Young People Living in Project Housing - Coursework Example

Black Homelessness: Young People Living in Project Housing One of the most relevant social issues of the day, black homelessness needs to be dealt with taking into consideration various related factors in the modern world. Some of the recent reports suggest that the rate of ethnic homelessness especially the black homelessness has been towering at a fast pace. The rising rate of black homelessness presents several problems and challenges to the social workers who are engaged in the specific area. Homelessness in the modern industrialised world has been a serious topic of social discussion. There have been several studies that indicate the amounting issues due to black homelessness. In this paper the issue of black homelessness in the background of young people living in the project housing is dealt with. It is possible to view the issue of black homelessness on the background of the social theories that deal with such issues, the values and ethics, multidisciplinary working, anti-disciplinary practice, challenges faced by service users, challenges faced by housing support workers, supervision, discrimination, empowerment, young people social skills, integration into society, New Deal for young people, employment, partnership work with other agencies, legislation etc. The barriers affecting housing organisation, good argument between govt and local authority housing, housing law and homelessness, local authority housing resources allocations, and the reflection of work done with young people living within housing projects also can strengthen the understanding of the issue. A close understanding of the issue of black homelessness confirms that there is a great relation between the social work and the housing issues, the agencies working in housing and practice in the region of black homelessness. It is significant to consider that the aim of every social worker is to relieve and prevent hardship and suffering of the people of every sector and they have every liability to assist the individuals, families, groups and communities by providing and implementing the appropriate services and by contributing to social planning. In short, "the social work profession promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being. Utilising theories of human behaviour and social systems, social work intervenes at the points where people interact with their environments. Principles of human rights and social justice are fundamental to social work." (Definition of Social Work, British Association of Social Workers). Therefore, the issue of black homelessness in the background of young people living in project housing can be understood as a serious social issue to be dealt with social workers. As specified in BASW, the works of a social worker include pertinent areas such as interpersonal practice, group work, community work, social development, social action, policy development, research, social work education and supervisory and managerial functions in these fields. Therefore, black homelessness naturally becomes a pertinent issue that concerns the social worker. In this attempt of dealing with the issue, the social workers encounter several challenges. There are several specific values and ethics that contribute to the practice of social working among the homeless. "Social work practice should both promote respect for human dignity and pursue social justice, through service to humanity, integrity and competence." (Values and Principles, British Association of Social Workers). Thus, the responsibilities towards the service users need to be kept important by the social workers practicing in the area of black homelessness. Thus, they need to give priority to the service user's interests, be aware of their cultural background, respect their privacy, confidentiality, and records etc. they also have responsibilities towards their profession, responsibilities in the workplace, responsibilities in particular roles etc which they need to keep all through their practice. It is, first of all, important to consider that the black homelessness is a serious issue that has great relevance and the studies point out that the problem of black homelessness is on the rise. There have been a number of social concerns that make the issue more socially relevant. The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) which, by contributing a secure, healthy and sustainable background for everyone, concentrates on promoting rich and solid communities, reports that there is greater possibility for the ethnic communities to be affected by the problem of homelessness. "Evidence suggests that black and minority ethnic groups (BME) face disproportionate levels of homelessness and housing difficulties. According to the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) ethnic minority households are around three times more likely to become statutorily homeless than the majority white population Ethnic minority households are disproportionably vulnerable to homelessness because of a complex cycle of deprivation. Social exclusion caused by poverty, unemployment, low educational achievements, overcrowding, stress, ill-health and social isolation etc, affects a greater proportion of ethnic minority individuals than White people, and reduces the housing options available to certain communities." (Rickpataky 2008). Therefore, the issues of homelessness especially that of the black homelessness has already become a serious social issue that needs to be considered. This has been recognized as a serious issue in the background of England and every sector of the society is affected by this social issue. However, the Black African and black Caribbean groups are especially affected by the issue of homelessness. Thus, it is remarked that they are twice as likely to be affected by the issue of homelessness as by the people of Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi origin. The DCLG research into overcrowding can also be understood as supporting the idea. It states that Black minority ethnic groups are significantly more likely to live in overcrowded conditions, especially in London. Whereas the national rate of overcrowding for whites is 1.8 per cent, it is 11 per cent for the BME groups. Adding to this issue, it is significant that in London the rate for BME groups rises to 13 per cent as against the rate of 4 per cent for whites. Therefore, it is most pertinent to view the issue of black homelessness as one of the fundamental social issues to be analyzed. There are various challenges raised by the issue of black homelessness in the area of social works. In an understanding of the issue of black homelessness, it is pertinent to view this issue in the background of the community. It is mainly because the perceptions of homelessness will differ from community to community as well as it differs within the community. The experience of the homeless blacks though differ greatly, there are certain common housing problems that they share. Some of the relevant housing problems as faced by these homeless include the lack of information about housing options, rights and homelessness procedures, lack of sensitivity on the part of housing officers of the potential for racial harassment, the fact that the mortgages and housing in the private rented sector are not affordable to them, the complications in getting information because of the literacy issues, lack of acquaintance with the system and institutional favouritism, and the complexity in getting specialised legal advice and in getting complaints addressed. In the general analysis of the issue of homelessness, it is remarkable that certain groups including the Black young people and black minority ethnic women escaping domestic abuse were particularly defenceless to the issue of homelessness. (Black and Minority Ethnic Communities and Homelessness in Scotland. 2008). Here, it is necessary to consider that the growth rate of black homelessness is most alarming. "Homelessness among ethnic minorities in England is growing at more than double the overall rate, a report has revealed. The report by the charity Shelter found black people were the most over-represented group. Black homelessness has grown by 89% since 1977 compared with a general increase of 34%." (Ethnic Homeless Rate is Soaring. 2004). In this background, it is important that the government comes up with some relevant social policy that can very well address the issue of black homelessness. The issue of young people living in project housing needs to be related to the issue of black homelessness. There are several strategies that can and need to be adopted in dealing with the issue of young people living in project housing in the background of black homelessness. Already, there are several social workers such as housing support workers who are engaged in the various activities. It is true that they encounter various challenges such as finding the exact details of the homeless and the inability of the black homeless in approaching these services. In the same way, there are several challenges that the black homeless service users face. Researches, however, have proved that most of the homeless clients receive services in the same city or town they were living in at becoming homeless. The possibility for the black homeless clients to have migrated is very low. As the services to black homeless clients are more likely to be located near where they become homeless there is less issues with regard to availing them. The service to the black homeless has, however, serious deficiencies that they undergo longer spells of homelessness. "Previous research has shown that large central city areas have more service availability than smaller areas. Black homeless clients were more likely to both start their homeless spell in a large central city location and end up using services in that location or in another large central city. Homeless spells were longer for Black homeless clients, but were more transient for White homeless clients, who were more likely to stay in three or more towns during their spell." (In Search of a Bed and a Meal: Migration and Homeless Services Utilization: Abstract). These need to be seriously considered. The problem of homelessness that is faced by the young people can, to a great extent, be dealt with by meaningful programs of youth empowerment, better employment possibility, programs of integration into society, young people, programs like New Deal for young people, programs that make use of their social skills, and consequential legislation. New Deal for young people, for example, can be helpful in finding, keeping, or starting a profession on one's own. This is also central in improving the skills of the youngsters and thus becomes very effective in dealing with the issue of homelessness faced by the young people living in project housing. It is also fundamental to comprehend that several services and assistance to the homeless have been rendered by agencies, such as the provision of accommodation, advice-giving on welfare benefits, finding housing, employment counselling, and admittance to health services. "BME agencies were more likely to provide a number of services than mainstream agencies, suggesting a more holistic approach to service provision. They were also more likely to offer translation and advocacy services, which cater to specific needs. One gap in the provision of BME agencies is rent deposit schemes, which is significant given the economically disadvantaged position of some BME communities, such as refugees. Most services reported that they tended to be responsive rather than pro-active in reaching BME communities. BME agencies were more likely than mainstream agencies to ethnically monitor service usage, involve service users in decision-making processes in the organisation and engage in multi-agency work which involved a BME component." (Black and Minority Ethnic Communities and Homelessness in Scotland. 2008). These are, of course, remarkable. However, there are several more measures that can be adopted. Such measures that is effective to deal with the issues of black homelessness and thereby diminish the rate of black homelessness need to be adopted. The provision of high quality advice and information, greater identification of the existence of unseen homelessness and the particular housing needs of black minority communities within distribution policies etc. are some of such measures that are found effective. "In order to ensure that people from BME communities are not consciously or inadvertently disadvantaged in housing allocation, ethnic monitoring of service provision and regular review is strongly recommended." (Black and Minority Ethnic Communities and Homelessness in Scotland. 2008). All these factors suggest the implementation of better social service and assistance to the black homeless. In conclusion, it is important to recognize the issue of black homelessness in the background of young people living in project housing as a significant social issue. The social workers need to understand the relevance of the issue of black homelessness and identify meaningful ways to prevent the growth in the rate of the issue. It is significant to comprehend that the issue of black homelessness makes a great relation between the social work and the housing issues, the agencies working in housing and practice in the region of black homelessness. Social workers aim at relieving and preventing the hardship and suffering of the people of every sector. They are also liable to assist the individuals, families, groups and communities by providing and implementing the appropriate services and by contributing to social planning. In this background, the issue of the young people living in project housing as it relates to that of black homelessness can be found central to the social workers. Bibliography Black and Minority Ethnic Communities and Homelessness in Scotland. (2008). [online]. The Scottish Government. Last accessed 7 May 2008 at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2004/07/19610/39941 Definition of Social Work. [online]. British Association of Social Workers. Last accessed 7 May 2008 at: http://www.basw.co.uk/Default.aspxtabid=64 Ethnic Homeless Rate is Soaring. (2004). [online]. bbc.co.uk. Last accessed 7 May 2008 at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3679726.stm In Search of a Bed and a Meal: Migration and Homeless Services Utilization: Abstract. [online]. allacademic Research. Last accessed 7 May 2008 at: http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/1/8/3/8/3/p183834_index.htmlphpsessid=b2c9b1d96c83be7b4181e19cf8e28fc4 Rickpataky (2008). Ethnicity. [online]. Homeless link. Last accessed 7 May 2008 at: http://www.homeless.org.uk/policyandinfo/issues/race Read More