The Government's Responsibility of Addressing Homelessness - Article Example

Wenrui Yang Writing 121 Bjorn Smars May 29, Word count 579 words The government has a responsibility of addressing homelessness I believe a person is homeless if he or she lacks regular, fixed or adequate nighttime residence or the nighttime residency is operated in a manner designed to offer temporally living conditions. From my point of view, the country’s government has the responsibility of addressing homelessness since it is a major problem faced by many people in the society. On the other hand, opponents of government involvement in providing housing to the homeless assert that it is not a government’s fault and this is not a major responsibility of the government. According to available statistics, approximately 4 million people are experiencing homelessness problem across the United States and about one-third of the homeless families have children (McNamara 8). The government has a responsibility of to address homelessness since it exposes people to suffering and cruel living conditions and factors leading to homelessness are beyond the control of the homeless people. I believe that homelessness is a major economic problem that threatens the economic viability and sustainability of any country and the government must intervene to provide affordable housing. I believe the high costs of housing materials and declining economic fortunes of millions of people due to limited employment opportunities, low wages and high costs of living leaves many people with no money to invest in affordable housing (Jackson 59). In this case, I support that government has a responsibility of addressing homelessness due to the high costs building own houses in the society. I am of the opinion that previous political regimes and governments have contributed to homeless and it is the time the government intervened in order to control this escalating problem. In this case, the high rate of homelessness can be traced back to withdraw of federal funding on low-income housing during the 1980s since the 1960s programs controlled the problem in the society (McNamara 39. In my view, the government must revive the federal-funded housing programs in order to improve affordable housing and control the homelessness problem. It is possible for the government to ensure adequate housing in the society through building cheap houses for the poor families instead of leaving the housing sector in the hands of the profit-driven private sector. The government should address homelessness problem since it interferes with family relationships and social and emotional wellbeing of the children. I think domestic violence, sexual assault and dangerous conditions that relates to violence against a family member have increased the problem in the society. In this regard, opponents of government intervention argue that families have essential counseling and social support services that help curb domestic violence (McNamara 27). However, I believe that domestic violence disintegrates the happy family life and forces some members to seek refuge in temporal shelters or on the streets thus leading to poor emotional development of the children. In this situation, I believe many children will miss good education opportunities, good socialization and financial support thus limiting their prospects of gaining meaningful employment as adults and increasing the risk of homelessness. In this case, it is prudent for the government to address homelessness in the country. In my view, the government must address homelessness since it contributes to other associated problems like poor health status and inability to secure meaningful employment. Many people will spend their wages on food and health care since medical care costs and food prices have escalated thus leaving little finances for construction of personal homes (Jackson 56). From this perspective, I believe that low-income workers are at risk of homelessness due to chronic illness, sudden illness or accidents that drain the low financial resources of the family. I argue that the government must address the homelessness problem among veterans in the society since many of them are living in deplorable conditions due to lack of employment. Surprisingly, a high number of military veterans are exposed to homelessness due to physical disabilities, mental health problems and lack of employment (Hays,\ 83). Although veterans are expected to invest their earnings and retirements benefits in their housing and health care, the government has done little to offer them the necessary job training in order to secure employment after their military service. In my view, it naturally follows that the government must provide free housing to homeless veterans as a show of appreciation and honor of their sacrifice, dedication and selfless service in the defense of the country. From my previous observations, many homeless people have turned to drug abuse and other vices due to psychological stress and depression. Drug abusers faced mental and social impairments that force them out of employment thus leading to homelessness (Hays 89). The government has a duty to provide housing and other support services in order to facilitate the re-entry of prisoners to the economic life and assist the drug abusers in order to alleviate the high suicide rates in the country. In my view, the government has a responsibility of addressing the high rate of homelessness among the senior citizens in the country. The ageing population in the society is incapable of accessing health care and better housing facilities thus the government must intervene in order to help this group of the population. In this case, I argue that breakdown in extended family relations due to the individualistic and materialistic culture of the Western societies have made the younger working class ignore the senior citizens in the same family thus the government should intervene in order to address the problems encountered by this group of people. The older citizens mainly depend on their retirement benefits and other social security programs that are insufficient to afford good housing facilities (Hays 90). I believe older people deserve to live a decent lifestyle and provision of free housing by the government will enable them escape the harsh living conditions and emotional stress that many encounter after becoming homeless. According to previous observations, the minority communities form a higher percentage of the homeless people in the society. In my opinion, I believe this is partly due to the challenges encountered in accessing meaningful employment due to poor English abilities, negative stereotyping and social seclusion from public affairs. In order to ensure an equitable society, the government must address homeless of the minority groups and enhance the welfare of these minority communities in order to build cohesive communities that are geared at higher economic productivity (Jackson 63). In addressing the homeless among minorities, the government will improve the living standards of the communities and control other vices such as drug abuse, general crime and divorce rates. I believe the government has ignored the legal issues that contribute to homelessness and must provide adequate resources and support in addressing the high rate of homeless in the country. Legal challenges such as prior felonies, outstanding arrest warrants and lack of proper documentation of immigrants hinder the ability to access the subsidized housing schemes or affordable housing in the society (Jackson 78). In my view, the legal framework pertaining to zoning regulations and land use limit the building of affordable houses in certain towns thus the government must have measures of tackling homeless in these cities. I believe the government should ensure immigrants such as asylum seekers and political refugees have better housing facilities since most of them live in poor conditions due to low incomes. From my point of view, housing is social good and incumbent governments have entered in to a social contract with the citizens that obligate the government to provide basic social amenities that enhance the quality of life. Although critics would argue that protection of life and property and ensuring social order are the primary responsibilities of the government and no actual contract to provide free housing, I believe that governments must have a safety net that supports the vulnerable in the society in order to enhance the general quality of life in the society (Hays 44). I am of the opinion that the recent financial and economic meltdown has strengthened the case of government addressing homelessness since foreclosure of homes due to mortgage defaults, tenant evictions and limited support by friends create a lot of apathy and mental anguish to the affected families. Although opponents can argue that mortgage borrowers have a legal obligations of repaying their house loans on a timely basis, the high job losses and decline in house prices led to massive defaults and high foreclosures of the homes thus leading to increased homelessness (Hays49). I believe homelessness is associated with mental stigma and social exclusion as public attitudes indicate a lost compassion and lack of empathy or the homeless people. Ideally, most of the homeless people encounter the problem due to factors beyond their control and thus government must address the problem. I am of the view that the government must address homelessness since it interferers with family relationships and hinders the future economic success of the children faced by the problem. The factors leading to homelessness range from unemployment, substance abuse, mental problems and domestic violence and are beyond the control of the affected citizens (Hays 50). Accordingly, the government austerity measures must bridge the income divide and support the vulnerable with basic housing. On this basis, it is inevitable that the federal government must support the homeless through inclusive programs that entail provision of affordable housing, substance-abuse counseling, psychological support for families facing marriage problems, job training for veterans and free housing for those with extreme physical and mental disabilities. Reference Hays, Allen. The federal government and urban housing. New York: State University of New York Press. 2012. Jackson, Karleen. Family homelessness: more than simply a lack of housing. London: Taylor & Francis. 2000. McNamara, Robert. Homelessness in America. Westport, CT: Praeger. 2008. Read More