There are many social problems that are currently present within Australia, effective people individually or society as a whole. One of these issues comprise of people who are presently experiencing homelessness. In order to understand how homeless occurs within Australia, the sociological theory of functionalism can be applied to better understand this phenomenon. In order to fully comprehend this issue, homelessness must first be defined as a social problem as well as a description of the sociological theory of functionalism. Lastly, the social pathology and disorganization model will be applied to give an understanding of how this issue is currently present within Australia. Social problems arise and devolve with the evolution of…show more content… A model that explains that social issues are the products of rapid social change that disrupts the norms of society (Dolgon & Baker, 2010). Mooney et al. (2014) explains that when societies norms are at their weakest or are in conflict with each other, a state of anomie or normlessness occurs within society. This model explains that homelessness can occur when rapid change overwhelmed these individuals as well as their institutions (Rainwater, 1974). The Australian industrial revolution during the 18th and 19th century brought about the start of a great industrial change, however, such a rapid social change caused up to a large majority of the human work force to loose their jobs and some to be subjected to unsubstantial wage (More, 2002). This sudden catalyst caused many families to become homeless when they were unable to pay for adequate housing. This example shows how functionalists explain how people become homeless using the social disorganisation model. They are further able to explain, using the social pathology model, that in modern day society, the sudden breakdown of a social institution, such as the family, can cause individuals to become