Student's Post Week 7 - Research Paper Example

PROBLEMS FACING HOMELESS PEOPLE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND HOW THE SITUATION COULD BE IMPROVED By ProblemsFacing Homeless People In the United Kingdom and How the Situation Could Be ImprovedIntroduction Research is the process of effectively analyzing existing information, theories, data or conclusions that relate to a particular subject, issue or phenomenon and comparing them with newly discovered facts with the intention of creating new knowledge about the subject. Research therefore is defined as the complete process of arriving at effective alternatives and solutions to existing problems through a systematic process of data collection, data analysis and data interpretation to give it a logical meaning.

In this regard therefore, this paper aims at obtaining relevant data to the problem of homelessness in the United Kingdom. By reviewing the existing evidence and knowledge by previous researchers, this paper seek to prove that indeed there are problems facing homeless people in the United Kingdom. To understand the depth of the homelessness problem, the paper will review the extent to which lack of houses has escalated the problem. Moreover, it seeks to identify and possibly facilitate the implementation of solutions which will be discovered amid the efforts of improving the situation.

At the outset, the focus of the subject topic of the paper is propelled by the extent of homelessness in the target population, United Kingdom. Increasingly, there is every need to urgently solve the existing problem after previous attempts have failed in offering solutions to the issue of homeless people in the United Kingdom. Main BodyOverview Research indicates that homelessness in the United Kingdom has drastically risen in the recent times. Coupled with the problems created by the economic recess and the increased demand, more people have found themselves homeless and without a roof over their head (Wilson, 2010, p. 76). The seriousness of the problem has been portrayed by the current figures from the most recent research conducted in the past three years, which has indicated a 25% increase in the need for emergency accommodation in the United Kingdom.

This sharp rise in the need for housing is a direct reflection of the escalated levels of homelessness among the people and poses an ugly picture of a population that is at the blink of suffering. “BBC News“ (1999, web) caution that giving people a roof over their head is not the best solution to the problem of homelessness, as more problems have been created by the condition of homelessness.According to “CentrePiece” (2012 p. 2), double housing crises face the United Kingdom. Apart from the short term fall in the in the housing prices and decrease in the construction of new houses that has been caused by the recession, there is a general shortage in housing, leaving a high number of people without decent homes (Quilgars 2011, p. 10). The short term effect of this crisis might not be very adverse, but an extrapolation to the long term reveals that the problem is likely to be bigger than it is currently.

The resultant of this worrying trend is the suffering of the victims of homelessness in the United Kingdom (“Crisis” n.d.). If nothing is done fast enough in line with the growing population, the situation is potentially likely to turn to a disaster in the future. Youth are considered the most affected by this crisis as they consist of the largest percentage of the homeless people in the United Kingdom (“Herts Young Homes” 2013, Web)Fitzpatrick et al. (2009, p. 5) point out that the homelessness problem does not only indicate the existence of a problem in itself but extensively acts as a starting point to the numerous differences among the people living in the United Kingdom.

These differences range from increased potential for diseases and infections, mental breakdowns, emotional as well as physical instabilities, broken relationships and drug addiction amongst others (Segal 1991). Notable efforts have been made in the past to solve the problem. However, almost 70% of these past attempts have failed as a result of reasons identified such as solutions based on research projects done insufficiently on the issue. In addition, implementation of the proposed solutions has been done in a cumbersome manner, while inadequate resources such as financial resources have largely constrained the quest to improve the situation.

Controlling the disparities and curbing homelessness in the United Kingdom has therefore always stalled (Pierson 2009, p. 8). The main intention of this research is to clearly focus on how best the problem of homelessness in the United Kingdom can be solved completely. Proposed Research Questions The main purpose of this research is focusing on the problems facing homeless people in the United Kingdom and finding solutions to these differences. To aid in the research and coming up with conclusions and recommendations on the problem of homelessness, the following research questions will help in better defining the research problem.

What are the factors contributing to homelessness in the United Kingdom?What problems do the victims of homelessness undergo in the United Kingdom?What are the possible solutions to effectively counter homelessness in the United Kingdom within the shortest time?What is the cost of implementing these solutions if any?Research Techniques Mainly, this research focuses on obtaining new knowledge on the problems facing homeless people in the United Kingdom. Therefore, it will incorporate diverse research designs which will ensure that the results are valid.

A research design according to Creswell (2003) is simply a strategy that a specific study employs as well as a plan of actively implementing the strategy. The research methodologies in use will include individually conducting both quantitative and qualitative study designs, which will later be combined to give the final results. Conclusion With proper implementation of the proposed method of conducting the research, this project will successfully identify the problems facing homeless people in the United Kingdom and developing solutions that will effectively solve the problem.

Results of this project will show that the disparities caused by housing problem in the United Kingdom can successfully be eliminated completely giving hopes to the 25% homeless people in the United Kingdom that at last they can have a roof over their head and live peacefully. Works Cited“CentrePiece” 2012, The UK’s housing crises. Web. 28 May 2013 http://cep.lse.ac.uk/pubs/download/cp382.pdf“Crisis” n.d, About Homelessness. Causes and Consequences, retrieved 29 May 2013, www.crisis.org.uk/pages/causes-consequences.

html“Herts Young Homes” 2013, Understanding the Issue of Homelessness, retrieved 29 May 2013 BBC News 1999, UK Homeless ‘Need Long-Term Solutions,’ retrieved 29 May, 2013, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/473922.stmCreswell, J, W 2003, Research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Thousand Oaks, Calif. [u.a.], Sage Publ.Fitzpatrick, S, Quilgars, D, & Pleace, N 2009, Homelessness in the UK: problems and solutions. Coventry, Chartered Institute of Housing.

Pierson, J 2009, Tackling Social Exclusion. New York, Haworth Press.Quilgars, D, Fitzpatrick, S & Pleace, N 2011, Ending youth homelessness: Possibilities, challenges and practical solutions, Centre for Housing Policy, University of York & Heriot-Watt University http://www.centrepoint.org.uk/yorkresearch2011Segal, B 1991, Homelessness and drinking: a study of a street population. New York, Haworth Press.Wilson, W 2010, Housing supply and demand; Key Issues for the New Parliament 2010. UK Parliament. Web. Retrieved 29 May 2013 http://www.

parliament.uk/business/publications/research/key-issues-for-the-new-parliament/social-reform/housing-supply-and-demand