A structured report is an essay that uses a certain structure in order to present a report on a particular issue. The use of structured data allows the reader to analyze the scale of a problem under discussion more precisely. As a rule, a structured report consists of the introductory paragraph, main body, and conclusion. Most commonly, a structured report is used in social studies, business, economy, or geography areas. The structured report example demonstrates the proper structure and use of data needed to be presented in most structured reports.
Homelessness has been a hot issue throughout the whole US history. According to the US law, a person is considered homeless if he or she does not have a constant place for sleep. Such people have the right to stay in the public or private shelters. About 550 thousand people (one in the seven-hundredth resident of the country) in the US have been identified as homeless in 2015 (The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2016). The lack of affordable housing and assistance programs to the poor are the most significant causes of the homeless population growth in the US. Another important reason for homelessness is a domestic violence. According to the Ford Foundation research, approximately 50% of all homeless women and children were victims of beatings or other forms of violence in their own family (Zorza, 1991). However it is, the level of homelessness significantly decreased for the last 15 years, which shows that US social policies are on the right way now.
Fifteen years ago, US social protection policy was not able to completely solve the problem of homelessness. A study conducted by the U.S. Conference of Mayors in 2001, reveals that in 27 major cities, among those people who asked for shelters about 37% have not received assistance since the shelters were overcrowded (“Hunger and Homelessness Up Sharply in Major U.S. Cities”, 2001). The number of such cases in 2001 increased by 11% compared with the previous year, while the number of places in shelters has changed slightly. The same indicators on the situation of homeless families were even worse that year: the administrations of shelters refused to lodge for about 52% of the families seeking help. The number of homeless people simply was much higher than the number of places in shelters. What is more, it is known that homeless shelters are the predominantly urban phenomenon. Outside the big cities, there almost were no shelters, although homeless people were present there as well. In fact, many homeless people were forced to seek temporary shelter among their relatives and friends, constantly changing their place of residence. This category of people is mostly not considered as homeless. According to the US Department of Education report, in 2000 only 35% of homeless children and young people were living in shelters; 34% lived alternately in the relatives’ or friends’ house, and 23% lived in cheap hotels (The U.S. Department of Education, 2004). Taking the given data all together becomes clear that the US were far from providing all the needed resources for decreasing the homelessness level 15 years ago.
According to estimates of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, during the last few years, the number of homeless people in the US, is markedly reduced (The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2013). At the end of January 2013, about 610,000 homeless were registered in the US. It is 4% lower in than it was in 2012. The number of homeless veterans has decreased more significantly: by 6%, there were about 58,000 of them. The number of so-called “chronic” homeless people and homeless families reduced as well.
References
- Hunger and Homelessness Up Sharply in Major U.S. Cities. (2001). usmayors.org. Retrieved 20 September 2016, from http://usmayors.org/pressreleases/documents/hunger_121101.asp
- The U.S. Department of Education,. (2004). Education for Homeless Children and Youth
Program. Washington, DC. - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development,. (2016). The State of Homelessness in
America (p. 7). Washington, DC: National Alliance to End Homelessness. - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development,. (2013). The 2013 Annual Homeless
Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress. - Zorza, Joan. “Woman Battering: A Major Cause of Homelessness,” in Clearinghouse Review vol. 25, no. 4, 1991.
