My group feels that homeless children are also children and just because something unfavourable has happened in their lives, does not mean that they should be deprived of all that a child deserves. We as a group believe that in as much as an ordinary child has the desire for so many things that foster his growth and development, a homeless child too ought to be cared for by society in a way that his desires are fulfilled so that he develops into a confident and matured adult. Such children will be the pillars of the future generation and hence it becomes a duty for each of us to contribute in making the lives of deprived children better. The homeless child too needs stability, a routine and balanced life so that he develops into a competent individual in becoming an asset for society. Homeless kids will be overjoyed when they hear of being taken on a holiday celebration which they otherwise could never have imagined. They too are ordinary children and this has happened to them by chance. They often experience emotional upheaval which often causes a lot of disruption in their life. My group concluded that such children do get help by way of child care homes and schools but taking them for a holiday will be something quite unique and a new experience for them.
Main Text
My group was motivated to arrange for some happiness and enjoyment for homeless children in keeping with our objective of serving humanity in our own little ways. In serving tourists who visit the country, my group gets immense joy and satisfaction and we continue to do so. We also thought of diversifying our activities so as to add more value to the services that we offer for the ultimate betterment of society. Homeless children too want to play, share and explore new worlds. In adding variety to their world there could be no better way than to celebrate a holiday with them. This would certainly nurture their minds thus leading to growth and development in helping them to learn through the several exciting activities that we would engage them in. We would be able to provide them with opportunities of educational play and stimulation which is required by all children to grow and learn. This, we believed would certainly break the cycle of homelessness that they would be carrying in one way or the other in their minds. We decided to arrange for a group of such children, a fun packed holiday that they would enjoy immensely and cherish all their life.
My group decided that we would approach non-profit organizations and institutions that house homeless children and select a group of 50 children from five different institutions. In having 50 children to celebrate the holiday, my group will be well equipped to manage the small strength and also to enable the maximum enjoyment and learning experience for them. It was decided to take the children to the Marina Beach for a fun filled day that would engage them in playful and creative activities. The children would be made to take part in a number of competitions amongst each other which will instil the spirit of winning in them. The winners would be given prizes for their achievements and the entire day will be planned in providing the maximum adventure and excitement. The focus will be in making them feel nurtured and cared for so that they too have a sense of belongingness.
However since our group does not take payment for the services we offer, the financial resources at our disposal are too meagre to meet the costs of the holiday celebrations for this group of children. The total expenses were estimated at $600, which none of us could afford from the scanty pocket money that we received. After lot of deliberations we finally settled on raising money through our services without compromising on what we were already providing. There were proposals amongst us to directly approach the tourists that we served, for making donations in this regard, but it was felt that some may object to the requests or may feel offended. We considered on the different options available and finally drew on the strategy that we will provide all the tourists with mementos and with articles that are specifically unique to our region and which they would cherish in carrying back with them.
A unique characteristic of my city is the making of handmade greeting cards which can be used for various occasions such as Christmas, New Year and birthdays. Ironically these cards are made by homeless children under the directions of master craftsmen and the drawings too are made by them which reflect the innocent background and mental framework of these children. Each card is uniquely different since it is the creation of a single child and is also an expression of his feelings and emotions. The cards are unique and exported to centres across the world where they are sold at prices that are almost three times more than what is prevalent in my city. We decided to buy these cards in bulk which would be placed before each tourist whom we served. We would also not charge exorbitantly from them and will inform them that buying such cards will always give them a warm response from those that they are sent to, in view of their uniqueness in layout and quality. Some of the group members have their relatives who are marketing professionals and we would take their guidance and suggestions on how to go about the job more effectively.
Conclusion
Another strategy that we decided upon was the enactment of a comedy show for the large group of tourists that visit the city. We have fifteen members in our group who are members of the dramatic society of our college. We are well versed with the scripts and direction of plays. The difficulties faced in garnering professional involvement will be resolved by involving the college dramatics instructor. We would publicize in the hotel where the tourist groups stay, that on predetermined days our group would enact a comedy play whereby the local social structure of society will be presented as a comedy. The publicity for the play would be aptly done by each of us while we provide services to the tourists. We are sure that the presentation of the play will add immense humour and prove to become an excellent means of entertainment for the tourists. By involving ourselves in these two activities we are sure to be able to raise a minimum of $600 within a very short span of time.
Social issues are a source of conflicting opinions based on what is considered morally right or wrong in personal life or interpersonal decisions in social life. According to Zastrow, a social problem implies the existence of an influential group asserting that a certain social condition affects a large number of people (Zastrow, 2000, p. 3). A social problem is a problem that affects many people in a society. Many people seek to solve this group of common problems in modern society. This is often the result of factors beyond individual control. Based on the above definition, the current paper addresses two social issues: homelessness and the veteran community.
Target Population
The target population is divided into two groups: homeless and veteran communities. Homelessness is an acute social problem that is becoming increasingly urgent every year. The attitude of state authorities and ordinary citizens towards the homeless is ambiguous, and the mechanisms for providing support and assistance to them are not effective enough. The homeless category includes those who huddle in basements and attics and live with friends in hostels or houses intended for demolition. The lost category consists of those who huddle in basements and attics and live with friends in hostels or houses designed for destruction. The second target population group is the veterans, who also require significant support and help in integrating back into the workforce or providing healthcare opportunities.
The Effect of Social Problems on the Target Population
The social problems include the particular social conditions that affect the mentioned target population groups. Such social conditions may consist of bureaucracy, the lack of government investments, class distribution, the lack of ethical considerations within the scope of the legislation, and many others which can deprive the mentioned population of the necessities. All three levels of social existence are allocated. On a micro level, homeless people can be stigmatized or discriminated against. On the meso level, the social problem affects the personalities of the target populations. Homeless peoples self-perception is distorted because they cannot afford societys necessities. For the veterans who spend much time on war events, the emotional damage to their ego can be mentioned. It is caused by the lack of opportunities to adapt to non-war living conditions, which require the support of a specialist. The macro level of the target population is also affected because people are deprived of the possibility to build up an ideology or plan the future because their basic needs at home or communication are not met.
The Scale of the Problem
Most people who find themselves homeless are homeless because they are not protected by society. Despite the current growth of ethical-related interventions in various countries focused on equality, many people still suffer from not having enough money to live. The social polarization of the population, unemployment, and the high cost of housing is by no means a complete list of problems that states need to solve in the first place. According to the Organization, at least 100 million people in the big world have no apartments (Global homelessness statistics, n.d.). Therefore, the problem is relevant, having vast scales. The issue of veteran support is less relevant compared with homelessness. However, it is still extremely important. According to the current statistics in the USA collected by the National Center for Veterans, the number of currently living veterans is significantly small (National Center for Veterans, n.d.). However, it is stated that the support for such people.
Problem Analysis from Theoretical Perspective
The social problems of such significance as homelessness can be solved only through utilizing complex macro-sociological theories such as functionalism. Some mechanisms can be redesigned using this approach to the governments functioning (Zastrow, 2000). As a result, preventing unwanted effects on the target population can be achieved. At present, quite a lot of experience has been accumulated in providing practical assistance to people without a fixed place of residence. The most important system of assistance to persons without a fixed place of residence is practical social work with the homeless. It should be focused on preventing difficult life situations and the rehabilitation and adaptation of these groups to the conditions of life. The development of this system can be performed through the functional perspective minimizing the negative impact of homelessness on society.
At the same time, the issue of veteran support can be considered from another theoretical perspective. Veterans support mainly includes a system of state-guaranteed economic, legal and social support measures aimed at improving the quality of life of veterans. Therefore, the approaches from the micro-sociological level should be allocated. Behavioral and personality theories are usually used to help people understand themselves and adapt to new living conditions (Zastrow, 2000). Social support and the help to adapt to life in the modern world can be performed through the help of psychologists centered on socializing people.
Conclusion
Therefore, social problems affect almost all the people in society. However, more vulnerable groups are already experiencing adverse issues related to unmet physical or moral needs. The homeless and the veteran population require specific attention, support, and protection from the government and social workers. Different theories can be applied to modeling social issues solutions, but the primary key to positive societal changes lies in the equal treatment of people disregarding their living conditions or income. The kind and support from the other members of society and the government can help the vulnerable population to feel more needed.
Homelessness is a global, national, and local problem that has been challenging communities since people began living in houses. Becoming homeless can happen to anyone and due to different reasons as both individual life events and social issues contribute to populations becoming homeless. However, in the United States, the two fundamental dynamics fostered homelessness in the region. The first contributing factor is deinstitutionalization associated with the 1963 policy of releasing long-term psychiatric patients from public mental health care facilities and sent to health centers located in the community for further treatment and follow-up. However, funding was not available to support the policy, with the individuals subjected to the policy having to live on the streets, especially in urban centers (Florida Coalition to End Homelessness, 2019). The second contributing factor is the absence of affordable housing that low-income households can rent. By 1985, the number of affordable housing units that could be rented had decreased to meet 5.6 million, while the number of such households increased to 8.9 million (Florida Coalition to End Homelessness, 2019). The 3.3 million disparity in the number of units available for rent and the number of households exacerbated the problem of homelessness in the country. Moreover, as further comparative data shows, there are significant disparities between states regarding the capacity of local governments to assist homeless populations.
Florida falls in third place in the ranking of US states by the number of citizens without housing, which calls for the proactive action of establishing an effective policy that would eliminate the pervasive issue. The current efforts to end homelessness in Florida have been attributed to the Florida Coalition to End Homelessness (FCEH), which is an organization distinguishing itself as the states leading voice on homeless policy, demonstrating commitment by working with state and federal stakeholders to develop solution-driven practices (The Florida Housing Coalition, 2014, p. 3). Despite the efforts, Florida is significantly challenged by the lack of a cohesive and evidence-based policy intended to overcome the homelessness problem.
Scope of the Program
The insufficient efforts of the government of Florida should be considered the main barrier to eliminating homelessness in Florida. The examples of such states as Utah illustrate the possibility of overcoming the pervasive issue and creating favorable environments for vulnerable populations to get access to housing. The criminalization of homelessness has transformed into a widespread issue that makes the vulnerable populations subjected to prosecution for such actions as camping in public or living in vehicles (National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, 2014). Yet, the programs that are established do not account for the fact that the individuals sleeping in public places have no other place to go. Although, the problem is possible to resolve drawing from the best practice example established by the state government of Utah.
Success Story: Utahs Housing First Initiative
Since 2005, Utah has managed to decrease the number of homeless citizens by approximately 75%, giving the group access to long-term housing (Bertrand, 2015). The Housing First project initially emerged as a 10-year project intended to eliminate homelessness by 2015. The core idea behind the project is that the housing was permanent, and no payment was in place (Henry, Watt, Mahathey, Ouellette, & Sitler, 2020). This resulted in giving people stability in life, and they did better without having to worry about where they would spend their nights. The radical incentive implemented by the government of Utah resulted in chronic homeless being tallied by numbers but rather by name, with the last few individuals awaiting their houses (McCoy, 2015). Sustaining the program long-term has been a challenge to the state as the lack of funding could result in the accumulation of large numbers of homeless individuals on the streets awaiting housing (Ebi, 2016). However, the Housing First model helped to stay on track with the focus of the program, showing the populations commitment to alleviating the issue of homelessness in Utah. Philadelphia and New York City also implemented programs similar to Housing First; however, the lack of consistency and the steady inflow of financial support meant that the initiative was unstable and could not guarantee long-term results.
Using the Best Practice: Implementing Housing First in Florida
Using the example of Utah in Florida is a step forward in giving the population of homeless individuals some degree of stability that would not be taken from them. Permanent housing is the answer to the persistent insufficiency in the current policies. The vulnerable populations of Florida, such as the homeless who are frequent users of behavioral health services and jail, are subjected to risky behaviors in the streets. Instead of offering temporary shelter that would no longer be available to individuals at some point, the provision of permanent housing through governmental support is essential for establishing a framework that would serve as a starting point for addressing homelessness in the state.
For Florida, Housing First should be implemented as a practical solution for eliminating homelessness. The lack of policy consistency and the difference of approaches between counties and local governments is what makes Florida inefficient in addressing the problem. Housing First should work as a statewide initiative that would offer long-term, affordable housing as quickly as possible for families and single individuals subjected to homelessness while also providing customized statewide supportive services intended to address their primary needs (McConnell, 2017). When homeless people have permanent housing, they are more likely to stop the abuse of substances, participate in training for jobs, attend educational facilities, as well as spend less time being hospitalized compared to individuals who are not engaging with such programs as Housing First (McConnell, 2017). In addition, Florida must be consistent with the Housing First program because it offers a high degree of flexibility housing and other services are given to individuals and families depending on their needs. Such an approach is more effective compared with having to spend the funding on services that are recommended but are ineffective on a long-term basis.
The practical and moral reasons for establishing the Housing First program in Florida are linked to the evidence showing that the program works by saving money for states and saving lives, as illustrated by the example of Utah. Practically, evidence shows that consistent adherence to the program showed tangible results. For example, the veteran system in San Diego has demonstrated significant success in the Housing First program by logging a 24% decrease in veteran homelessness over two years and by 40% in five years (McConnell, 2017). Morally, the program helps people who are at risk of dying on the streets due to the outdated methods of managing homelessness to get off the streets and get the needed degree of security. Of all options that are available and possible to implement in Florida, Housing First is the most humanistic solution to ending homelessness in the state.
Background of the Issue
History of Homelessness in the US
Going back in history, homelessness in the United States dates to mid-seventeenth century colonial America. The issue developed as the result of King Philips War against the native people, which drove the population out of their homes to seek shelter in coastal and forest areas. Later, during the American Revolution of 1765-1783, which forced many individuals without housing due to the lack of resources to address their needs. By the time when the depression in 1857 struck America, the majority of the growing cities were full of homeless people. However, neither local nor national governments did anything to intervene in the situation. Few efforts were put in place with some private charities, such as the Western Soup Society in Philadelphia to help vulnerable citizens with food during rough seasons. Without governmental support, the organization was struggling to exist. Despite the criticism that the politicians received from the public and the private charity organizations, the government rejected any appeals to help the homeless populations. Therefore, the issue of homelessness developed as a result of the government not engaging ineffective efforts to help individuals without housing.
With the break of the civil war, the situation with homelessness got worse as many war veterans remained without jobs and housing due to war and natural catastrophes. This meant that they spent the majority of their time living in the streets. Declining for a short period after the Civil War, the problem of homelessness turned into a national challenge in the 1870s as a result of the national railroad system being constructed, industrialization, urbanization, and mobility that allowed the homeless to search for jobs. According to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2018), the large population of overwhelmingly young and non-disabled men created a culture that combined the search for work with a love of the open road and a disdain for the constraints of workers in industrialized America. Willing to embrace hard work, they represented a counterculture with rules and habits that often engendered the wrath of mainstream society (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2018, p. 175). However, World War II served as a driver that would put the population of the US to work. Over the three decades that followed, the common individual subjected to homelessness remained disproportionately white and male but became older (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2018).
The beginning of the 1980s marked the development of what now is called the modern period of homelessness (Schwartz, 2014). Significant factors that changed the context of homelessness in the country included the inner-city gentrification, the high rates of unemployment, the deinstitutionalization of mentally ill individuals, the emergence of HIV/AIDS, the absence of affordable housing options, as well as the significant budget cuts in the US Department of Housing and Urban Development as well as social service agencies (Jones, 2015). The combination of the mentioned factors created an environment that increased the number of individuals becoming homeless.
Historically, homelessness in the United States was exacerbated along with the ongoing lack of support and attention from politicians, with historical events such as wars or economic crises. Naturally, homelessness passed from one generation to another in the form of crime or poverty, and the government was ineffective in alleviating the burden associated with it. The problem dragged into the 21st century not only due to the lacking interest of the government to address homelessness but also as a result of declining economic prosperity, increased unemployment, the absence of funding, and unfavorable social conditions set for vulnerable individuals. Effective policies are needed to address the challenges that the homeless population face to this day. For example, there is disproportionate victimization of the homeless, as reported by Al-Hakim (2015), which points to the severity of the impact on the homeless population in the US.
Statistics on Homelessness: Nationwide and Florida
The national statistics on homelessness point to the pervasiveness of the issue. In 2019 alone, the findings of the National Alliance to End Homeless concluded that there were 567,715 homeless individuals in the United States. The leading position by the state is held by California, with 151,278 homeless citizens, followed by New York with 92,091 homeless individuals. Florida comes in third place with 28,328 homeless people (United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, 2019). Of that total number, 2,171 included family households, 2,472 Veterans, 1,450 unaccompanied young adults aged between 18 and 24 years old, and 5,729 citizens who found themselves in the position of chronic homelessness. The severity of the problem is also reflected in Florida data on the homeless population of public school students. Through the 2017-2018 school hear, it was reported that an estimated 95,167 students attending public schools were experiencing homelessness over the year (United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, 2019).
Statewide in Florida, 31,030 people are homeless on a given night, with 15 individuals per 10,000 people in the general population being homeless (National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2018). In the lead are the Miami Dade Country and Orlando, Osceola, and Seminole counties by the rates of homeless individuals in Florida. In Miami Dade, there are 3,516 individuals without shelter living in the streets on a given night, with the rate of homelessness in the county equal to 12.8 individuals per 10,000 people (National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2018). In Orlando, Osceola, and Seminole, there are 2,053 homeless individuals on a given night, with the rate in the counties being approximated at 9.5 individuals per 10,000 people (National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2018). Due to the smaller population, the highest rate of homelessness in Florida is in Monroe County. While there are 973 homeless individuals without shelter on a given night, the rate is 126.3 per 10,000 people in the general population (National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2018).
The demographic by share of homelessness in Florida show that the most substantial numbers include individuals rather than families. There are more unsheltered than sheltered homeless people in the state. Chronically homeless individuals are outnumbered by homeless families, while homeless veterans outnumber the unaccompanied children and youth, only by a fraction. Overall, there are larger numbers of homeless individuals being unsheltered (35%), followed by sheltered homeless people (34%). The lowest rate Is for unsheltered people with families (8%) and sheltered people in families (22%) (National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2018). Therefore, a housing program to overcome homelessness in Florida should initially target unsheltered individuals without families due to the highest rate of homelessness within the population.
Criticism of Past Policies
Due to the persistence of homelessness in Florida, the state government was challenged to initiate policies and programs that would address the problem. In 2009, the McKinney-Vento Act, initially established in 1987, was significantly amended by the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act, which embraced the model implemented within the Housing First framework that regarded permanent housing as the first and not the last step in the process of eliminating homelessness. Therefore, the HEARTH Act enabled Floridas stakeholders to show high levels of collaboration when providing homeless assistance networks (The Florida Housing Coalition, 2014).
However, despite the high levels of responsibility placed on the stakeholders in Florida, the ramifications of the new policy and funding changes were soon emerging. The government realized that individual service providers involved in the program did not have enough control while the transitional housing providers had to adapt to the new model. In Florida, HEARTH did not work because of the environment in which affordable housing, living-wage jobs, and funding sources were highly limited (The Florida Housing Coalition, 2014). In addition, more pressure was placed on communities to implement parallel efforts to optimize their systems with the resources they already possessed to make stronger cases for increased funding. Despite the established goals, HEARTH did not give satisfactory results that the high-standing federal and state officials expected.
The support for the programs to deal with homelessness was uncertain, especially in the area of funding. Even in the years after 2010, during which Congress was generous with funding into the McKinney-Vento program, it was still not enough for covering the renewals for projects that had been put in place (The Florida Housing Coalition, 2014). Those included the mainstream resources intended to create paths out of homelessness, such as the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), public housing, and community health centers, the funding for all of which have received significant budget cuts (The Florida Housing Coalition, 2014). Other programs, such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Medicaid, have been receiving non-discretionary financial support and can grow according to demand. In addition, the food stamps program has also been cut in funding, which shows that any program can be vulnerable to inconsistent funding. Therefore, the analysis of past policies implemented to manage or eliminate homelessness in Florida has been inconsistent in their funding, which limited the capacity of the existing programs and did not allow for the comprehensive approach toward homelessness as a persistent issue.
It is also imperative to mention that the federal approach to homelessness, which influenced the efforts in Florida, pushed communities to decrease the role of Transitional Housing (TH). While TH does not offer the same level of confidence for homeless individuals, it is still better than offering no housing support whatsoever. However, the federal government exaggerated the downsides of TH, which led to the screening out of hardest-to-serve clients, especially for single adults who had shown to struggle with homelessness the most (The Florida Housing Coalition, 2014). Overall, the overview of past policies carried out to address homelessness showed that the state was inconsistent in having a set program that was followed step-by-step. The Housing First initiative still has the potential of being successful if the state government provides enough funding and does not discriminate against eligible individuals who should be offered to house.
Critique of Current Program Implementation
Recent and current programs that target homelessness also have their limitations associated with both approach and implementation. One of the most prominent disadvantages is associated with the issue that relevant programs may differ from one county to another, causing a difference in the rates of homelessness. According to Grau (2019), if a person is in Jacksonville, FL, and does not have housing, the city will provide food, showers, and counseling for mental health. If a person is homeless in West Palm Beach, the town would use loud and repetitive music to deter the homeless from gathering in public places. This shows that the experiences of homeless individuals will differ from one city in Florida to another, showing that there is no consistency in the states approach toward the problem. It is important to note these differences to illustrate the lack of statewide efforts that would be effective in addressing the pervasive problem of homelessness.
On the positive side, it is necessary to note several practices that favor homeless individuals. In St. Petersburg, FL, the Rapid Rehousing program allows homeless individuals to move-in housing for up to six months when they seek employment (Grau, 2019). While the initiative does not offer permanent housing, it has been shown to shorten the stretches of homelessness more effectively compared to shelters since 2016. Also, the St. Petersburg Police Department has launched a Police Assisting the Homeless (PATH) unit that provides support to homeless communities in the city, ranging from transportation and shelter to personal hygiene products. Such community efforts serve as a positive example for other cities to follow.
In Key West, the current Keys Overnight Temporary Shelter (KOTS) center allows holding around 150 individuals each night. Every month, KOTS houses more than 300 unique individuals (Grau, 2019). Despite the significant support that KOTS provides, local officials doubt its future while the residents of Monroe county have pushed to relocate the center. The reason why the officials of the county are torn about the center relates to the conflicting preferences as to what should be done with the land on which KOTS is located and where it should move (Grau, 2019). Therefore, it remains undecided as to how the most reliable homeless resource in Key West would function in the future, leaving great uncertainty overall.
The situation in West Palm Beach is far less optimistic. In July 2019, the Palm Beach Post reported that city workers were using loud music as a means of deterring homeless individuals who gathered on a pavilion patio (Doris, 2019). The loud music was put on repeat throughout the night to make the homeless move to another location. The issue is serious because there are no homeless shelters in Palm Beach County, which meant that the people had nowhere to go. Such a treatment is unacceptable and shows that cities are given too much freedom as to how they would handle the problem of homelessness. With the absence of a policy and supportive services that would be available to the vulnerable population, the city acted unethically.
The barriers that the state of Florida experiences regarding the issue of homelessness can be eliminated with the help of a statewide approach that does not offer flexibility to cities as to their authority in not allowing individuals to live on the streets, as illustrated in the example of Palm Beach. Housing First will provide a framework that Florida can use for introducing additional efforts for reducing the rates of homeless individuals living on the streets of the states cities. While some of the cities in Florida have systems that support the homeless population and give some resources that could be useful in regaining stability through getting education and employment.
Summary and Conclusions
The current analysis of the issue of homelessness in Florida has shown that the efforts of the state government have been unsuccessful and insufficient for addressing the pervasive problem. In the current complex climate characterized by the pandemic, there is no other time to provide at-risk populations with stable housing that they can use not only for shelter and short-term self-isolation but also as a support resource intended to help them find educational and employment opportunities. While short-term housing and resources such as food and showers should be made available to the homeless population, the focus should be placed on long-term housing within the Housing First initiative.
The likelihood of the programs success will be attributed to the consistency of state funding for the program, the collaboration between local governments and communities to identify eligible individuals, as well as the unification of the efforts across all counties in the state. It is expected that the resources will differ from one city to another, depending on the already established programs and policies. Some regions, such as Monroe County, with the most considerable rate of homelessness per 10,000 people, will require urgent and immediate funding to create a basis for further homelessness elimination efforts. Other regions with homelessness centers already available will initially require less support from the state. If possible, some individuals or families may be relocated to areas with higher capacities to provide housing and, thus, opportunities for restoring their livelihoods. The main objective of the initially unmatched efforts is to bring all state counties to the same level as the first major step in the initiative. With the absence of disparities from one region to another, the state government will have a greater understanding of how the Housing First program will be maintained on a long-term basis.
To conclude, the problem of homelessness is pervasive in Florida, while the solution is straightforward if appropriate resources are allocated. The example of states such as Utah shows that permanent housing is possible to provide, and it will serve as a tool for the previously homeless individuals and families to seek opportunities as well as deal with substance abuse. Consistency and needs evaluation is necessary to decrease the number of homeless people. Preventative efforts should go hand-in-hand with intervention practices to ensure that the state targets the problem from a multi-dimensional perspective. It is important to mention that the disagreements over the causes and the ways of addressing homelessness will remain, but through collaboration and the consistency of efforts, it will be possible to alleviate the burden of the issue in the state of Florida.
References
Al-Hakim, M. (2015). Making a home for the homeless in hate crime legislation. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 30(10), 1755-1781.
Bertrand, N. (2015). Utah found a brilliantly effective solution for homelessness. Business Insider.
Doris, T. (2019). West Palm uses music to move the homeless from the waterfront pavilion. The Palm Beach Post. Web.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2018). Permanent supportive housing: Evaluating the evidence for improving health outcomes among people experiencing chronic homelessness. National Academies Press.
The question of optimizing urban planning is becoming more relevant every day due to the inability to solve some issues entirely through the tools currently used by the authorities. In particular, there appeared an urge to elaborate new ways of dealing with questions of homelessness. Implementing sensitivity analysis introducing quantitative models and methods that organizations and systems can use to measure multiple aspects of performance may become a choice to elevate the level of urban planning.
Sensitivity Analysis
Researchers use sensitivity analysis to assess the contribution of single preference parameters to the uncertainty of the ranking of alternatives. That is sensitivity analysis answers the question of how changes in independent variables influence a dependent outcome. The most obvious application of this kind of analysis is in finance, stock market trading, and sales. There are also ways of using sensitivity analysis in other fields, for instance, Scholten, Schuwirth, Reichert, and Lienert (2015) in their study use global sensitivity analysis (GSA) to address the question of water supply infrastructure planning. GSA allowed the researchers to assess the contribution of individual parameters and parameter groups on the uncertainty of the ranking of alternatives (Scholten et al., 2015). Their study elaborated valuable advice for urban planners to improve the situation concerning water supply infrastructure planning in Switzerland. In short, sensitivity analysis is an important up-to-date tool to tackle questions in a variety of fields.
Urban Planning and Homelessness
Sensitivity analysis can be used to address the issues with homelessness as an innovative way of treating the matter. It is common knowledge that there are two main reasons for homelessness: unemployment and high residential space cost. Therefore, there seem to be three ways of addressing the question of homelessness: creating jobs, decreasing accommodation cost, and creating shelters for the homeless. All three questions touch upon urban planning in some manner.
Nagarajan (2014) in his doctorate dissertation addresses the question of creating shelters for the evacuees during natural disasters. In his study, Nagarajan (2014) used the database of all the available evacuation shelters and tested them for suitability. In the same manner, authorities can create a database consisting of all the shelters for the homeless and apply sensitivity analysis to improve the shelters accessibility. If new shelters appear out of this analysis, authorities can use them as shelters for evacuees during natural disasters (Nagarajan, 2014).
Moreover, sensitivity analysis can be used to find ways of decreasing residential space cost and creating more jobs. Johnson (2015) in his study states that the growth of mobile technologies and geographic information systems (GIS) enables todays authorities to implement decision theory and sensitivity analysis for the social needs of large and small communities. The high cost of analyzing massive amounts of GIS data, though, makes it problematic for underfinanced budget organizations to perform such research on a regular basis (Johnson, 2015). In short, the issue of homelessness may and should be addressed through urban planning utilizing sensitivity analysis.
Conclusion
The issues with homelessness are not easy to approach through conventional ways especially following the overall trend of rationalizing social institution maintenance costs. The studies examined in the paper show that there are several ways of applying modern technology to make urban planning more orientated towards addressing the question of homelessness. In conclusion, despite the high-cost sensitive analysis in association with GIS data, it is vital for the authorities to use up-to-date methods to improve the situation with homeless people.
References
Johnson, M. P. (2015). Data, analytics and community-based organizations: Transforming data to decisions for community development. ISJLP, 11(49). Web.
Nagarajan, M. (2014). An operational research-based integrated approach for mass evacuation planning of a city. Web.
Scholten, L., Schuwirth, N., Reichert, P., & Lienert, J. (2015). Tackling uncertainty in multi-criteria decision analysisAn application to water supply infrastructure planning. European Journal of Operational Research, 242(1), 243-260.
There is a massive and unprecedented scale of homelessness in advanced industrialized countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, among others. In the Canadian context, homelessness is a mounting risk for many immigrant families who are increasingly experiencing severe challenges finding affordable, adequate, and sustainable housing (Preston et al., 2009). The present paper aims to delineate the causes and effects of homelessness in Vancouver, Canada.
Available statistics demonstrate that between 150,000 and 300,000 people are homeless in Canada, making various government agencies to commit from $3-$6 billion to supporting the homeless in a country of over 34 million people (Graham & Schiff, 2010).
A recent survey found that there are in excess of 2,660 homeless people in Metro Vancouver and over 1,300 in the city of Vancouver (Krueger, 2009). Arguably, such figures of the homeless are definitely on the high side considering the fact that Canada is an advanced country grounded on a solid economy.
There exists a multiplicity of structural and methodical issues that have increased the risk of homelessness in Vancouver, Canada. These issues can best be described as the causative agents of homelessness in Vancouver.
One major issue that continues to throw people into the streets is rise in unemployment rates in the city, introducing people in shaky employment contracts to sustained threats to income (Graham & Schiff, 2010; Krueger, 2009). The second cause, which is characteristic of the city of Vancouver, is the increase in the number of poor people.
Available statistics demonstrate that socio-economic inequality is widening in Vancouver, with the rich getting increasingly richer and the poor getting poorer (Pohl, 2001). Indeed, extant literature demonstrates that there are now more poor people in the city of Vancouver than there has ever been at any moment ever since the Great Depression. Interestingly, therefore, high incidences of unemployment and poverty push people into the streets (Reid et al., 2005).
Moving on, the third cause of homelessness in Vancouver revolves around the issue of low assistance levels for people with disabilities and seniors (Graham & Schiff, 2010). This category of people have limited opportunities for productivity due to their mental and physical states, but the local and state agencies are doing little to ensure these people do not get into the streets.
Another cause of homelessness in Vancouver, which is diametrically related to low assistance levels, is the lack of social housing and rent supports for the poor, the physically challenged, and senior citizens (Shier et al., 2010). Again, it should be noted that social housing and rent supports should be the priority of local and state agencies.
The fifth major cause of homelessness in Vancouver revolves around the issue of decreasing number of low-income housing units (Shier et al., 2010; Pohl, 2001). It is generally felt that the 2008 economic recession which affected major economies worldwide introduced a trend in Canada that saw the professional middle class directly competing with the poor for existing low-income housing units.
Consequently, the low-end rental houses underwent an upscale in both restoration/rehabilitation and rent charged, resulting in massive homelessness as the poor and the vulnerable were unable to meet their rent responsibilities (Graham & Schiff, 2010).
Lastly, the de-institutionalization of Canadas mentally ill population coupled with the existence of too many precarious jobs within Metro Vancouver continue to provide fuel to power the problem of homelessness, not only in Vancouver but also across other major cities in Canada.
While the de-institutionalization of Canadas mentally ill population never achieved the objective of redirecting the mentally ill into a network of community-level support structures for social and economic endowment, thereby throwing them into the streets due to social and economic hardships (Pohl, 2001), too many precarious jobs occasioned job insecurity, extremely low wages, and high risks of ill health among the people (Graham & Schiff, 2010).
All these factors have combined to lead to increased homelessness not only in Vancouver but the whole of Canada.
The cause-effect dynamics presupposes that every cause must have a subsequent effect or a multiplicity of subsequent effects. Consequently, it can be argued that the discussed causes to the problem of homelessness in Vancouver ignite subsequent consequences or effects.
Long-term homelessness as is the case with poor people and immigrants is known to lead to lack of belonging and low levels of self-esteem (Graham & Schiff, 2010), Shelter is considered one of the basic necessities of life and lack of it is bound to impinge on various facets of the individual, such as the capacity to establish long-term social relationships, ability to belong to particular social groups, and ability to achieve high self-esteem.
A secondary effect of people with low self esteem is that they do not perform well in their education and employment. Arguably, therefore, the underlying effects of homelessness in this context include: Lack of belonging; low level of self esteem; low performance in education, and low performance in employment (Graham & Schiff, 2010; Preston et al, 2009; Reid et al., 2005).
Another bunch of effects of homelessness as suggested in the literature include poverty, overuse of scarce resources and services, and poor health outcomes (Eberle et al., 2001). Research demonstrates that the homeless are more likely to use more services provided by government agencies than the general population. Additionally, the homeless are more likely to remain in the cycle of poverty due to lack of employment opportunities, alcoholism and drug abuse, as well as low self-worth (Reid et al., 2005).
In terms of health-related outcomes, available literature demonstrates that &homeless people are at much higher risk for infectious disease, premature death, acute illness, and chronic health problems than the general population (Eberle et al, 2001, p. 6). It is also argued that homelessness not only enhances the likelihood of suicide and mental health problems, but reduces the life expectancy of the affected by an estimated 20 years (Graham & Schiff, 2010; Reid et al., 2005).
Lastly, to date it is unclear whether the problem of homelessness causes substance or alcohol addiction (Eberle et al., 2001), or whether homelessness is the effect of substance or alcohol addiction (Reid et al., 2005).
What is known for now is that people who abuse drugs and alcohol are more likely to end up in the streets than the general population, and that the homeless are more likely than the general population to abuse drugs and alcohol as a coping strategy or to escape from the harsh reality of being homeless (Graham & Schiff, 2010). It is also clear that drugs and alcohol abuse due to homelessness leads to poor health outcomes, early death, and suicide ideation (Preston et al., 2009).
Whether in Vancouver, Montreal, New York, or London, available literature demonstrates that many of the cause-effect relationships of homelessness remain the same (Krueger, 2009). The immediate task, therefore, is for relevant agencies to avail a livelihood for the homeless in an attempt to get them off the streets.
Reference List
Eberle, M., Kraus, D., Serge, L., & Hulchanski, D. (2001). The relationship between homelessness and the health, social services and criminal justice systems: A review of the literature. Web.
Graham, J.R., & Schiff, J.W. (2010). Introduction to the special issue: Homelessness in Canada. Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare, 37(4), 9-11.
Pohl, R. (2001). Homelessness in Canada. Street Level Consulting and Counseling. Web.
Preston, V., Murdie, R., Wedlock, J., Agrawal, S., Anucha, U., DAddario, S&Murnaghan, A.M. (2009). Immigrants and homelessness At risk in Canadas outer suburbs. Canadian Geographer, 53(3), 2887-304.
Reid, S., Berman, H., & Forchuk, C. (2005). Living on the streets in Canada: A Feminist narrative study of girls and young women. Issues in Comprehensive Pediatric Nursing, 28(4), 237-256.
Shier, M.L., Jones, M.E., & Graham, J.R. (2010). Perspectives of employed people experiencing homelessness of self and being homeless: Challenging socially constructed perceptions and stereotypes. Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare, 37 (4), 13-37.
Liebow wrote about Tallys Corner in 1964 where he disclosed the nature of life in urban centers especially those of blacks. The book enlightened people about the importance of improving lives for there to be sustainable development. The book exposed presented a different perspective about the perception of black people.
In Tell Them Who I am, Liebow presents the theories surrounding homelessness while disclosing the real dissimilarities and dignities constitutes homelessness. The status of women in relation to homelessness is carefully documented.
The write reveals that homeless women are not those seen in streets instead, the real ones exist within society implying that they interrelate and interact with other members of society. It is therefore clear that homelessness in this contest is not used to refer to women lacking places they call home instead it reports the deprived positions of women in society.
Women are denied opportunities in society such as suffrage rights, political rights and economic rights. The problems faced by women according to Liebow are both domestic and external. This paper therefore analyzes the challenges faced by women according to Liebow and some of the ways that women can apply in acquiring their identity in society.
Challenges Facing Women in Society
Work and Job
For somebody to survive in the modern society, he/she must work hence work grants an individual identity. Jobs that people do provide them with independence and connects them to the wider society (Lieboe 51). Women are not given equal opportunities that would guarantee employment. They cannot access telephone services that could link them with potential employers.
The employers on their part contribute to women woes because they do not make efforts of calling them since they cannot access communication lines (Liebow 53). The writer though reports that it is not the interest of women to be homeless since they have the capacity to work and provide themselves with whatever they want.
The society is to blame for homelessness. The society associates homeless women with all kinds of evil such as alcoholism and prostitution. The shelter staff is not excluded either because it treats homeless women with low esteem to an extent of proposing against their employment.
Family Life
The homeless women have no families, their relatives disown them and no one associates with them. There is no comfortable life since the couple does not settle to char their way out. Freedom of expression and association is completely cut, the management restricts associations and women are not allowed to take their own stands pertaining to their lives.
Every form of interaction is controlled and activity is performed in openness, there is no secrecy. Women have nothing they can call their own; the family no longer exercise its basic role of socialization since every member of society is on their own. Life is unfavorable especially for women because they are treated as kids and people with mental illness (Liebow 87).
Domestic Violence
It is reported that Biff, Natalias husband was violent and drunkard, he could force Rick and Natalie to spend their nights in the colds running away from beatings (Liebow 88). Men have no respect to women even to their little jobs because they demand attention from them even when they are busy.
Natalia is reported to have been hospitalized trying to commit suicide because of pressure from her family. Male patriarchy contributes to domestic violence because men think they own women and they decide what women should do.
Lack of Independence
Women do not have independent rights or freedoms, they are told what to do and how they should live. Regina was snatched away the child by her parents on claims that she could not raise it. The kid was later on taught to call Regina by her names, which upset her so much.
Men used women as sex objects and dumped them away. The case of Regina serves as an example since she got pregnant at the age of 15. Regina herself does not know the father because she was born out of wedlock.
Victims of Crime
It is reported that Regina fell a victim of rape by unknown assailant who broke in her room and forced her to have oral sex. The act affected her psychologically calling for a therapy treatment. The crime affected her greatly forcing her to quit working hence depending on grants again.
Most women at the time were mistreated by their husbands and forced to divorce with children without any property. They could only depend on well-wishers and humanitarian organizations to provide refuge to them. Women engaged in prostitution and drug abuse because they had nothing to do in the society, they did them to earn livings.
Critique: Feminist Movements
Women have since stood out strongly to oppose the existing social organization where men dictate everything for them. They are against injustice such as domestic violence, lack maternity leave, unequal pay, sexual harassment and sexual violence as well.
The initial campaigns targeted women suffrage, which later extended to demanding for gender equality in law and culture. Liebow wrote at a time when gender equality was at its peak. More developments were championed after Second World War. The wave brought about more changes, which liberated women from men captivity.
The movements have succeeded in changing peoples perception about the role of women in the society. Women in the modern world can participate in democratic processes meaning that they can vote and be voted for. Education is no longer a mens affair but women can also participate and compete if they so wish.
Separation and divorce is not the way it used to be as reported by Liebow, whatever the couple had accumulated is shared equally should divorce occur.
Many women have taken over leadership positions and are proving to be equally competent. This has greatly affected gender roles and division of labor within households. Women have also achieved a lot in religious front since women have been ordained as bishops especially in the Anglican Church.
Conclusion
Elliot Liebow exposes some of the injustices that women went through during the dark ages of the world. The injustices revealed how serious the plight of women was in the society.
The ideas acted as a benchmark for some feminist activists who moved with speed to address the challenges. A lot have been achieved but more should be done if gender equality has to be realized fully. The campaign should be all-inclusive meaning that it should involve women alone.
Work Cited
Liebow, Elliot. Tell them who I am, the Lives of Homeless Women. London, UK: Simon and Schuster. 1993.
Homelessness is a major problem for the United States as every night, thousands of people go to sleep without safety and stability. The number of individuals living on their own is increasing all over the country, especially in the state of California. Due to this phenomenon, the county found itself in the situation of a public health crisis, which aggravated last year after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The residents of Northern California faced frustration and anxiety, raising health and safety fears and causing multiple debates about poverty and discrimination in one of the wealthiest states of the country.
Main body
Homelessness is a serious crisis in Northern California due to the increasing housing prices and a broadening gap between social classes. For the wealthiest state, there are more than 150,000 people sleeping in shelters, cars, or on the street (Levin & Botts, 2019). According to the statistics, there are 33 homeless per 10,000 people in the general population (National Alliance to End Homelessness, n.d.). Of that total, 7,044 were family households, 10,980 were Veterans, 11,993 were unaccompanied young adults (aged 18-24), and 41,557 were individuals experiencing chronic homelessness (United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, n.d., para. 1). The experts estimations show that the most vulnerable group is single young adults as a result of the lack of affordable housing due to the high costs and inadequate incomes or life perturbations.
The problem of homelessness in the United States presents many problems, including the arising issue of racial discrimination. According to Levin and Botts (2019), African-Americans are disproportionately found on Californias streets roughly 30% of the states unhoused population is black (para. 10). The highest rates of black people without a shelter are found in San Francisco and Marin County. There is also a myth that most homeless people in California are not local residents. However, local surveys showed that most of them are from the surrounding neighborhoods; for example, 70% of San Franciscos strays were housed in the city before losing their place to live (Levin & Botts, 2019). Among the reasons for this problem are mental health problems, addictions, and domestic violence. However, despite general stereotypes, most homeless adults are not addicts or psychotic, as the major cause of the phenomenon is poverty.
The inflation in the sphere of real estate is a critical point in the problem of homelessness. According to the California Housing Partnership, about 1.3 million California renter households are considered extremely low income, making less than $25,000 a year (as cited in Levin & Botts, 2019, para. 23). It is obvious that such households cannot afford the escalating rents and have high risks of becoming homeless. To solve the problem, the states governor, Gavin Newsom, has proposed more than $1.4 billion in his new budget for expanded state and local efforts on immediate housing and services (Westervelt, 2020, para. 9). Approximately $750 million is meant to be spent for paying the rent of people facing homelessness and the beginning of more affordable housing construction (Westervelt, 2020). However, it does not eliminate homelessness as, according to the estimations, building new housing for every low-income Californian who needs it would cost $15 to $30 billion annually (Levin & Botts, 2019, para. 25). The state is currently spending the same amount on a massive program called Medi-Cal, which is aimed at providing health care to the poor.
In light of this situation, public health and safety problems present the biggest concerns of society, including such issues as disease, drug abuse, violence, crime, and fire risks. For example, in Los Angeles County, the death rate for homeless people has been rising for the last few years, and in 2018 it was more than 1,000 each year (Westervelt, 2020). The issue became especially critical in 2020, after the beginning of the pandemic. Society has faced the problem of social distance and hygiene for people without shelter. The government of the state has established Project Roomkey to solve this problem and secured hotel and motel rooms for homeless individuals, having covered one-fifth of the states unhoused population (Ho, 2020). The government of California has organized a few other programs, such as CalWORKs Housing Support, Bringing Families Home, Housing and Disability Advocacy, and Home Safe Programs to cope with the rising situation (Department of Social Services, n.d.). However, despite all the projects, the statistics continue to grow as more people across the state become homeless.
Another important subject is the provision of healthcare to these groups of people. Healthcare for the homeless is usually provided in shelters, hospital EDs, churches, and mobile van units. There are a few organizations, which perform this function, for example, Homeless Health Care and National Health Foundation Recuperative Care in Los Angeles, and Interim Care Program in Sacramento, helping people on the streets without judgment (National Health Care for the Homeless Council, n.d.). Nurses working with this social group often face confusion and feel powerless. However, their role in this process is important as it is crucial they respect these people and understand the circumstances when making prescriptions.
Conclusion
In conclusion, homelessness is one of the major problems in the state of California. People are often left without shelter due to the growing financial crisis, which makes housing unaffordable for numerous families. The problem of homelessness presents a big threat to public health, especially in the situation of the pandemic. The government undertakes many actions to improve the situation; however, the rates continue to increase. To solve the problem, there is a need for a complex approach, which would include assistance to the most vulnerable people, rapid re-housing, and an increase in the level of outcome.
The shelter is one of the basic wants of man. Sadly, several people live without shelter. The state of homelessness is caused by factors such as the effects of war, poverty and the occurrence of natural phenomena such as earthquakes and landslides. In order to know exactly what is meant by being homeless, it is necessary to establish what should be counted as a home. We shall define home as a place of residence or refuge (Davis, 2004). This definition draws the slight distinction between a shelter and a home. It can be observed that one can have shelter without a home but not a home without shelter. A homeless person is bound to face other challenges that come with lacking a place to call his or her home. Among the many problems faced by these people is the problem of lack of proper healthcare. This problem is caused by either inability to afford the costs of proper medication or as a result of the congestion within the concentration camps of the homeless.
Homelessness is a major cause of serious health problems. Most of the health problems are associated with poverty. The homeless population is devastated by diseases such as AIDS, malnutrition, tuberculosis, several dental problems among others. These diseases have claimed the lives of thousands of homeless people across the world (Glasser, 1994). They normally die after a short period due to the poor conditions that they are obliged to live in. In some cases, a homeless person can be suffering from a series of ailments and to make matters worse, he or she may be unaware of his or her pathetic condition.
There are other health problems faced by the homeless population that exists quietly especially along the streets. Some of them are mental illnesses, diabetes, alcoholism, physical disabilities and hypertension (Kusmer, 2002). These deadly diseases are prone to the homeless population because they are easily exposed to frostbite, parasites, infections and violence. These are some of the ways through which they contract the above diseases.
Even though they are desperately in need of good medication, the homeless population does not have any sort of health insurance or worse still, cannot afford to pay for medical care. This leaves these miserable people with no option other than to sit and let come what may. To make matters worse, most of them stay far away from the medical facilities they are in need of (Ogilvie, 2004). The homeless population focuses mainly on their immediate needs such as food and safety and tends to ignore minor symptoms of diseases until they become urgent medical emergencies.
One of the ways in which the homeless population can be helped to achieve better health can be through the establishment of clinics that are specifically designed to get over the access problems faced by the homeless population (Ward, 1989). The clinics can provide comprehensive care which helps to reduce the effects of homelessness. Medical vans can then visit the clinics or the encampments, underpasses and parks to give free medicinal drugs to the homeless population.
Another way of providing better health services to the homeless can be through the formation of projects of healthcare for them. These can be initiatives set up by the community to address the healthcare problems of their locality (Wallace & Wolf, 1999). The community can be well organized in that each project can secure providers of different services such as substance abuse, mental services and hospital services. These projects if well managed can go a long way in reversing the healthcare problems that are faced by the homeless population.
In conclusion, the homeless population faces a number of healthcare problems that affect their health and even cause death. It is upon the community and the government as a whole to find an appropriate way of helping the homeless population out of their pitiful situation.
Reference list
Davis, S. (2004). Design for the homeless: Architecture that works. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Glasser, I. (1994). Homelessness in a global perspective. New York: Maxwell.
Kusmer, K.L. (2002). Down & out, on the road: The homeless in American History. New York: Oxford University Press.
Ogilvie, R. S. (2004). Voluntarism, community life, and the American ethic. Bloomington: University press.
Wallace, R. A., & Wolf, A. (1999). Contemporary sociological theory. New Jersey: Prentice-hall.
Ward, J. (1989). Organizing for the Homeless. Ottawa: Canadian Council on Social Development.
One of the worst situations in an individuals life is becoming homeless, which means living on the streets without having a regular job and not following ordinary hygiene rules. A terrifyingly high number of people do not have adequate housing (Ayano et al., 2019). For example, more than 100 million persons worldwide are considered homeless; and some of the most common causes for them to lose shelter are domestic violence, unemployment, addictions, family breakdown, and psychiatric illnesses (Ayano et al., 2019). Moreover, this population group is at greater risk of developing various diseases for which they may not receive proper treatment. Unfortunately, some of them become accustomed to the thought that being homeless is not a bad idea.
Position Summary
Many homeless people believe that they are not in a bad situation. However, individuals without shelter do not have an opportunity to follow sanitation norms, maintain adequate nutrition, and have healthy sleep patterns. Homelessness creates an unhealthy habit of ignorance about legislation and indifference to fundamental problems in society and the country. Overall, I think that becoming homeless is an unfortunate circumstance that has adverse consequences for a persons mental and physical wellbeing.
Ironic Exaggeration
Being a homeless person is a good idea because it liberates people from many troubles of life. It allows one not to wake up early, wash teeth, get dressed formally, and go to work every day. Being homeless also means that an individual does not have an obligation to shower every day and buy new clothes. Moreover, it is an excellent opportunity to spend more time outside, days and nights, during every season of the year. Since doctors recommend patients with many chronic illnesses to go outdoors, becoming homeless solves the issue of not having enough fresh air. Another benefit of living on the streets is a chance to be withdrawn from the misery of modern life and technological advancements. It means that these people do read frustrating news about corrupted politicians, a declining economy, and endless pandemics appearing on every screen owned by an average person with the burden of having a home. Furthermore, homeless individuals do not waste their time on social media; instead, they can enjoy nature and think about the meaning of life.
Another substantial benefit of everyone becoming homeless is a resolution of environmental problems and preventing future catastrophes. People who live on the streets have low demand for electricity, water supply, new gadgets, and other inventions of the civilized world. Imagine if all toxic plants are stopped, and the environment will not suffer from waste byproducts generated while making new cars, laptops, or smartphones. Moreover, it can significantly reduce the prevalence of many chronic diseases because so many toxins and stressors will be eliminated from peoples lives.
If everyone were to become homeless, the problems of environmental pollution and climate change would resolve. Consequently, there would be no need for electricity, water supply, sewerage, and the Internet. Similarly, various forms of mining and production could be stopped because countries would no longer have a high demand for minerals after the rate of industrialization and technification will drop substantially. Since factories and plants terminate their functioning, toxic wastes and greenhouse gases would not be released into water, soil, and atmosphere, preventing issues associated with the adverse influence of humanitys progress on nature and public health.
If industrialization is stopped, people living on the streets will be affected by the substantial rise of infectious disease outbreaks. The lack of antimicrobials because of stopped production may result in humanitys extinction. Pharmaceutical companies will no longer have an opportunity to produce vaccines, and all the diseases that were defeated by mass vaccination in the twentieth century will re-emerge. Furthermore, hospitals will not have the electricity to perform surgeries or any simple procedures to help patients due to the terminated production of equipment, instruments, and other medical supplies. Overall, nobody is going to be left to enjoy the fruits of clean air and restored nature.
Reductio ad Absurdum 2
If all people become homeless, nobody will suffer from anxiety and depression caused by the stressful modern world. Indeed, suppose every person quits an office job and becomes a beggar. In that case, one will be liberated from many obligations like paying bills, worrying about appearance, choosing health insurance plans, and communicating with unpleasant bosses, colleagues, and neighbors. Moreover, homeless people have more free time to rest and think about themselves, which means they are less anxious and depressed. However, it is challenging to remain relaxed in the constant state of scarcity; thus, anxiety and depression are inevitable in this case. Mendicants are at greater risk of developing alcohol or drug addiction. Notably, many studies show that the prevalence of schizophrenia among homeless groups is higher than in the general population (Ayano et al., 2019). Although patients with this psychiatric condition have an increased tendency to leave their houses and involve in vagabondism, alcohol and illicit drug use can also trigger hallucinations and delusions that will persist without appropriate intervention.
Being homeless is not a bad idea because it can make humans kinder to each other and reduce the felony rate. Since individuals living on the streets no longer need many worldly things, they will lose their mercenary features. Therefore, they will not want to steal or murder for money. Furthermore, homeless people are dependent on each other; thus, they share goods and food with their counterparts. Still, they need money to purchase essential items, and the absence of income due to unemployment, together with hunger and survival instinct, can stimulate them for a criminal act. Elimination of governments and financial relations cannot resolve this problem because humanity will return to a primitive lifestyle of hunter-gatherers, destroying wilderness at the same rates as climate change and industrialization. Overall, food scarcity will eventually initiate violent behavior among homeless people, erasing genuineness and eliciting the rise in criminality.
In summary, this satire about the benefits of homelessness was a nudge to prove that the opposing position, which claims that this lifestyle is dangerous and unacceptable, is true. Although these statements about the benefits of the homeless lifestyle were jokes, they help to reveal some problems that exist in these communities. Physical and mental health disorders are among the most crucial issues in people living on the streets because they cannot afford proper sanitation, nutrition, and medical help. Finally, unemployment, poor quality of life, and constant state of scarcity switch survival mechanisms in the human brain, resulting in a person being involved in criminal acts; hence, homelessness can threaten individuals and society.
The health and well being of the youth are vital to a countrys future. The Australian governments efforts to build an improved society are ambitious. Australian policy makers have set determined targets for a better future for its young populace with the help of policies and initiatives (AIHW, 2011). Numerous initiatives are in place to ensure the physical and emotional health and wellbeing of young Australians (AIHW, 2011).
However, several problems in the Australian society have become a serious cause for concern, specifically because these problems have a direct impact on the future of the young people and consequently the future of Australia. Of these, the important issue of the high rate of crimes among young Australians is particularly pressing.
If the Australian government aspires to achieve its ambitious goal of making Australia an ideal country with minimal problems, it will first have to seek the cause for criminal activities among young Australians. Two important causes for increased criminal activity among young Australians are homelessness and mental disorders.
Homelessness itself is seen rising in Australian children; the government is well aware that in order to meet its goals for a better society for the youth by 2020, it will need to address the root cause of these issues (Victoria Government Department of Human Services, 2010).
Without identifying the causes and effects of homelessness and mental health on Australian youth it will be difficult to effectively address the issue of crime among young Australians. This report identifies the causes of criminal activity among the young people of Australia, a major hurdle in achieving a better society for youth by the year 2020.
This research seeks to explicate the two most important causes of crime among young Australians; identifying and addressing these issues will help in achieving the targets for a better Australian youth society by the year 2020.
Literature Review
Youth offense is a cause for serious concern, not only because of the harm it causes to society but also because the offenders facing juvenile detention and imprisonment could be associated with more serious crimes later in life (Makkai & Payne 2003). Youth and adolescence is a period of rapid growth and bodily change. Puberty is the period when several hormonal changes take place which impacts adolescent behavior and attitude.
The escalating rates of drug abuse and crime among the young people of Australia, are an indicator of the serious social and psychological problems they face (Eckersley 2008). The image below shows the estimate of young people in prison between the ages of 18 years to 24 years (2009).
Some of the factors impacting criminal activity in young people are low socioeconomic status, low educational achievement, physical and mental health problems and a past history of child abuse and neglect (Kenny et al. 2006; NSW Department of Juvenile Justice 2003; Stewart et al. 2002).
Homelessness, child abuse/neglect and youth crimes
Recent data and studies clearly point to a link between homelessness, child abuse and criminal activity (AIHW, 2011). Statistics indicate that annually, about 100,000 children and young Australians seek homelessness services of which, 70,000 are wanted by the police for some form of criminal activity. About 14,500 are placed in juvenile detention centers (AIHW 2011).
The Australian government is committed to reducing the rate of homeless by 50% by the year 2020 (Jean, 2012). The concern for the large number of homeless youth in Australia has become widespread. In a news article, Peter Jean (2012) points to the connection between homelessness and crime.
He refers to a report by the AIHW which investigated the association between child protection, homelessness and juvenile justice.
He mentioned the results of the report stating that 15% of the juvenile youth had been homeless a year prior to their criminal activity. Jean (2012) stated that about 30% of the homeless population are young people below the age of 18 years. The number of homeless young Australians is indeed alarming and have a history of broken families, neglect and abuse.
In compliance with the above report, several studies indicate the strong relationship between child abuse and criminal activity (Stewart et al. 2005). The National Youth Commission (2008) affirms that homeless children are more likely to be found in child protection systems.
Further studies also affirm that many of the young juvenile offenders did not have a family or home support system (Kenny & Lennings 2007).
Weatherburn & Lind (2006) found that children with a history of neglect and abuse have lived with parents who rank low on the socioeconomic scale and were unable to adequately supervise their children, resulting in delinquent behaviors among children. The likelihood of homeless children being involved in child protection systems was found to be greater.
Such children had very little scope of education and were associated with survival crimes such as thefts (Cashmore, 2011).
The NSW Department of Juvenile Justice (2003) confirms that mental and physical health problems and substance abuse were found to be higher in children and adolescents who had been placed under juvenile supervision. Kenny and Lennings (2007) also found that these children have extremely low levels of educational attainment.
Mental health Prevalence, statistics and causes
50% of the young population of Australia has found to be affected by a mental health disorder (Begg et al., 2007). About 24% of the young Australian are affected by anxiety and depression (Begg et al., 2007). Researchers have investigated the factors affecting the mental health of young Australians between the ages of 16 and 24 years.
The primary reasons for poor mental health in young adults were developmental and physical factors such as brain damage prior to birth, low level of intelligence, disability of the mind or body, lack of social skills and lack of self esteem (DHAC 2000). Mental health studies also found the impact of family violence, homelessness and poverty on the mental health of young people (Correa-Velez et al. 2010).
More specifically, lack of harmony within the family, child abuse, neglect and parental substance abuse were found to have a major negative impact on the mental health of children and adolescents (Patel et al. 2007). These studies certainly link the occurrence of mental health disorders among youth to homelessness, abuse and neglect.
Mental health and Crime
A report conducted by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW, 2010) found that young prisoners have severe mental health issues and substance abuse problems. In this report of the National Prisoner Health Census, the first of its kind to be conducted, young prisoners between the age of 18 years to 24 years were reviewed.
It was found that some inmates were severely affected by mental health issues when they entered the prison. About 33% of the young prisoners had been informed by a mental health practitioner about their mental health problem.
27% of the young prisoners were using mental health services prior to coming to prison and within the prison. 16% of the young prisoners had been prescribed medication for their mental health illness. This report establishes the link between mental health illness and criminal activity among the young Australian offenders.
Discussion
There is a clear association between abuse and neglect, homelessness and juvenile crime (Jean, 2012). Homelessness is a serious problem in Australia causing a number of issues social, physical, psychosocial and mental. The percentage of the young homeless in Australia is very high and still increasing. This rise in homelessness is in a way directly proportional to the rise in rates of crimes across Australia.
In a study conducted by Chamberlain and MacKenzie (2008) it was estimated that the total number of homeless youth in 2006 were 32,400, all of them between the ages 12 years to 24 years. Totally, they accounted for 31% of the total homeless population of Australia. The image below shows the estimated number of young homeless people in Australia in 2001 and 2006.
The youth of a nation are representative of its growth and development and play a vital role in its progress. With concrete data on the association between social factors such as homelessness and juvenile criminal activity, policy makers should focus on strategies to address these issues in order to effectively implement strategies for a better future for the Australian youth by 2020.
Conclusion
Eradication of serious problems like youth crimes necessitate serious intervention strategies. Achieving the targets for 2020 is an ambitious initiative of the Australian government.
Identification of the factors such as homelessness and mental health disorders on criminal activity of young people will help in creating policy initiatives to address these issues. With appropriate measures, the government will be successful in creating a better society of focused and centered Australian youth by the year 2020.
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