Problems of Homelessness - Term Paper Example

Homelessness Homelessness is defined as the lack of social connectedness, family support or community network of Melbourne 105). It affects people from all sections of the community; the homeless population includes people from all occupations. In the United States, more than 3.5 million people experience homelessness each year (NSCAHH). Families with children make up 35% of the population of homeless people, and they are the fastest growing among the homeless. Of this population, 23% are military veterans while children under 18 years make up 25% of the population. Around 20 to 25% suffer from mental illness and 30% have experienced domestic violence (NSCAHH). There are three types of homelessness. Primary homelessness refers to the situation whereby people are living in deficit buildings, staying on the streets or using cars as a temporary shelter. Secondary homelessness refers to people moving from one temporary shelter to another. Finally, tertiary homelessness where people are moving from one house to another whether in medium or long term, Homeless people do not have a safe, affordable and secure accommodation which has a devastating effect on a person and their opportunities in life. Homelessness is known as a national crisis. People huddle on park benches, street corners, emergency shelters, and friends’ couches. Unpredictable economic times seem to infuriate this crisis. Volunteer work, financial or material contributions, advocacy efforts, and continued self-education are some of the temporary solutions to stop homelessness (NCH, 2006, pg. 1). Working directly with the people who experience homelessness is one way of learning about homelessness and helps to meet their immediate needs. “Behind the scenes” work such as sorting clothes, cutting vegetables, filing are some of the volunteer practices that help give knowledge and situations of what these people are experiencing. Homelessness is a growing problem in urban areas (CMHC 2). Research has reported an increase in the number of homeless families in over 10 cities over the past five years. Most of the families, about 80 percent are headed by single mothers between ages 26 and 29 (CMHC 2). Additionally, most families had one or two children with them. There was also a demand from grandparents in taking care of their grandchildren. Some had been in foster care as children while most were not. Some were economically comfortable before making ends meet while others were barely making ends meet (CMHC 2). They reported as feeling alone with no social network or friends. Some of the stories of homeless people are uncomfortable and their experiences are painful (Nonhebel 1). One homeless person says, ‘You begin to feel you’re invisible, when you’ve been on the streets for a while. People walk past you – or step over you, or tread on you – and do not even see you as a human being. Thanks for stopping to chat’ (Nonhebel 1). Some had addictions of drugs and alcohol abuse while others never abused drugs at all. Some wish to complete their education or get jobs. One contributor of homelessness is unavailability of safe affordable homes. Lower vacancy rates and higher rents reduce the supply for affordable housing. The booming economy is also increasing pressure leading to less affordable housing. Secondly, social housing is becoming more difficult to find by homeless families; there is new social housing since the mid-90s (CMHC 2). Increasing poverty also increases leads to an increase in homelessness. There has been a growing gap between incomes and cost of housing. The society has grown hostile towards financing affordable housing. Furthermore, factors such as unemployment, income assistant rates, underemployment, and income insufficient minimum wages have remained the same or declined over the past five years (CMHC 2). There are lesser jobs of unskilled workers hence leading to unemployment or underemployment. Informants claim that poor people are being blamed for being poor. They also claim that politicians do not care about homeless families and nothing has been done to provide income assistance. The nature of assistance of homeless families has grown more complex. They have introduced services such as life skill training, counseling, and parenting support. Other frustrating factors about homelessness are domestic and interpersonal violence, poor physical or mental health, disability, and drug or alcohol abuse. Some of the individual risk factors involving homelessness are discrimination, poverty, lack of education, domestic violence, substance abuse, and mental illness (Stroh & Goodman 3). Homeless people get limited permanent jobs; as a result, they have financial problems in catering for medical emergencies and child support. They also have limited, safe permanent, affordable housing. Last but not the least is that they age quickly compared to normal citizens. Homeless families are experiencing more illness, chronic health issues, malnutrition and related disorders. Some of the major ailments are asthma, diabetes, hepatitis, and developmental delays among children. Family violence is also a contributor as to why some families leave their homes. It combines with other events such as failed marriage and being evicted. Other triggers could be inability to pay rent, eviction, family breakdown, job loss, a violent incident or unexpected major expense. Being homeless is devastating especially for children. It affects the way they behave with their families, personal health, social relationships and health. The continuing cycle of homelessness can translate from parents to children. Children from homeless families were more likely to become homeless themselves. Children could leave school early, have literacy problems, and e trapped in a continuing cycle of poverty. The society has failed to finance affordable housing, liveable incomes, adequate health insurance to create independence for those at the lower ends of the income scale (NHCHC 1). Assistance in federal housing has failed up to 50% from its peak value in 1978. Due to tax, trade and labor policies, the difference between the richest 1% and lowest 20% has tripled from 1979 to 2007. Additionally a house and healthcare prices have grown rapidly. Homeless people have inadequate access to health care; about 18.5% of the elderly population does not have insurance and the numbers are increasing. Homelessness is stopped if it is prevented reducing financial toll on limited public resources. The United States has seen the proliferation of local measures that will criminalize “acts of living” that prohibit sleeping, sitting and eating in public places. Officials are implementing criminalisation measures that will approach zero tolerance to street homelessness (United States Interagency Council On Homelessness 2). However, individuals who experience homelessness should be afforded the same dignity, support, and compassion provided to others; criminalization policies further marginalize men and women experiencing homelessness, unduly restrict constitutionally protected liberties, and may even cause fuel inflammatory attitudes. Additionally, there is significant evidence that alternatives to criminalization policies can adequately balance the needs of all parties. Government agencies, community residents businesses, and men and women who are experiencing homelessness are better served by solutions that do not marginalize people experiencing homelessness, but rather strike at the core factors contributing to homelessness. The government has the ability to cater for the needs of the homeless. They can transport all homeless people to a designated island in Hawaii were they are sheltered, clothed and fed by the government and individuals who win the lottery. Money from the lottery can fund modern state airships to transport the homeless people because they are large and can carry a large amount of people at a time. The government will have to plan with the homeless centers in Hawaii on where to admit the homeless people and how many in a particular homeless center. Extra funds can be used to build other homeless centers for future expansion. There are various reasons why Hawaii is chosen as the best location for homeless people. First, Hawaii has affordable rates for homeless people where they pay 3 dollars a day. Shelters such as the IHS shelter for $3 a day, one gets three free meals, $200 worth of food stamps and the states free health care program. Gary Philips, a homeless person now earning cash from Hawaiis 5-cent redemption program for plastic bottles and aluminum cans. "I recycle here," he says. "I make money doing that." Some days, over $40, he says (Yoshioka 1). Some go to the dentist without paying a penny. The shelter has a budget of $ 2 million a year funded by the state’s taxpayers. Furthermore, Hawaii has a jobless rate of 5%. The government has made plans to take the homeless into shelters with the $14.5 billion tourism industry supporting it (Yoshioka 1). The law bans camping, sleeping in cars, begging and loitering so as to ensure that the homeless remain in shelters. This prevention scheme is worthy since three nights costs higher than three nights in a shelter. Other cities have reduced homelessness by using a project scheme called Housing First (The Economist). This is where the government gets the homeless people “housing ready” by removing them from drug and alcohol addiction, ad preparing them for jobs. This is done before placing them in homes. Housing First provides the home upfront, then the support needed to stay there (The Economist). This saves costs other than spending time inexpensive services such as emergency rooms, jails, and detox centers. Moreover, $3 million will be used to fund the homeless and $43 million for housing (The Economist). This makes Hawaii an ideal place to place the homeless. Despite the state’s support for the homeless, the government can make use of the lottery tickets where half of the money spent can be used to feed the homeless. This provides a great subsidiary way of providing for the homeless. Hawaii is one of the leading voices that help the homeless through its affordable housing and homeless alliance. Stronger programs and policies help homeless individuals. The Affordable Housing and Homeless Alliance work collaboratively with the public, private, and non-profit sectors to build state and local capacity, leading to stronger programs and policies that help homeless individuals and families make positive changes in their lives (AGDS). The American Society looks down the homeless upon. Most of them suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, sexual trauma, and traumatic brain injuries. Veterans often seclude themselves while others do not want to seek the help they need. There are signs that homelessness is getting worse. Preliminary data shows that overall national increase in the number of people rough (Australian Government Department of Social Services). An increasing number of people are becoming homeless. Despite the housing projects for the homeless, the number of people sleeping on the streets increases annually Homelessness for some people is coziness while for others a nightmare, and for some it is the reality of driving further and further away from home. A homeless informant quotes “We’re only one step away from those spending their days in the same small area of the same city, aimlessly wandering or begging or sleeping the empty hours away.” “We can feel that we’re going nowhere, endlessly repeating the same routines, but each of our lives has a purpose that we may not be fully aware of – and all of us are on a journey home” (Nonhebel 1). Others are comfortable being homeless, “Whether we have only a doorway to sleep in, or whether we have homes and jobs and families and cars and mortgages, all of us came into the world alone and will leave it alone, and our stay here is temporary” (Nonhebel 1). They do not want to be helped. In America, National poverty rose to 13.2 % of the population where 1 in 7 people are at the risk of facing hunger. Additionally, 3.5 million people are forced to sleep under bridges, in parks, in shelters or cars. The high cost of living and low wages in jobs plus high unemployment rates contribute to these problems making many Americans choose between housing, food and other expenses (NSCAHH). Research has shown that food is the first to be sacrificed when it comes to expenses; families rather pay for fixed utilities such as rent rather than food. People become homeless for various reasons. It is foremost an economic problem plus a number of political and social factors. The number of people becoming has grown exponentially since the 80s. This comes because of federal funds withdrawing from low-income housing and social assistance programs for low-income families and the mentally ill (NSCAHH). Lack of affordable housing and low-income housing are also contributors to homelessness. Catering for homelessness is of importance to improve the state of the society today. Work Cited City of Melbourne. Annual Report 2007-2008 Section 4: Finding Solutions to End Homelessness. City of Melbourne. Web. 2008. Australian Government Department of Social Services (AGDSS). Homelessness: A New Approach, Housing Support. Australian Government Department of Social Services. 7th November, web. 2014. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). Family Homelessness: Causes and Solutions, Research Highlight. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. Web. July 2003. National Coalition for the Homeless, (NCH). How You Can Help End Homelessness, National Coalition for Homelessness. National Coalition for the Homeless. Web. June 2006. National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness (NSCAHH). Overview of Homelessness, Poverty and Homelessness. National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness. Web. 2014 Nonhebel C. Far from Home: Stories of the Homeless and the Search for the Hearts True Home. iTunes. Web. 2014 Stroh & Goodman. Applied Systems Thinking Journal, A Work Ecology Practice, Document.7th October 2007 The Economist. Catering to tourists comes at a hefty price for locals, Homelessness in Hawaii Paradise Lost. The Economist. Web. 2014 United States Interagency Council on Homelessness. Constructive Alternatives to the Criminalization of Homelessness, Searching Out Solutions. United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Web. March 2012. Yoshikoa W. Homeless, But Enjoying Hawaii On $3 A Day, Economy. Document. May 11, 2010, Read More