Research Proposal: The Marginalized Mentally Ill Community

Community: The mentally ill homeless population.

Issue: The preconceptions and prejudice people have toward the homeless who are mentally ill.

Research Question: Why is it important that society does not discriminate against mentally ill homeless persons? 

Thesis: It is important that society does not discriminate against persons with mental illness because it prevents them from receiving the help they need to improve their lives. 

Research Proposal by:

Ivanna Dominguez 

The Main Issue or Problems: 

Mental illness and homelessness are both issues that society has overlooked and shown discrimination toward because when someone doesn’t mean society’s expectations they are often overlooked and mistreated. What many people don’t realize is that both those issues many times come hand in hand because the majority of the people who are homeless have a mental illness. Society likes to say they are greatly affected by the homeless population because of the alleged disturbance in their lives but in reality, the mentally ill homeless population are the ones affected. They not only have to endure poverty and hunger but also discrimination, ignorance, and stigmatization. This community has always been a problem for any society and as a result of this people have developed certain preconceptions and prejudice that shape people’s lives. People are scared and because of this fear they act hatefully toward homeless people not realizing that they most likely have a mental disorder. There is also a misinterpretation of the different types of mental disorders like substance abuse and addiction. Society does not know all the different types of mental disorders and the ones they do know they assume incorrectly about them and label people as “crazy” and “dangerous”. “This is because society in general has stereotyped views about mental illness and how it affects people. Many people believe that people with mental ill health are violent and dangerous, when in fact they are more at risk of being attacked or harming themselves than harming other people.” (Mental Health Foundation, 1). This quote accurately supports what I explained about people’s preconceptions about the mentally ill and how they view this community when in fact it’s the opposite. There are different programs and aid for this community but there needs to be an improvement in society in order to fully help this community. The objective of this proposal is to address the issue but also bring a viable solution because no one deserves to be treated unequally or discriminated against over something they have no control over. 

Why this Issue is Compelling to me:

This issue is compelling to me because this is something that has been a problem since the beginning of time and it not only affects the United States but many other countries around the world. “Based on national reports, it’s estimated that no less than 150 million people, or about 2 percent of the world’s population, are homeless. However, about 1.6 billion, more than 20 percent of the world’s population, may lack adequate housing” (Chamie,1). First, this quote illustrates my point that homelessness does not only exist in a couple of countries but in the majority of the world. Second, it provides statistics on the actual number of the homeless population. Lastly, it provides a different perspective on the term “homeless” since it does not necessarily mean sleeping on the street but also having inadequate housing. I have lived in New York City my entire life and I have personally seen and experienced the presence of the mentally ill homeless community. More specifically I live in the South Bronx where there is a large mentally ill homeless population and I have seen the way people view and think about this community. They are called names, given disgusting looks on the streets and on public transportation all while no one is sympathetic to their situation. Some things I have heard when speaking about the homeless population in New York City are “I don’t know why they don’t just go find a job” or “they are dangerous”. This way of thinking is the problem with society and it needs to change because while many times certain situations seem unsafe they are just struggling with a mental or substance abuse disorder. Everyone deserves a good and stable life with the opportunity to get a job, an education, and be treated fairly despite the circumstances life has presented to them. As a society, we need to be more understanding and become more educated in this community so there is more tolerance and respect. 

Intended Audience: 

My intended audience is a mix of young, middle-aged, and older adults from the ages of 18-65 from all races and ethnicities and both men and women. Younger children and adolescents are not as prone to be prejudiced or stigmatizing toward this community because they may not have fully gained the proper understanding or maturity. They may simply develop a fear of this community which is why adults need to educate them about this community or any situation they can encounter in the future. I chose all ethnicities and backgrounds because no matter where someone is from they can still be discriminatory. For example in New York City which is one of the most diverse cities in the world, there is still a large portion of people that are racists, bias, sexists, and prejudiced, etc. Just as ethnicity and race, gender is another identifier that affects the mentally ill homeless community because whether someone is a woman or a man they can still have negative outlooks against this community. Some may argue that men are inclined to be more prejudicial and stigmatizing than women but nevertheless they both treat this community the same way. I understand my intended audience is very large and not specific, but this is a problem that is a result of the majority of the population in New York City not to say that there aren’t a few people who are exempt from this. “We accept that a certain amount of homelessness is inevitable. But homelessness is not a given. We can not only reduce homelessness, we can abolish it altogether. Most people understand that homelessness is related to mental health and addiction issues. However, thinking about homelessness as an individual problem is a wrong way to address the issue” (Brown, 1). This quote directly emphasizes that this not just a problem that should be left to the homeless population just because it’s not our problem or because we don’t share the same experience. It is important for this audience to hear my proposal and stop discriminating against this community because first, it is morally wrong to treat others like this, second, the same people complaining are the ones who refuse to be educated and create change, and third, as a society, we can all have a huge impact on this community and possibly reduce the number of mentally ill homeless people. 

Advocacy Plan:

“Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary” (Walker, 1). This is one of my favorite quotes said by Martin Luther King Jr. because he is saying that generously giving to a cause is admirable but we wouldn’t have to do that if we created an equal system to help those less fortunate. As a society, if we had taken more care of the mentally ill homeless community then this issue would not have reached the level it has. In a way, we partially created this issue because we sat idly by letting it escalate so now it is our job to advocate and improve their quality of life. When it comes to this community there are so many things that I would like to do to not only improve the lives of the mentally ill homeless people but also to educate those who are negatively impacting this community. The first part of my plan is finding organizations or institutions that help the homeless population in my city and donate what I can to help the funding. The second part of my plan is to volunteer in these organizations like the Coalition For the Homeless, Ali Forney Center, and Breaking Ground to try and help make a difference in my city. The last part of my plan is creating pamphlets to put in offices, schools, and colleges providing more information on the community. This may not be as effective but if even one person reads a pamphlet they can pass it on and make all the difference. Finally, this is not part of my plan but in high schools and colleges, there should be classes on mental disorders so that people can learn about them and not simply have assumptions that negatively influence society. 

Annotated Bibliography:

Stigma and Discrimination (2015). Retrieved from: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/s/stigma-and-discrimination

This article is from a foundation in Europe which shows that this not only an issue in the United States but everywhere in the world. The article discusses the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental health and how greatly this negativity can impact their life. It continues to breakdown some stereotypes surrounding this community and how in fact everything people think about this community is the opposite. Finally, it describes how media only furthers stereotypes and discriminations and how important it is to challenge these stereotypes. I chose this article because it had a lot of useful information and I used it to provide evidence to my main issue or problem. 

As Cities Grow, So Do the Numbers of Homeless (2017). Retrieved from: 

https://yaleglobal.yale.edu/content/cities-grow-so-do-numbers-homeless

This article is from the Yale newspaper and it provides statistics and charts regarding the large population in the homeless community. There is a small paragraph, in the beginning, giving an overview of the article and the main points of the article like the shortages in affordable housing and the lack of services for those homeless people suffering from mental disorders or substance abuse issues. The article mentions certain cities and how difficult it is to get an accurate number of the homeless population for many sets of reasons. I chose this article because it was trustworthy and had a lot of statistics and charts to support its claims. I used this article to provide a percentage of the homeless population not just in the United States but worldwide.

What Causes Homelessness? Homelessness as a Social Problem (2014). Retrieved from:

What Causes Homelessness? Homelessness as a Social Problem

This article describes the causes of homelessness from structural factors, to system failures, to a crisis in affordable housing. This article provides a conclusion using the Canadian government as an example of the steps we have to take to improve this situation and try to eradicate it completely. I chose this article because the introductory paragraph paints a picture of exactly what people from this community see living in cities. It’s important people realize the ugly truth about this problem but also take some responsibility and try to help this community because their burden is ours too. 

Why Giving Back Isn’t Enough (2015). Retrieved from:

This article does not necessarily have anything to do with the mentally ill homeless population or the stereotypes or the discrimination in this community but it does make people think. I wanted to choose an article that wasn’t just about the negativity of this community or statistics and charts but a sentimental one. The article talks about philanthropy which is the giving of generous donations to help those less fortunate. The article in a way scrutinizes this by saying philanthropy wouldn’t be something that is needed if prevented the problem in the first place. This is where the relation comes into my essay if we as a society chose to help from the beginning of time then we would be in a position where now it’s a necessity to help this community. I chose that particular quote they referenced from Martin Luther King Jr. because he was right to say that donations are admirable and noble but if they had received help earlier from the people who have caused their misfortune then things would be different.