Homelessness as a Problem Which Requires Government and Public Assistance - Term Paper Example

Homeless “In March 2009 CNN reported that in America one of every fifty children faces homelessness, meaning that more than 5 million children face this problem. These numbers will grow as home foreclosures continue to rise” (Report: 1 in 50 U.S. Children Face Homelessness). Homelessness is a major problem everywhere in the world and United States is also not an exception. Lots of reasons cited by sociologists for the increasing problems of homelessness. Poverty and unemployment seem to be the major factor behind this problem. However, many individual, structural, family and social factors are also contributing to this problem. For example, divorce rate is increasing day by day in America and subsequently single parenthood is also rising. Single parenthood prevent families from achieving enough income for managing family expense and the ultimate outcome could be poverty and homelessness. Many people are of the view that governmental intervention and assistances are necessary to assist people do build have their own homes. “Around $2.5 billion of dollars has already been sanctioned by the Obama administration for solving homelessness problems in America” (Obama Administration awards $1.4 billion in homeless grants). However, many others are of the view that such assistance is not necessary to this problem. In their opinion, such huge assistance will make the people lazy or idle and they will approach the government for everything without doing their duties properly. This paper analyses the arguments in favor and against governmental assistance to homelessness problems. contribute to the homelessness problem. Children seem to be most important community upon which homelessness problem affect seriously. Government, social organizations and individuals should combine well and act effectively to eradicate homelessness related problem from the world. Homeless children are sick at twice the rate of other children. They suffer twice as many ear infections, have four times the rate of asthma, and have five times more diarrhea and stomach problems. Homeless children go hungry twice as often as nonhomeless children. More than one-fifth of homeless preschoolers have emotional problems serious enough to require professional care, but less than one-third receive any treatment. Homeless children are twice as likely to repeat a grade compared to nonhomeless children. Homeless children have twice the rate of learning disabilities and three times the rate of emotional and behavioral problems of nonhomeless children. Half of school-age homeless children experience anxiety, depression, or withdrawal compared to 18 percent of nonhomeless children (Bassuk &Friedman, 2005, p.2). The above statistics clearly show that homelessness may cause extreme damages to the children and it should be reduced or avoided completely for the better development of the children. Children are the future asset of a nation and no country can keep a blind eye towards the healthy development of the children. Homelessness in fact affect children more than any other community. Not only for physical growth, but also for the emotional or mental growth. Children need their own homes. Homelessness will create an unsecure feeling in the minds of the children which is not good for their healthy development. Community based shelter homes are provided to many of the homeless people in America. Such strategies may cause more damage than good to the safe development of children. So, governmental assistance is necessary to avoid homelessness in America. The recent recession, has affected the poor people more than the rich people. Poor people usually stay in rented homes since they are don’t have enough resources to purchase a property and build their own homes. Financial institutions already started the tightening of screws while allocating mortgages or home loans as a result of the lessons they learned from the recent recession. So, poor people are facing extreme difficulties in finding enough financial assistance for making their own homes. Many Americans lost their job and many others faced salary cuts because of recent recession. Under such circumstances, it is impossible for them to think in terms of staying in rented homes or building their own homes without governmental assistance. In a dipping American economy, assistance is necessary for the people to stay safe at the convenience of their own homes with the help of governmental assistance. What if you were one of nearly half a million homeless veterans who have served this nation; someone who has fought to protect the freedoms that everyone in this nation enjoys? Wouldn’t you want, at the very least, to be helped – if not for your humanity – then at least for the sacrifices you’ve made? (Why Help The Homeless?). It is the moral responsibility of any government to ensure that all the people have primary necessities like food, clothing and shelter. Veterans usually find extreme difficulties during their end of life situations if they don’t have their own homes. So it is the basic duty of the government to ensure that none of its citizens remain homeless. There are many physically handicapped people who are incapable of working hard and earning money for the construction of their own homes. Such people definitely requires governmental assistances. There are many arguments cited against providing enough governmental assistance to the people in solving their homelessness problem. Many people are of the view that Americans are getting more and more lazy because of the huge assistance they receive from the government. Americans like to stay unemployed if they fail to get a white collar jobs since they are getting enough unemployment benefits from the government. It should be noted that unemployment benefits or social security assistances are causing the government huge expenditure in the nonproductive sectors. Any expenditure in the nonproductive sectors is a burden for the government. Under such circumstances, increasing the assistance for homelessness will force the public to approach the government for everything related to their personal or family expenses. There are many people who believe that Americans are less interested in saving and more interested in spending. In other words they believe in spending all the money they earned instantly. When they face some requirements like making a home, they approach the banks for mortgages. Thus, majority of the Americans live in debt during their entire life span. America’s social life styles need drastic changes. They should take lessons from rapidly emerging economies like India. Indians spend less and save more for future. It should be noted that India is one among the few countries, which escaped from the recent recession. This is primarily because of the life styles of Indians. In short, Americans need to change their life styles considerably to meet the future challenges. In other words, they should practice more savings and less spending. In order to teach Americans that lesson, governmental assistance for homelessness should be reduced considerably. Drug and alcohol addiction are increasing day by day among Americans. This is because of the fact that they are getting enough assistance to meet their expenses like the making of a home from the government and can afford to spend their earned money in a lavish manner. It should be noted that divorce rate is also increasing in America which is increasing the homelessness problem further. In short, increasing of governmental assistance for homeless people may help them to continue their antisocial behavior in one way or other. Therefore, people should be allowed to use their own money for the making of their own homes so that they may try to stay away from their antisocial behavior as much as possible. To conclude, homelessness is a problem which requires assistances in some cases and no assistance in other cases. People with serious difficulties or incapable of working hard should be provided assistance for making a home whereas others need not such assistance. Works Cited Bassuk, Ellen.L. MD, Friedman S. M. (2005). “Facts on Trauma and Homeless Children”. Web. 14 November 2011 “Obama Administration Awards $1.4 Billion in Homeless Grants”. 2010. The Macon County News. Thursday, 21 January 2010. Web. 14 November 2011 "Report: 1 in 50 U.S. Children Face Homelessness”. CNN. (10 Mar. 2009). Web. 14 November 2011. “Why Help The Homeless?”. Web. 14 November 2011. Read More