The Foundation against Homelessness - Case Study Example

Foundation against Homelessness Foundation against Homelessness Housing is a basic need any individual should not be denied off. Without a decent home, no man can claim human dignity. This makes adequate housing a basic human right. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) provides, “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and his family, including .... housing” (Art. 25, sec. 1). Sidoti (1997) explained: “Without a right to housing, many other basic human rights will be compromised including the right to family life and privacy, the right to freedom of movement, the right to assembly and association, the right to health and the right to development” (p. 1). Thus, having adequate housing – “permanent, habitable, affordable and non-transient” place to live (Mulroy, 1995, p. 1383) – is essential not only for human survival, but for survival with dignity. Housing satisfies multi-needs intrinsic to man’s realization of human dignity, such as: “... physical needs by providing security and shelter from weather and climate... psychological needs by providing a sense of personal space and privacy... social needs by providing a gathering area and communal space for the human family, the basic unit of society... also... economic needs by functioning as a center for commercial production,” the Human Rights Education Association (HREA, 2007, p. 411) expounded. It is this dignity that differentiates man from animals. Unfortunately though, homelessness is a rampant problem not only in poor countries but even in the richest countries, including the US – the world superpower, much more, the self-proclaimed bastion of democracy. The National Alliance to End Homelessness, an advocacy group, reported 744,000 homeless people in the US in 2005, with the state of California having the most (170,000 homeless people), followed by the states of New York, Florida, Texas, and Georgia, in order (cited in Associated Press, 2010, par. 1). Burt (2001) called homelessness problem in America a ‘revolving door’ crisis, as lesser people exit homelessness while more become homeless. She furthered that more than 1% of the US’s total population is homeless, accounting 10% of America’s poor people. (p. 1) This, the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty (NLCHP) and the US National Coalition for Homeless (NCH) (2009) said, has worsened since 2007, as a result of the economic and foreclosure crisis. In fact in 2009, more than 311,000 tenants have been evicted from foreclosed homes, which added to America’s growing homeless population. (par. 1) In their analysis of homelessness in America, Burt, et al (2001) found the problem is due to both structural (housing markets, employment opportunities, institutional supports, poverty, racial inequalities) and individual (adult and childhood victimization, mental illness, substance use, low education, poor work history, early pregnancy) factors with the former setting the stage. On the overall, housing affordability remained to be perceived as the immediate cause of homelessness. (pp. 7-8) Much more alarming is the threatening social impact of homelessness with the children, in which the future of the next generation rest, being the most vulnerable – “Homeless children are not simply at risk; most suffer specific physical, psychological, and emotional change” (Hart-Shegos, 1999, p. 2). Aside from this, there are the problems of growing criminality, worsening health problems, and aggravating environmental problems. Clearly, homelessness is a grave problem, as it disintegrates the very fundamental institution of our society – the family. Being both a structural and individual problem, it requires collective response, as man is tasked with the moral responsibility to care for others and to make societies safer place to live in. Although, it is true that homelessness is a complex social problem, the solution to this problem is the problem, itself – housing. Providing homes to homeless families and individuals will solve half of the problem; while preventing homelessness will decisively resolve it. It is towards this direction that the Foundation against Homelessness is founded. Organizational Mission Vision The Foundation against Homelessness is a non-profit, non-stock humanitarian organization that envisions a society composed of communities of color equally living in clean, decent, safe, and productive communities where slum-dwellers, street children and adults, and homeless families can find shelter as human individuals. Mission The Foundation against Homelessness, in realization of its vision, shall build alternative communities that will provide accessible adequate housing to the needy regardless of color, and belief; and that shall mentally, economically, physically, and psychologically capacitate residents by providing free basic social services and developing economic cooperation within and outside. Goals The Foundation against Homelessness, in the attainment of its mission, aims to: 1. Establish and organize communities complete with basic social infrastructures in areas, where homelessness has registered worst; empower these communities that they may in ten-years time be self-sufficient; 2. Build low-cost but quality houses for homeless families and dormitories for homeless individuals; 3. Create necessary services that will help homeless people, especially children, process the trauma of homelessness, and that will help identify necessary support for these homeless people to healthfully integrate to community life; 4. Institutionalize community and corporate support for the prevention of homelessness; and for the provision of homes for homeless individuals, and housing for homeless families; 5. Establish direct linkages with the business community for possible employment for the homeless unemployed workforce; 6. Mobilize funds through state, federal, local programs; and 7. Mobilize voices for policy change and recommendations that will effectively address homelessness. Organizational Structure Organizational Contingency To make the organization adaptable to the specific situations of the communities and the communities being developed a more democratic model of organization shall be established. This would mean that committees shall be given the necessary autonomy to implement the program effectively responding to particular needs. To ensure that committees and community organizations will not astray from the vision, mission, goal of the organization, the following shall be satisfied: 1. The BOT shall ensure on-hand monitoring of the program, with each of the board to give specific program assignment to which the committee programs shall observe close interrelationship; and to ensure common understanding, meetings, assessments and evaluations shall be regularized; 2. Aside from ensuring that the best and most qualified shall be selected, program committees and community organizations shall be capacitated to enable them to function effectively; 3. Since collective leadership is the principle of the organization, programs shall be tasked on committees as follows: Housing – to analyze the housing needs of applicants; Research & Documentation – to find out who are qualified for the programs; Finance and Resource Building – to look for funding and supports needed for the organization and the program; Education, Training and Development – to provide the necessary information and training to capacitate all parts of the organization; Support and Legal Services – to provide the needed resources of beneficiaries considering that legal impediments are solved; Network Building – to establish positive linkages with organizations local and international. Committees may be added or removed as needs arise. 4. Rigorous training and development shall also be given regularly to all members, officers and leaders of the organization to make it cohesive and strong; 5. Volunteerism and networking shall be developed both for resource building and program promotion; and 6. Support groups both local and international shall be developed for funding, assistances, and other needs of the organizations and its programs. Leadership Contingency To ensure there will be enough line of leaders to assume responsibility for each level and aspect of the organization, the following leadership bodies shall be formed: 1. Board of Trustees (BOT) – the highest policy making-body – shall be composed of fifteen individuals from the business sector, education sector, health professionals, lawyers, and community leaders; 2. Executive Body (EB) – the administrative body – shall be composed of the administrative heads of each of the committees; 3. Program Committees (PC) – the implementing body – shall be composed of experts/professionals for field; 4. Community Leaders (CL) – which shall be composed of elected community leaders that shall embody the community problems and concerns that has to be addressed. An effective combination of knowledge-based and people-based leadership shall be developed. This is to address the technical needs of the community and to adapt to the levels of the communities. References Burt, Martha. (2001). What will it take to end homelessness? Washington, DC: The Urban Institute. Retrieved from http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/end_homelessness.pdf Burt, Martha R., Aron, Laudan Y., Lee, Edgar, with Valente, Jesse. (2001). Helping America’s homeless: Emergency shelter or affordable housing? Washington, DC: The Urban Institute. Hart-Shegos. (1999). “Homelessness and its effects on children.” A Report Prepared for the Family Housing Fund. US: Hart-Shegos and Associates, Inc. Human Rights Education Association. (2007). The Right to Housing. Retrieved from http://www.hrea.org/index.php?doc_id=411 Mulroy, E. (1995). Housing. In Encyclopedia of Social Work, Vol. 3, (pp. 1377-1384). Washington, DC: NASW Press. National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty (NLCHP), and US National Coalition for Homeless (2009). Do not handcuff the poor and homeless. City Mayors Society. Retrieved from http://www.citymayors.com/society/homeless_usa2.html Sidoti, Chris (1997). “Housing as a Human Right.” National Conference on Homelessness. Council to Homeless Persons, September 4, 1996. Sydney, Commonwealth of Australia: Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. Retrieved from http://www.hreoc.gov.au/pdf/human_rights/housing.pdf Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (1948 December 10). Human Rights Education Association. Retrieved from http://www.hrea.org/index.php?base_id=104&language_id=1&erc_doc_id=445&category_id=24&category_type=3&group= Read More