Human Rights of Homless People - Coursework Example

Supportive housing: A long-term solution to homelessness in New York February This paper describes the problem of homelessness in New York and proposes permanent supportive housing (PSH) as a long-term solution to homelessness, especially to chronic homelessness, or those experiencing long-term homelessness. PSH is based on human rights to shelter and related services. It is a permanent form of housing with related services. The benefits of PSH to recipients are customized services, integrated services, and enhanced dignity and self-respect. To communities, the benefits are low social costs, more safety and security, and supportiveness of human rights. The yearly costs are $10,000 per homeless person. Table of contents Introduction 4 Homelessness and Human Rights 5 Human Rights 5 Social Values 5 Facts and Demographics 6 Proposal: Supportive Housing 7 Description 8 Funding 8 Benefits 9 To recipients 9 1) Customized Services 9 2) Integrated Services 9 3) Dignity and Self-respect 10 To communities 10 1) Low social costs 10 2) More safety and security 10 3) Supporting human rights 10 Costs 11 Conclusion 11 References 12 Introduction Some estimates showed that at any given night, more than 800,000 people are homeless in the United States (Feltey & Nichols, 2008, p.114). The demographics of the homeless have also become more diverse, as it shifted away from single males with mental and/or substance abuse problems toward an increasing number of homeless families with children and more single women (Koch, 2009; Lee, Price-Spratlen, & Kanan, 2003). A comprehensive national survey of America’s homeless showed that 34% of the homeless are homeless families, while 23% are children (Lee et al., 2003). In addition, homelessness is an exacerbating social issue. According to the Coalition for the Homeless (2011), “the number of homeless New Yorkers who slept in the municipal shelter system during FY 2010 was 37 percent higher than in FY 2002.” The state of New York has been struggling to resolve this worsening social issue, but efforts, so far, have limited impact on chronic homelessness (Coalition for the Homeless, 2011). Having an access to a home, however, is a basic human right. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights says: Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself [sic] and of his [sic] family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services,…” (article 25(1) cited in The United Nations Centre for Human Settlements [UNCHS], 2000, p.9). Agenda 21, Chapter 7 of the UN reinforces the right to housing, as well as the right to be protected from unfair evictions of people from their homes and land (cited in UNCHS, 2000, p.9). This paper describes the problem of homelessness in New York and proposes permanent supportive housing (PSH) as a long-term solution to homelessness, especially to chronic homelessness, or those experiencing long-term homelessness. Homelessness and Human Rights Every man, woman, and child has a right to a decent shelter. Whether they have economic, substance abuse, or health problems, such as mental illnesses, they have a right to a home. This section describes access to shelter as a basic human right and the social values regarding homelessness. Human Rights As mentioned in the introduction of this paper, the right to a shelter is a basic human right, similar to one’s right to food and medical care and necessary social services. Governments are obliged to value, defend and realize all human rights, including the housing rights of homeless persons (UNCHS, 2007). The responsibility to respect human rights obligates states to cease from obstructing the existing homes of people, such as arbitrary forced evictions (UNCHS, 2000, p.9). Furthermore, people have a right to, not just any kind of housing, but “a secure, adequate, and affordable home” (UNCHS, 2007, p.270). If many people are homeless, then states are obliged to “take appropriate legislative, administrative, budgetary, judicial, and other measures towards the full realization of such rights” (UNCHS, 2007, p.270). If states fail to maximize all resources and efforts to provide homes to the homeless, then they are not complying with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The U.S. is party to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, so it must ensure that it exhausts means and resources to help the homeless access secure, adequate, and affordable homes (UNCHS, 2007, p.270). Social Values The right to housing supports the social values of providing basic human rights to all people (Koch, 2009, p.113). In particular, housing and poverty are inextricably interrelated, because people can hardly focus on finding or maintaining a job if they are homeless and people can also not study well if they have no homes (Koch, 2009, p.113). People generally want each other to have a home, where they can cook, relax, sleep, and perform other basic human functions. A home is part of human existence, and without it, it is difficult to imagine a sustained and secure existence. Having a home is also related to political rights. Those who are homeless often are removed from the rights of free expression (Koch, 2009, p.113). A home also provides security and safety. Families need a home that will protect them from arbitrary interferences into their lives (Koch, 2009, p.113). Hence, homelessness is a direct affront to social values that aim for security, privacy, safety, and political and social rights. Facts and Demographics Homelessness in New York City has reached the highest levels in the past few years since the Great Depression of the 1930s. In October 2011, New York experienced an “all-time record 41,200 homeless people, including 10,000 homeless families with 17,000 homeless children” (Coalition for the Homeless, 2011). The demographics of the homeless have also changed from the dominant substance-abusive white male and now included families and children. Families make up 75% of the homeless shelter population (Coalition for the Homeless, 2011). In 2010, there were 42,888 homeless New York City children, and they made up around 38% of the total of 113,553 homeless people in New York (Coalition for the Homeless, 2011). Research also noted that when compared to homeless families, homeless single adults have much higher prevalence of “serious mental illness, addiction disorders, and other severe health problems” (Coalition for the Homeless, 2011). Studies showed that the large preponderance of homeless New Yorkers suffer from mental illness or other severe health problems and that four out of five street homeless New Yorkers are men (Coalition for the Homeless, 2011). Race is also an important demographic factor for the homeless. African-American and Latino New Yorkers are excessively affected by homelessness. Around 53 % of New York City homeless shelter residents are African-American, 32 % are Latino, 7 % are white, 1 % are Asian-American, 1 % are Native American or other race/ethnicity, and 6 % are of unknown race/ethnicity (Coalition for the Homeless, 2011). This means that 94% or more of the homeless come from minority groups. Studies showed that the main cause of homelessness, chiefly among families, is lack of affordable housing (Lee et al., 2003, p.338). For the past few decades, several factors limited low-cost housing options to low-income renters. Price inflation has made home ownership unattainable for many families, which pushed the competition for rental units (Lee et al., 2003, p.338). Demolition, expropriation, abandonment, arson, and other factors also decreased the availability of rental units (Lee et al., 2003, p.338). Surveys of homeless families stated that these are the causes of immediate homelessness: “eviction; doubled-up or severely overcrowded housing; domestic violence; and hazardous housing conditions” (Coalition for the Homeless, 2011). Proposal: Supportive Housing Homelessness has definite causes, which consist of economic, political, family-related, and social conditions. Homelessness is a complex issue that cannot be resolved by merely providing temporary shelters and referring the homeless to other services that they might need. New York needs a more long-term solution, especially in light of chronic homeless people who suffer from chronic health issues. This paper suggests a supportive housing project that the US Department of Housing and Urban Development already supports and finances (Kresky-Wolff et al., 2010). It is a housing project for chronically homeless people, especially those with mental and substance abuse problems. Description Supportive housing is defined as “permanent housing with services” (Norman-Major & Wooldridge, 2011, p.216). The kind of services offered depends on the individual needs of the residents and services can be accessed in a limited or sporadic time (Norman-Major & Wooldridge, 2011, p.216). The cost of housing is set at an affordable level and can serve people who are on SSI or Supplemental Security Income (Norman-Major & Wooldridge, 2011, p.216). Permanent supportive housing (PSH) programs currently connect housing and support services for individuals with disabilities. It can help people find jobs and they can either stay at the PSH or they can find another suitable housing unit. An increasing number of studies give evidence that PSH is connected with a drop in emergency shelter use, hospitalization, imprisonment, and other social costs (Kresky-Wolff et al., 2010, p.214). As a result, PSH is a growing element of homelessness strategies in countless cities and states (Kresky-Wolff et al., 2010, p.214). Funding Funding will come from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development already supports and finances (Kresky-Wolff et al., 2010). The Federal Collaborative Initiative to Help End Chronic Homelessness already funded 11 sites that offer supportive housing to people suffering from chronic homelessness, as well as mental illness and substance abuse problems (Kresky-Wolff et al., 2010). From 2003 to 2006, four federal agencies, under the coordination of the US Interagency Council on Homelessness, which The Collaborative Initiative to Help End Chronic Homelessness (CICH) supported, PSH programs were developed (Kresky-Wolff et al., 2010, p.214). The sponsoring agencies were the Department of Health and Human Services (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA]), the Health Resources and Services Administration [HRSA]), HUD, and the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) (Kresky-Wolff et al., 2010, p.214). CICHs goal was to expand PSH for persons who can meet the federal definition of chronic homelessness, that is, “an unaccompanied homeless individual with a disabling condition who has either been continuously homeless for a year or more OR has had at least four (4) episodes of homelessness in the past three (3) years” (Kresky-Wolff et al., 2010, p.214). Benefits PSH provides benefits to both recipients and communities. These benefits range social, economic, and political benefits. To recipients. 1) Customized Services- The main benefit of the project is that the services will be tailored to the target recipients’ specific economic, social, and health conditions. The project implementers will not assume that the homeless population is homogenous and that individuals have their specific circumstances, goals, and resources. The project will not force them to leave within three years, for example, if they are not ready to live on their own. At the same time, those with severe mental problems do not need to feel pressured to find another shelter, since they can follow their treatment in their own pace. Also, since one of the main causes of homelessness is lack of affordable housing, PSH can already resolve this primary cause of homelessness, since it can serve as permanent housing. 2) Integrated Services aligned with Long-term Individual Goals- PSH will provide interrelated health and employment services. It can refer people to livelihood or skills training/upgrade programs. The main goal is to help improve the employability or entrepreneurial knowledge, skills, and attitudes of the recipients, so that they can increasingly pay for their PSH services or find other alternative housing arrangements that they can afford. 3) Dignity and Self-respect- PSH aims to help the homeless develop their sense of dignity and self-respect. It will promote the social values of teamwork and perseverance, so the homeless feel that they can escape the cycle of homelessness. It will also help the homeless gain confidence and self-esteem that are crucial to believing that they can access better homes. To communities. 1) Low social costs- Studies indicated that PSH can lead to lower uses and costs of emergency shelter use, hospitalization, imprisonment, and other social costs (Kresky-Wolff et al., 2010, p.214). PSH can reduce the social costs of homelessness to taxpayers. It is more economical to house the homeless through the PSH than leaving them in the streets, where they can get sick or consciously/unconsciously conduct crimes. 2) More safety and security for the homeless and the communities- Many of the homeless need health care services, especially the severely mentally ill. PSH is a permanent housing solution that can ensure that these people stay on homes that can take care of their needs, instead of being scattered outside in the streets where they can harm themselves or others. PSH also provides security and safety to the homeless. 3) Supporting human rights- PSH also supports human rights to shelter. If the state of New York provides effective PSH, it ensures communities that it can support this basic human right, as well as even other human rights. Costs Gladwell conducted a study on PSH in Denver. Findings showed that the cost of services amounted to $10,000 per homeless person ever year (Norman-Major & Wooldridge, 2011, p.216). The monthly cost is around $376. This means that if the PSH can house 2,000 people, the costs can reach $20 million every year. This is a smaller sum compared to letting the homeless stay in the streets. Also, the costs are projected to decrease as more of the homeless develop the knowledge, skills, and mindset to pay for their rent. Conclusion Permanent supportive housing (PSH) is a long-term solution to chronic homelessness. It can help families and individuals find jobs and livelihood sources at their own pace. It supports their need for dignity and self-esteem. Finally, PSH is based on a human-rights framework since it is a permanent housing service. It assures the people of New York that if they become homeless, the state will fulfill its obligation to provide them a decent shelter and other related services. References Coalition for the Homeless. (2011). New York City homelessness: The basic facts. Retrieved from http://www.coalitionforthehomeless.org/page/-/NYCHomelessnessFactSheet10312011.pdf Feltey, K. & Nichols, L. (2008). Homeless women with children in shelters: The institutionalization of family life. In R.H. McNamara (Ed.), Homelessness in America (pp.113-126). Connecticut: Praeger Publishers. Koch, I.E. (2009). Human rights as indivisible rights: The protection of socio-economic demands under the European Convention on Human Rights. Netherlands: Koninklijke Brill NV. Kresky-Wolff, M., Larson, M.J., OBrien, R.W., & McGraw, S.A. (2010). Supportive housing approaches in the collaborative initiative to help end chronic homelessness (CICH). Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, 37 (2), 213-225. Lee, B.A., Price-Spratlen, T., & Kanan, J.W. (2003). Determinants of homelessness in metropolitan areas. Journal of Urban Affairs, 25 (3), 335-356. Norman-Major, K. & Wooldridge, B. (2011). Using framing theory to make the economic case for social equity: The role of policy entrepreneurs in reframing the debate. In N.J. Johnson & J.H. Svar (Eds.), Justice for all: Promoting social equity in public administration (pp.209-227). New York: M.E. Sharpe. United Nations Centre for Human Settlements. (2000). Strategies to combat homelessness. Nairobi: United Nations. United Nations Centre for Human Settlements. (2007). Enhancing urban safety and security: global report on human settlements 2007. Nairobi: United Nations. Read More