23. Are the Homeless Crazy?

Many mistakenly believe that the cause for homelessness is "the subsequent failure of society to build [mental institutions] or to provide them in sufficient number" for the mentally ill. However, the "primary reason is economic rather than clinical," for the "loss of traditional jobs industry," the loss of cheap housing to new buildings, the growing rent prices, and the decline of "federal support for low-income housing." A study from the Massachusetts Medical Society even shows the minimal contribution of mental illness to homelessness when compared to other factors. Yet, the misconception is popular, because it refutes responsibility from common people. The "label of mental illness places the destitute outside the sphere of ordinary life," accompanied by the stigma. It "spares us from the need to offer realistic solutions to the deep and widening extremes of wealth," and the responsibility for "victims of displacement at the hands of enterprising realtors." Another reason why the homeless seem to be "mentally unwell" is because of the superficial researches that "do not tell us that we have made these people ill. They do not tell us that illness is a natural response to intolerable conditions."

The author starts his essay by breaking a common misconception, and making good introductory paragraphs. However, his thesis, found in one of the last paragraphs, could have been organized better. The essay contained too many repetitions, but rich in factual information. The incident from the second half of the second essay could be described better, because the reader didn't fully comprehend the narrative. The foreshadowing of his points in the first paragraphs made the reading and guiding through the main points easier, similarly to complete this assignment. The question starting the second part of the essay wasn't very explanatory, neither much useful.