Amy Rennard

Application Paper
Communication 406
March 16, 2017
 There are a lot of different critical approaches that can be applied to homelessness in the
Morgantown area. Homelessness in itself is a very broad subject that has a lot of different areas
of concern. For some, it is simply lacking a place to call home, or a stable place for shelter every
night. However, there are many other concerns that come along with being homeless. For
example, existing health issues that may already be a tough problem, and the chance that new
ones could arise or old ones could potentially get worse due to the lack of medical attention
received by the homeless. Another example would be disabilities. Most homeless people walk
everywhere they go, and according to one of the men I interviewed on High Street in
Morgantown, the long distances just make everything worse. Not to mention, what little items
they do have to call their own, are most likely being carried with them at all times, causing a
physical disability to become that much worse. Mental illnesses are another major concern of the
homeless and they contribute to a great deal of problems that they face. Often times the homeless
become dependent on drugs and alcohol related substances, which in turn leads to an addiction
hat has little to no hope of getting help (Mink & OConner (2004). This is only one example but
its also a big problem that the homeless suffer with on a day-to-day basis. Some homeless are
employed, however do not make nearly enough money to support the cost of living in this area.
They may be able to buy their next meal every so often but as for finding a place to live, the
expense is way higher than the income retrieved.
Not only does being homeless affect many, many adults in the United States, but there are
just as many, if not more, children that suffer from this as well. The ratio of children to adults its
very unequal, with the amount of children being much higher than adults. Single individuals are
not the only people that suffer. Families and children are in just as big of a situation that need
attention and certain accommodations for themselves as well. The rate of homelessness among
children and adolescences is quickly rising. This is why it is important to do what we can to help
because you cant help what youre born into and its a crucial part of nurture vs. nature to be
given the opportunity to succeed at life. Homelessness is a hard situation to rise from and when
the odds are ever in your favor, you take every chance you can get to hopefully overcome the
difficult situation you've been placed in.

In regards to the many different beginning initial conditions people that become homeless
have come from, I chose to apply equifinality to the homeless while looking at them as a system
of poverty. Poverty has and always will be a consistent problem throughout history. There will
always be people who are considered to suffer from poverty, no matter the income or
unemployment (Clark, 2014). Although the truth of the matter is that America Is one of the most
prosperous countries in the world, there are still places that suffer greatly from this inevitable
situation. It is not something one can simply be immune to, however there are some economic
factors that play a major role in how someones life turns out. Morgantown is unfortunately not a
location that is immune to this adverse lifestyle either.
As a location that constantly has to deal with the conditions of poverty, it has become a
familiar lifestyle to many. Creating a stable system that works for everyone takes a while to
establish but the homeless in Morgantown have managed to make a life for themselves by taking
advantage of what the community has to offer. This is a perfect example of equifinality because,
although many have dealt with different life-threatening situations that have lead them to where
they are today, they have made the most out of their lives by banding together and panhandling
here in Morgantown. Panhandling is not the only way to make a life for yourself when you are
homeless, it is just common among the people in this town and they have gotten good at it over
time.
Everything is a system, in some way, shape, or form. I chose to write specifically about
equifinality, which is how a system can reach the same state through a variety of paths and initial
conditions, because people who suffer from being homeless all reached the same state of being
homeless even though they have all come from different places and had different tragedies lead
them to where they are today. The homeless are interdependent with the community in which
they live (Baums & Burnes, 1993). The other homeless are considered their friends, people of the
community often fund them through donations or acts of panhandling, and community outreach
programs provide a great deal of shelter and support for such situations. The homeless are very
much a part of our community and depend on us a large amount. Thus, creating us all to act as a
system and be interdependent on each other. The way a system works is by functions. If one
function is lost in the mix of the system, the system is likely to fail. Everything is the way it is
for a reason. If the homeless did not exist, volunteers wouldnt have as much to help with in the
community, there would be an abundant amount of donated clothes that have nowhere to go,
extra food that would go to waste from not being eaten in time, and tons of nonprofit
organizations would be out of business or have to find a different mission to be a part of. These
are just a few small examples of what could happen if the system that is already in place were to
change or fail.

I also chose to analyze the nonprofits I worked with during my volunteer service hours
and apply it to equifinality. The entire staff each contained about five employees, each a
functioning part of a system created to help better the lives of the homeless. Two were in charge
of all the paperwork that goes in and out of the charity, another is a supervisor of the whole team,
one is in charge of stocking and organizing the pantry, what items go in it, and how much, and
there was one intern. Each persons individual role helps with the next and so on. Without
everyone being assigned a different role and doing their part, the system would most likely fail.
Everyones part is equally as important as the others and all help to achieve the same outcome
and work together to reach their goal as an organization.
The other theory I wanted to apply to the nonprofit I volunteered at was homosocial
reproduction, which is the tendency to select or hire people that are socially similar to
themselves. Typically, white males benefit the most from homosocial reproduction and women
and minorities are most affected by it (Bullock, 2013). Oddly enough, in the case of where I
volunteered, it was all women that worked there. Most of the women had similar appearances
and seemed to be just what they wanted to fit the role of a leading position. It never occurred to
me at the time why there were no men working there, and the only thing I could come up with
was that it was more of a womans job. Organizing food pantries, checking people in who
visited the food pantry, ordering and obtaining food donations, all seemed like things they would
rather have women doing. Of course, there was a little variety in the women that worked there
but not much at all. They knew their system and they knew it well. Why would they hire
someone who doesnt fit the ideal role they had in mind?

Its become apparent that there are many theories that tie in with each other and the
problem of homelessness here in Morgantown. For example, homosocial reproduction is directly
correlated with classism and how certain organizations handle situations of poverty. If an
organization has only a specific type of employee working for them, more times than not they
will have a similar background and have similar ideas on how to deal with people and families
that experience poverty. Classism is prevalent among everything in the world almost. People of a
higher social class tend to be accommodated more so quickly than those of a lower class. People
who share the same class also tend to help each other more than helping those of that of a lower
class. The higher the class, the more benefits seem to come with it and vice versa.

Although many people cannot help which class they are born into, it seems to affect their
entire lives more than they ever knew for a long period of time. When it becomes aware that
people of higher class. Classism is very accustomed here in the United States and a bigger issue
in some places rather than others. Here in Morgantown, it seems the homeless are very fortunate
to have the benefits from the community that they do. They are provided with clothing, food,
shelter, and employment opportunities by nonprofit organizations around town. Without these
organizations that are able and willing to provide and give to the homeless that are in need of
shelter, clothes, and food on a daily basis, the homeless would have a dramatically less chance of
surviving on the streets of Morgantown.

Equifinality, homosocial reproduction, and classism all have at least one thing in common,
(Mumby, 2013). All three constantly exist all around us. Whether we see it or not, these are
concepts that can be applied to a number of different things in this world but they also are very
relevant and prevalent in the world of the homeless. They face many challenges on a day-to-day
basis as it is and social and economic ladders surely dont help. Besides the disadvantages that
come with being homeless such as lack of important life resources, they are constantly made
worse in certain areas by the obstacles presented by societal standards and impacts. We dont get
to choose the hand of cards were dealt but we do have to play them. Those of us who are
fortunate enough to have a home and live a stable healthy life have the best chance of being the
most help to people in these situations. By continuing to work as a system, we can guarantee a
better life for the homeless and hopefully find a permanent solution to end the cycle of
homelessness not only in the Morgantown area, but all around the country.
 Works Cited
Baum, A. S., & Burnes, D. W. (1993). A nation in denial: The truth about homelessness.
Boulder: Westview Press.
Bullock, H. E. (2013). Women and poverty: Psychology, public policy, and social justice.
Clark, C. (2014). Homelessness: Prevalence, impact of social factors and mental health
challenges.
Mink, G., & O'Connor, A. (2004). Poverty in the United States: An encyclopedia of history,
politics, and policy. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO.
Mumby, D. K. (2013). Organizational Communication: A critical approach.