Homelessness as a Major Issue in the Society - Essay Example

The Homeless Homelessness is a major issue among many people in the society, which affects also those havingpoor houses. This problem does not only affect the people in developing countries, but also a large population living in developed countries. The problem of the homeless has been existing for a long time, even though some measures have been put in place by various organizations to develop strategies to address it through implementation of different plans. Although these measures have contributed to the improvement of the conditions of a good number of people, they have a long way to go to alleviate the conditions of the poor and ensure sustainability of the people whose conditions are improved. Some debates continue on whether the homeless should keep living in such conditions or not and whether the governments of their respective countries have put any effort to alleviate and improve the conditions of the people. The issue is difficult to determine if the homeless should be assisted or the government or other welfare organizations should advance their efforts to address the problem since various factors are important in decision-making. The contributions of the government or non-government organizations are subjected to serious scrutiny and from that, people have come up with their own perspective where any side of the arguments does not support the other, and each provides valid justifications for its position (Lowe 18-22). According to the facts presented by various sides of view of the current problems facing the homeless, it is not easy to decide in favor of any side a person can take in the debate. Those who support the view that homeless individuals should be assisted argue that it is not a personal choice to be homeless, but it is a matter of circumstances that are beyond their abilities. This is because the income that these people earn does not support their bid to build or rent and sustain themselves in good houses and have enough for their daily consumption. Those who advocate for the assistance of the homeless argue that some circumstances that these people face can only be alleviated by external power that is not from within them because they cannot have enough for that purpose. Getting enough amount of money to support their well-being becomes a struggle for these people and therefore, the government and potential organizations should cooperate to implement the desired changes in the society. Having a home is the provision of basic need to the people who need it and it facilitates good living for all the people who access a place to stay (Robinson 83-84). People who have homes within a context with the homeless to psychological pressure curtail their participation in activities that can alleviate their economic conditions. This means that homelessness does not only affect the victims in the physical ways but also facilitates deterioration of their potential to exploit resources to attain their livelihood. This implies that assisting the homeless to secure homes can improve the condition of the people in the society and enhance the stability of the people in the process of their development (Robinson 85). The proponents for assistance of the homeless argue that the local authority of the areas which have homeless individuals has a legal obligation to provide places to stay and live. This implies that according to the proponents of the debate, if local authorities do not do anything to alleviate the condition, they fail to do their responsibilities to the people in an equitable way. Through fulfilling the mandate of the local authorities, it is possible to conclude that it is legal to provide homes to the people who have none and to facilitate their stay in such places. Neglecting the duty to guarantee shelter to the homeless by the local authority amounts to failure to do the responsibilities that are supposed to be done for the society (Robinson 96). On the other hand, there are other people who are opposed to provision of shelters to any homeless individuals within a society, even when there are chances of doing so. Some of these opponents of the provision of the good shelters for the homeless have their own justifications that could be very important in decision-making against providing shelter for the poor. These justifications vary from their personal perspective, financial implications and the experience they could have with the past methods of providing shelter to the people who had experienced the trouble before. Some homeless people inflict it on themselves because they fail to take advantage of the welfare systems that help them to alienate from the problem. For example, the homeless drug addicts are the groups of people who fail to take the assistance from the welfare organizations and therefore, they do not deserve it (Robinson 87). In another perspective, to settle the homeless would need a lot of financial investment that can be invested in other economic ventures that can help to provide the needs of the economy. In this respect, opponents of providing shelter to the homeless argue that it would be better to enhance the capabilities of the homeless rather than giving them houses, which they might not sustain (Marcus 74-77). Opponents of sheltering the homeless argue that the effort of the organizations that offered the services was not effective and sustainable, and they left people in the same condition afterwards. The organizations offering housing assistance have focused on short-term goals that solve the problem for a while and leave the people in the same trouble shortly (Marcus 87). In conclusion, while it is not necessarily easy to rule out the facts raised against providing shelter to the homeless, there is a need to focus on the value of human life and the dignity. This is because any person should have a good place for settlement like any other person in the same environment, whether it costs the local authority much or not. On the other hand, organizations that offer shelters to the homeless should upgrade their focus, so that they can address the needs of the affected on long-term bases. This implies that settling the homeless should be given a priority regardless of the negative oppositions that exist, because humans are worth a lot more that the money that could be invested in the implementation. Works Cited Lowe, Stuart. The Housing Debate. Bristol: Policy Press, 2011. Print. Marcus, Anthony. Where Have All the Homeless Gone?: The Making and Unmaking of a Crisis. New York: Berghahn Books, 2006. Print. Robinson, Phil. Working with Young Homeless People. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2008. Print. Read More