Do you need this or any other assignment done for you from scratch?
We have qualified writers to help you.
We assure you a quality paper that is 100% free from plagiarism and AI.
You can choose either format of your choice ( Apa, Mla, Havard, Chicago, or any other)
NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.
NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.
This externship took place at Horizon House which specializes in assisting families that have lost their permanent housing. When the researcher took the externship there was a concern of what type of individuals that would be met in during this experience. When there are media broadcasts about homeless individuals the image conveyed is that they are living out of carts or cars and have some form of mental illness.
The needs of the homeless population are so diverse and one type of organization is not sufficient to meet their diverse needs. This homeless shelter is part of a collation with several different members. Those members include Love Chapel, the Columbus Township Trustee and the Horizon House. As each organization provides different services the collation allows more individuals and families to receive assistance from the shelter. The Horizon House assists family groups, Love Chapel assists individuals and the Columbus Township provides bus tickets for individuals and family groups that are traveling to stay with friends or family members.
Reasons for Homelessness
While there are many reasons for an individual or a family to become homeless there are seven reasons that are always listed.
The lack of low-income housing throughout the United States is one of the main reasons for an increase in homeless statistics. As the housing and economic crises continue to worsen, families and individuals will be forced to make the choice between food and shelter. Even before the economy took this downward swing affordable housing was disappearing across America and families and individuals were forced to spend more of their income on basic necessities such as food and housing (Donohoe, Martin).
For women and children in low socioeconomic brackets they might have to make a choice between maintaining an abusive relationship and becoming homeless. Domestic violence is the leading cause of women and children to become homeless (Donohoe, Martin).
Approximately 20-25% of the adult homeless population in the United States has some form of mental illness. Maintaining a stable quality of life is difficult when treating a mental illness. The added stress can interfere with work and home situations with an increased possibility of becoming homeless (Donohoe, Martin).
Alcohol and Drug Abuse can lead to homelessness due to increased difficulty in finding programs to treat the abuse. If alcohol or drug abuse continues an individual could find it difficult to have a stable job and living arrangements.
When individuals are released from prisons without adequate planning for reentry into society a possibility exists that they will not have a place to live. An additional concern that lack of planning can create is a disruption in treatment programs such as drug or mental health programs (Donohoe, Martin).
While welfare is the most commonly known form of public assistance there are other forms that also assist individuals experiencing financial hardships. When there are any cuts in the amount of financial assistance received by an individual or a family the delicate balance between solvency and insolvency can be distributed. When cuts in welfare occur that individual or family can often become homeless (Donohoe, Martin).
The last group of individuals that frequently experience homelessness are veterans of the Armed Forces. Currently 22 % of individuals experiencing homelessness are veterans. Soldiers who have returned home from deployments in war zones often find the search for employment difficult. This search is compounded in difficulty if the soldier has experienced a physical or emotional injury. If family members or veteran’s affairs can not help these individuals living on the street becomes the only option available to them. Currently there are more homeless veterans in America then were killed during Vietnam (Donohoe, Martin).
Psychological Reasons Contributing to Homelessness
It could be theorized that the individuals that find themselves in the position of being homeless due to one of the above reasons had not fully realized their potential during psychosocial development. Psychosocial development is one of the most well known theories in modern psychology. In this theory the ego identity is developed through various forms of social interaction. When an individual successfully navigates a social situation they feel a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment which leads to an increased feeling of competence. If an individual did not successful navigate one of these situations this feeling of competence is not developed which could lead to negative actions occurring to the individual as the social interactions that they are involved in become more complex and involved. By being able to make good choices about various situations they can plan for emergency situations that could result in them becoming homeless.
Another psychological theory that could assist researchers in understanding the causes of homelessness is behaviorism. In behaviorism an individual’s behavior is influenced by the culture that the individual was raised in. Therefore if the individual grew up in a situation in which their family had financial troubles, mental disorders or a history of drug or alcohol abuse the child will be more likely to have similar problems using this theory. While it indicates a certain level of determinism in how an individual’s behavior is shaped, its theories are excellent at modifying an individual’s behavior to create a positive outcome.
There is a third psychological theory that is more current then both behaviorism and psychosocial development. Cognitive development is how the brain changes how it process information as the individual grows and develops. If an individual learns skills that will assist them in making proper choices that involve thought and planning. If an individual does not learn these skills then it increases the chance that he or she will be unable to function successfully as an adult.
While these are the common reasons millions of Americans become homeless the economic and housing crises has started to claim additional victims. Individuals that were renting homes that have been foreclosed on by the banks are finding it difficult to find other forms of housing. For individuals that have been paying their rent on time, when notified by the owners that the house is being foreclosed and they have to move can have devastating effects on the family. If that is combined with the loss of income from one or more family members the financial crises can engulf the family resulting in them requiring the assistance of a homeless shelter. While steps have been taken to alleviate the economic problems facing America, it would be prudent if lawmakers created increased forms of protection for renters. If it were mandatory that banks and individuals that assumed responsibility of foreclosed home allow renters to complete the terms of their lease then renters would have the time to find alternative housing without becoming homeless.
Effectiveness of Horizon House
Organizations such as this one are set up to assist families that can not find affordable housing or more recently those displaced by the economic crises. Horizon House offers several different types of services including short-term shelter, long term case management, parenting classes, budget counseling, daily living skills, nutrition classes and job training or coaching for individuals that are eligible to stay at the shelter. The average time that a family will stay at the facility is between 30 and 45 days. For a family group to be eligible they must be currently homeless and highly motivated to make the necessary changes that are required that will influence a positive change in their family. If a family or individual is not eligible for assistance from the Horizon House they are then referred to other organizations that are better suited to assist them.
Horizon House also measures their program through the progress of the families that require its services. There are three main objectives that are used to for measurement purposes.
- 40% of clients who stay at least 30 days in Horizon House will access transitional or permanent housing upon successful completion of the program. This is measured by the number of clients that move into permanent or transitional housing evidenced by the data summery of HMIS software program.
- 50% of the clients who stay at least 30 days in Horizon House and receive case management will increase their income or be employed upon completion of the program.
For the first objective the Horizon House exceeded the goal with an 83% success rate. There were six families that took advantage of the program; however, one of the individuals chose to leave before its completion. The other five families were placed in a permanent home environment upon completion of the thirty day program. The individual that left the Horizon House before the program was finished, finished the program at a later date and was placed in a permanent home environment.
Statistics from Horizon House
For the month of January 11 families and 20 individuals contacted the shelter and were interviewed via the telephone. Out of those telephone interviews 5 families and 23 individuals were evaluated in the office and 3 families were accepted as new residents. While this is a low number of individuals that were accepted into the program 8 out of 59, the center is not set up to assist individuals. It is focused on helping family units regaining their financial balance after losing it through various circumstances. Individuals who apply to the program for assistance are referred to a different shelter that is better suited to their needs. The below charts contains the statistics for the month of January. This information is useful so the reader can see the activities that are done with new applicants as well as how the statistics are broken down by the shelter.
Table 1: Statistics obtained from the Horizon House for 2008 -2009
Note: Statistics are unpublished information obtained from the records kept on each contact made by the Horizon House.
An additional way to measure the individuals response to the program is to require that every able bodied adult find some form of employment within seven days of accepting assistance. If the family members are not able to find work within that time they are asked to leave the program and find alternative lodging. While the job market is less then ideal at the moment they have the ability to work at a retail or fast food location while searching for white collar jobs. For the month of January the Horizon House exceeded their goal by reaching 100%.
Therapies
The center provides these families with a form of behavior modification. Behavior modification is a cognitive psychological treatment that focuses on changing the patient’s or individual’s behavior with the use of rewards and punishments. Generally when patients are involved in the programs offered by the center it is because their past behavior has resulted in a situation that has escalated out of their control.
The clients of the clinic experience a form of behavior modification while they are receiving counseling about their housing situation. This is accomplished by focusing on the decisions that need to be made and the changes in lifestyle that need to be accomplished in order for sustainable long term housing to be found. The clients are rewarded by the centers staff with praise and encouragement when a difficult decision has been made or a conscious effort by the client to change the ineffective behavior patterns. The center is able to punish negative behavior through the eviction process if their behavior does not meet the guidelines that were agreed to when they joined the program.
Operant conditioning is a form of behavior modification that is currently being used in some areas for to assist homeless individuals finding sustainable shelter. In operant conditioning the consequences of a particular action are used as a reference for the subject to decide if the behavior is worth continuing. For instance if when a behavior is demonstrated it results in a reward the subject has been conditioned to except a positive outcome from the behavior and the behavior will continue. On the other hand if when a behavior is demonstrated it results in a punishment then the subject has been conditioned to except a negative outcome if the behavior is repeated and the subject learns not to demonstrate that particular behavior again.
When these two forms of therapy are combined it is possible to see increased results and positive changes in the client’s behavior patterns. Regretfully these therapies work best when the client is easily accessible by the provider. In many situations individuals who are homeless avoid individuals in authority positions due to fear or a mental illness. There were three residents at the Horizon House that received this combination of therapies. As with any therapy the results varied slightly depending on the level of commitment from the individual.
Client Profiles
The first individual the researcher met while on this externship was WJ and her 3 year old son. She became homeless after an altercation with her grandfather that resulted in her and her son being evicted from his residence. When she arrived at the Horizon House she already possessed both a job and a form of transportation which is more then many of the newly admitted residents to the program have. Currently the center is working with her as she applies for Women Infant and Children (WIC) Program and child support. The WIC’s program is funded by government grants aimed at helping low income families provide healthy and nutritious food to children under the age of 5 as well as pregnant women. They also provide education on nutrition and screening for additional social service programs. The level of commitment shown by WJ was very high. She is attempting to provide a solid environment for her young child to grow up in.
By providing the ability to purchase nutritious food WJ’s son will be able to develop properly and have less risk of contracting illnesses. Access to WIC is important because it will assist her in buying her child healthy food at a reduced cost. Access to the child support is important to assist WJ in supporting their child. It is important that the father shares in the responsibilities of raising the child even if it is only through monetary payments. WJ would use this assistance to get up to date on several bills including her car payment. Once her financial situation stabilizes she will be able to focus on maintaining affordable housing for her and her son. As WJ already has employment and reliable transportation the center will focus her counseling sessions on financial management issues as it appears that this is the largest obstacle for her to provide sustainable shelter for herself and her son.
The second individual that the researcher met while working at the Horizon House was KJ. When KJ applied to the House for its services it appeared that he did not meet the necessary criteria to be admitted. However during the application process he disclosed that he had joint custody of his son and the reason that he needed temporary shelter was that he had been evicted from the house that he shared with his girl friend and their son. This information made it possible for the Horizon House to admit him into the program. Unfortunately for KJ he was unable to find employment within 7 days of his acceptance to the program and was evicted from the house. This appeared to provide him with the necessary motivation and currently is working at two part time jobs. When he reapplied to the house for assistance after obtaining the two jobs one of the counselors believed that he would be better situated if he was living with his relatives. In order to facilitate this, the counselor set up a meeting between KJ and his father to discuss the possibility of him moving back in with his parents. As his father approved of the effort that he had made in maintaining his two jobs they reconciled their differences and KJ was able to secure lodging with his family. Initially the level of commitment shown by KJ was low. He was upset from the eviction from his previous housing situation and concerned about when he was going to be able to see his child. This lack of involvement resulted in him losing his place in the Horizon House as well. However by being evicted a second time provided the necessary motivation that was required for him to become involved in the process of finding sustainable housing and financial soundness.
Unfortunately being evicted from the Horizon House is not always the motivator that individuals require to start making better choices in their lives. This is the case for one of the individuals known as MD. While she was receiving the services of the Horizon House she was unable to locate employment and was subsequently evicted. She also chose to not remain in contact with the house and left majority of her belongings at the center. MD exhibited the lowest level of involvement when compared with the previous two individuals. She was unwilling to attempt to secure employment during her first week at the center and when evicted was unwilling to collect her personal belongings to create room for another individual. The level of apathy displayed by MD is rarely experienced by the staff at the Horizon House. The screening process attempts to ensure that all individuals that are accepted by the program are motivated to change their personal circumstances for the better. It is not possible to create a positive change when the individual is not concerned or interested in improving their circumstances.
Researcher’s Suggestions
After working at the Horizon House for several weeks the researcher believes that a method for increasing the effectiveness of the program is to maintain contact with the clients for several months after they obtain sustainable housing. By increasing the interaction time to one year the progress that the clients made during their behavior therapy has a greater chance of maintaining long term results. These individuals were younger then what the researcher was expecting and all of them had found themselves in the situation where they did not have access to shelter because of a lack of financial resources. Therefore due to the lack of affordable housing and poor socioeconomic status when an emergency situation happened they were unprepared to deal with the consequences. This led them to the Horizon House and the chance to rebuild their financial situation and then find sustainable housing. In order for the behavior modification and operant conditioning to work it is important that the individual that is receiving the therapy participates in the steps required for improvement. Without the individuals participation the positive change that is the expected result will not occur and the individual will return to the situation in which they arrived at Horizon House.
References
Donohoe, Martin. 2004 Homelessness in the United States: History, Epidemiology, Health Issues, Women, and Public Policy.
Do you need this or any other assignment done for you from scratch?
We have qualified writers to help you.
We assure you a quality paper that is 100% free from plagiarism and AI.
You can choose either format of your choice ( Apa, Mla, Havard, Chicago, or any other)
NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.
NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.