstances. It remains one of the largest providers of its kind in Seattle,
Washington. At the organization, the emergency family shelters offer basic needs, for example,
showers, clothes, and meals to homeless people. The organization funding for low-income
housing has helped in preventing homelessness. Presently, a more significant percentage of the
financing for shelter as well as other basic needs comes from my organization. This housing
project established by my organization continues to help in alleviating the problem of
homelessness among the unsheltered population of Seattle in Washington.
Americas best value inn Lynnwood is also working in partnership with government to
connect unsheltered people with employers who possess unfilled jobs. Similarly, the
organization has employed many people who have the necessary skills. This program has
enabled many homeless people to secure employment hence improving their living standards.
Many researchers argue that mental disorders and alcohol-related problems are some of the most

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prevalent health issues among homeless adult people (Hwang & Burns, 2014). Hwang and Burns
argue that the provision of healthcare programs can help meet community needs in the United
States. Americas best value inn Lynnwood has funded various researches on the relationships
between mental health and homelessness to find ways of reducing the issue of homelessness.
Also, the organization works together with the government to ensure that homeless individuals
remain treated equally like other people. The organization also initiated essential health
interventions to ensure that many people, including homeless people, are involved in the
programs. Addiction Center (2019), studied the connection between addiction and homelessness.
Their study shows that substance abuse often leads to homelessness. It is also true that a more
significant percentage of homeless individuals are dependent on alcohol as well as other harmful
chemicals (Crosscut.com, 2019). Addiction is a huge issue, and non-profit institutions are
working hard to end the problem of substance abuse mainly by providing homeless people with
counseling programs. My organization offers some guidance and counseling to the youths on
substance abuse. Also, the organization has created rehabilitation centers for drug addicts.
How The Approach Of Americas Best Value Inn Lynnwood Compare With Other Ways Of
Addressing This Need?
The approach used by Americas best value inn Lynnwood to solve the problem of
homelessness is similar to what most of the organizations are using. Just like other institutions,
my organization aim at providing basic human needs such as food, shelters, and clothing. My
organization also works closely with the government to help prevent the problem of
homelessness.
Anthropological Concepts

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The emphasis of anthropology on looking at the issue of homelessness in its full
historical and cultural context can help us understand the issues associated with homelessness.
This concept provides another essential tool for analyzing as well as creating possible solutions
to social problems. For instance, this concept could help address the higher rates of homelessness
in some parts of the United States. Many researchers use different techniques to help us
understand the issue of homelessness. Also, the analysis of the structural, as well as social forces
that shape the lives of homeless people can help us understand the issue of homelessness. In
particular, the way political organization damages vulnerable individuals manifests itself in
unemployment, and lack of cheap housing (Fox News, 2019).
Conclusion
In this paper, many problems of homelessness have become apparent. Some of the issues
that many homeless people encounter include lack of enough funding from the government,
contracting infectious diseases, and most of them suffer from interaction with people around
them. Most of the homeless people indeed have health problems. Some of them have permanent
diseases, for example, cancer. Additionally, they are at risk of contracting dangerous diseases,
for example, hepatitis as well as sexually transmitted infections. Another problem that the
homeless people suffer from remains the stereotype the Citizens have given them. There are
numerous ways in which all these problems can be solved. First of all, the government, together
with other non-profit organizations, should raise awareness of homelessness to the people. Also,
the government should establish rehabilitation centers for drug addicts. This is because there is a
study connection between homelessness and addiction. The rehabilitation centers will help lower
the rate of homelessness in the United States

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References
Addiction Center. (2019) Homelessness and Addiction - Addiction Center. Retrieved 28 January
2020, from https://www.addictioncenter.com/addiction/homelessness/
Crosscut.com. (2019). 'Heartbreaking': Seattle's homeless are getting sicker and shelters are
struggling to keep up. Retrieved 28 January 2020, from
https://crosscut.com/2019/06/heartbreaking-seattles-homeless-are-getting-sicker-and-
shelters-are-struggling-keep
Fox News. (2019). Seattle residents blame inefficient elected officials for homeless problem, say
they've 'lost faith' in system. Retrieved 28 January 2020, from
https://www.foxnews.com/us/seattle-residents-blame-inefficient-elected-officials-for-
homeless-problem-say-theyve-lost-faith-in-system
Glynn, C., & Fox, E. B. (2019). Dynamics of homelessness in urban America. The Annals of
Applied Statistics, 13(1), 573-605.
Hwang, S. W., & Burns, T. (2014). Health interventions for people who are homeless. The
Lancet, 384(9953), 1541-1547.
Keating, S. B. (2017). Tiny Home Communities: Alternative Solutions to Addressing
Homelessness.
Klein, J., & Reddy, S. (2015). Care of the homeless patient. Medical Clinics of North America,
99(5), 1017-1038.