Category: Homelessness

Understanding Homelessness

Imagine feeling lost, having nowhere to go, and not having the funds to buy your next meal, including not bathing and wearing the same filthy clothes for weeks. You’re spending each night behind an abandoned building, a bench in a public park, or even a vacant house. As the sun rises, you awaken by the noisy traffic, car horns honking, and chatter from nearby people. When you get hungry, you beg for money to eat a cheap meal, but people pass by as if you don’t exist. Yes, this is the life of a homeless person. Homelessness is a critical issue that requires everyone’s attention. Due to the causes and effects, every adult’s responsibility is to contribute money and time to a homeless organization.

The Face of the Displaced

Everyone would agree with the saying ‘home sweet home.’ yet hundreds of homeless people in the world have no home of their own. We all have seen a homeless person’s possession in a plastic bag or shopping cart. Being homeless doesn’t discriminate. It consumes all ages, races, genders, and even those who were once wealthy—homeless means you can’t afford shelter or goods for basic needs of life. There are numerous reasons why a person becomes homeless, and a lack of education is one of the causes of becoming homeless.

If a person’s education level is low, it’s impossible to get a high-paying job to support themselves, which leads to the next cause of low income. Some people don’t make enough money to pay rent and buy necessities that could include clothes, personal hygiene items, food, and the list goes on. The final cause is unable to obtain a job. The homeless community includes ex-offenders who have paid their debt to society, yet they are without a job due to their criminal history and are left with nowhere to go.

Causes and Effects

When there are causes, there are also effects. An effect of being homeless is addiction to drugs. Homeless people are eager to escape the pain of reality by consuming illegal narcotics. Additionally, starvation is an effect since the poor have no job or even a low-paying job; they cannot provide food for themselves and their family. Lastly, Mental health issues are an effect. People with severe case of psychological problems are at a higher risk of becoming homeless. Homelessness hurts, and it can weigh heavily on the mind and heart. The feeling of worthlessness is embarrassing and prevents the homeless from seeking help.

Breaking Stereotypes and Providing Support

There are a lot of stigmas connected to the homeless that are difficult to overcome. We believe that homeless people choose to walk away from everything they once had to live a carefree life. However, that is far from the truth. Or Perhaps we think homeless people choose not to seek a job. Homeless people sought to find employment. Either it was a low-paying job, or they were denied because of their criminal background or education. The point is Homeless people are trying to make it in a world that requires high standards. Homeless people are phenomenal people; they just lack the knowledge and qualifications as those who do succeed in life.

If people become homeless as a repercussion of lack of education, going to jail/prison, and employment problems, should we not, as a society, make a more substantial effort to help these people in need? Homeless people with little to no source of income create an opportunity for crime, which we want to prevent. A way to avoid it is to offer genuine support to people before they find themselves homeless—for example, a family of ten family members who need food. There should be a 24/7 organization that helps in times like this situation. A family should know that there is at least one organization or program they can turn to.

Every adult should donate money and time to an organization that supports the homeless so they can continue to provide for those in need. Giving money to an organization is crucial because it allows the homeless to gain nutrition so they can grow physically and mentally. We should give to the less fortunate to change their lives for a brighter tomorrow.

References:

1. National Alliance to End Homelessness. Homelessness in America: Facts and Figures.
2. Cutler, D. M., & Lleras-Muney, A. Education and Health: Evaluating Theories and Evidence. National Bureau of Economic Research.
3. Koegel, P., Melamid, E., & Burnam, A. Childhood Risk Factors for Homelessness Among Homeless Adults. American Journal of Public Health, 84(9), 1446-1452.
4. Kertesz, S. G., McNeil, W., & Cash, J. J. Unmet Need for Medical Care and Safety Net Accessibility Among Birmingham’s Homeless. Journal of Urban Health, 81(3), 142-160.
5. Culhane, D. P., Metraux, S., & Hadley, T. Public Service Reductions Associated with Placement of Homeless Persons with Severe Mental Illness in Supportive Housing. Housing Policy Debate, 17(2), 357-380.

Understanding Homelessness Causes

Anyone on the planet can turn homeless due to a large number of different reasons and explanations. The principle of causation of homelessness can turn destructive. This is a common social issue with a variety of social factors, such as a lack of affording a household to be in. It’s important to protect homelessness because we live in a homeless region/area of the country, and it’s very common around the globe. The lack of affordable housing, public assistance, mismanagement, and mental illness is one of the main causes of homelessness in the US.

The Plight of the Homeless Community

This next homelessness topic starts off with the homeless community. The community of the homeless should have abundant resources provided, and the homeless should be taught and educated for job opportunities. Frederick Brown states that California is doing a poor job of sheltering the nation’s largest homeless population. The non-sheltered population also has an increased risk of exposure to diseases. www.scpr.org is a public radio station based in Pasadena, California. This is a member of the Public Radio in Southern California. “Los Angeles Police are for leads after a homeless couple was sprayed with acid in Devonwood, according to the police from the source. The quote/citation is important because “being sprayed with acid” is an example of assault and battery, which you can face charges for. An assault that was committed is a crime.

The Shelter Crisis

It’s important to care about this situation of non-sheltered homeless people because we as human beings want to prevent homelessness and provide them with shelters so they can be in a good spot with a good temperature. According to www.usnews.com Christopher Weber is referring to the 33,318 homeless people in Los Angeles who have no access to shelters at night and instead stay in vehicles, tents, and the streets. USnews.com, the website is an American media company that publishes news and articles about what’s going on. USnews.com is observing homelessness due to the number of homeless individuals there are in our country.

Cost vs. Benefit: Shelters and Housing Solutions

Shelters are certainly useful in that they provide beds and roofs to people who don’t have them, especially on cold and rainy nights where sleeping outside could be fatal for some. But shelters are incredibly expensive to operate. Nationally, the average monthly cost of serving a family in an emergency shelter is $4,819. Providing them with a voucher for housing, on the other hand, is just $1,162. Shelters might be good for emergencies, but does having a bed to sleep in mean that someone has a home?

References:

1. National Alliance to End Homelessness. Homelessness in America: Facts and Figures.
2. Brown, F. California’s Struggle with Sheltering the Homeless.
3. Los Angeles Police Investigate Acid Attack on Homeless Couple.
4. Weber, C. Homeless Population in Los Angeles: Lack of Shelter Access.

Homelessness has been an arising issue since before the 1980s. Research shows that before the 1960s, homelessness was seen as a situation that can be curbed by those who were affected by it. It was seen as a situation caused by them due to the lack of responsibility. During the 1960s-1980s, homelessness was caused by factors beyond the control of those who were affected. Factors such as lack of employment, low income, and lack of affordable housing. From the 1980s till the present, homelessness has increased due to various factors, from lack of employment to health issues.

When the topic of homelessness is brought up, people mostly think about those who end up on the streets. However, homelessness can be experienced in different ways, from a disabled individual with special needs and limited access to resources to a victim of abuse or an individual with mental illness. Each homeless individual has a different or complex issue that might have contributed to their homelessness.

Homelessness is more than having a place to sleep or a place to call home. Homelessness is also the lack of access to resources that can help with day-to-day living. Therefore, homelessness is a result of a lack of economic, human, and social capital. To better understand homelessness, it would be advisable for policymakers to understand how the experiences of people differ and the reasons behind their homelessness. Therefore, understanding the multi-dimensional aspects of a homeless person would help create an effective policy formation and implementation.

One of the approaches to understanding the problem of homelessness is conflict theory. This theory argues that power and enforcement can be used to gain order and social justice. The theory emphasizes that society involves people who are striving to attain social and economic resources at all costs. Conflict theory suggests that there are two classes of people within society: those who create opportunities and those who seek them. Conflict theory believes that those who work hard and are educated gain wealth, while those who are homeless are uneducated and desire welfare support. As a result of this, conflict theory views homelessness as people who lack the basic skills to survive. It creates a view that those who are homeless lack proper education and are lazy beings who refuse to work in order to earn a living. It makes the idea that those who are homeless rely on society to take care of them. Conflict theory views those who are homeless as a result of their own carelessness rather than as a result of the actions of the society or policies created. This theory blames those who are homeless for their lack of providing or meeting their own basic needs, such as employment, affordable living, etc. This theory also shows how other factors, such as income and education, play a role in reducing or eradicating homelessness.

Policies are created on-site to meet the size needs of individuals. Humans have needs that range from physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual. This applies to the problem of homelessness. The government needs to see the lives of the homeless as multi-dimensional, not one-dimensional, by considering different approaches, in order to really help them.

Homelessness is coming under increasing pressure at federal, state, local levels. Unfortunately, cities are enforcing bans on what they consider public camping. In the United States, 100 cities said it’s illegal to sleep in public. Panhandling is illegal in about 27 cities. There are forty cities in which it’s illegal to live in vehicles. For the homeless, there are no alternatives or creditable solutions other than living in a car or sleeping outside.

Rew and Horner (2003) suggest that resilience is common and possible in the vulnerable population of homeless adolescents (Rew and Horner, 2003). With risk comes the opportunity for growth. Multiple health-related factors such as finding meaning in one’s struggles and negative experiences to bring about growth rather than developing pathology (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000) as well as their ability to bounce back or adapt to stress (Smith, Tooley, Christopher, & Kay, 2010). Homeless adolescents reported feeling less lonely and less hopeless if they perceived themselves to be resilient (Rew and Horner, 2003). Often suffering from higher rates of stress, aggressive and violent interactions, and depression (Kennedy et al., 2010). Unfortunately, having an episode of homelessness increases the likelihood of homelessness and negative life events in the future; it’s a vicious cycle (Haber &Toro, 2009).

Additional research regarding mental wellness was conducted by Shelton and Colleagues (2009) who examined factors associated with a lifetime experience of homelessness among young adults. Their study consisted of 14,888 young adults, where a total of 682 respondents were classified as ever being homeless. Contributing factors included childhood experiences of poor family functioning, socioeconomic class, and improper attachments were associated with their homelessness (Shelton et al., 2009). The findings underscore the relationship between specific indicators of adversity in childhood and the risk of homelessness and point to the importance of early intervention efforts (Shelton et al., 2009).

As stated above homeless youth experience a multitude of negative life events, which contribute to psychological distress A large body of research indicates that a high percentage of individuals experiencing homelessness report that traumatic experiences precede homelessness, indicating that at least one major trauma was endured prior to being homeless (Haber &Toro, 2009). There is also research to indicate that homelessness itself can be traumatic based on the things individuals are exposed to during homelessness. The trauma that one may be exposed to during periods of homelessness is bullying, isolation, assault, loss of possession, fear, and lack of basic resources. Solórzano (2014) conducted a study that showed that over 50% of participants almost always evidenced current trauma and past trauma in the population of homeless individuals that they work with. However, most of the homeless population is not being treated for the trauma they have endured throughout their lifetime (Solórzano, 2014). Solórzano suggested that homeless women are “exposed to many of the precursors to PTSD and are rarely treated for their traumatic experiences show that they are utilizing their resiliencies” (Solórzano,2014). Therefore, individuals experiencing homelessness are said to have several opportunities for a positive change as a result of the struggle with distressing life circumstances.

Positive Psychology

Positive psychology is the study of happiness optimal well-being. Positive psychology utilizes interventions to promote the well-being and character strengths of people living in poverty (Biswas Diener, & Lehman, 2012). From a theoretical perspective, involves empowering individuals to reach their full potential. However, poverty is an obstacle. Poverty is defined solely by an individual’s economic situation; in conjunction with positive psychology, these individuals could possess strengths like hope, motivation, and happiness (Biswas Diener, & Lehman, 2012). Positive psychology is said to be associated with better coping against adverse conditions such as poverty and other stressful life events (Biswas Diener, & Lehman, 2012).

Positive psychological traits on shelter usage have two fundamental implications for stakeholders. The ability to identify households is less likely, causing individuals to spend longer time in the shelter; appropriate interventions need to be used for this vulnerable population. Homeless shelter providers, social workers, and case managers lack resources to make plans for shelter stayers and shelter re-entry. To extend their understanding of positive psychological traits and shelter utilization to promote the likelihood of early and stable exits from the shelter.

There is little research that examines the association between hope, resilience, or self-control directly to homelessness, psychologists, and policy researchers. All three traits are associated with improved coping in stressful circumstances. Campbell-Sills, Cohan, & Stein, (2006) found resilience positively associated with problem-solving that might help individuals find housing. “Higher levels of self-control are a strong predictor of employment seeking and income, which can facilitate shelter exit and reduces the likelihood that a family return” (Weinreb et al., 2010).

The impact of permanent supportive housing on the use of acute care public health services by homeless people with disabilities or limitations (Martinez & Burt, 2006). Their sample consisted of 236 single adults who entered supportive housing. Eighty percent of the participants had a diagnosis of dual psychiatric and substance use disorders (Martinez & Burt, 2006). These researchers compared service use during the two years before entry into supportive housing with service use during the two years after entry. Eighty-one percent of residents remained in permanent supportive housing for at least one year (Martinez & Burt, 2006). Housing placement significantly reduced the percentage of residents with an emergency department visit, providing permanent supportive housing to homeless people with psychiatric and substance use disorders reduced their use of costly hospital emergency department and inpatient services, which are publicly provided (Martinez & Burt, 2006).

Current Aid

Resources for individuals with serious mental illness often are unable to access community-oriented care, resulting in repeated hospitalizations and incarceration (Smith & Sederer, 2009). The ‘medical home’ concept was developed in primary care to provide accessible and accountable services for individuals with chronic medical conditions (Smith & Sederer, 2009). Smith and Sederer also suggest developing ‘a mental health home’.The model of care incorporates will give access to and coordination of services, integration of primary and preventive care, adoption of recovery orientation and evidence-based practices, and family and community outreach. Barriers to and strategies for implementation of mental health homes are discussed (Smith & Sederer, 2009).

Popular resources for mental health concerns are Faith-based providers; these providers are often overlooked but are extremely beneficial (NAEH, 2017). Faith-based providers of services are willing participants who have effective resources to bring change. The National Alliance to End Homelessness (2017) is comprised of Faith-based organizations that provide a significant amount of emergency shelter services and permanent housing interventions (NAEH, 2017). Faith-based providers around the country indicate a shortage in the availability of affordable housing is a both driver of and an impediment to addressing homelessness (NAEH, 2017).

Faith-based organizations play an active role in local planning and Continuum of Care governance activities, including serving as leaders in implementing a systemic approach to ending homelessness and participating and leading coordinated entry in their communities (NAEH, 2017). Faith-based organizations that have been implementing Housing First programs have found it to be an effective approach for ending homelessness as well as compatible with their beliefs. Faith-based organizations are critical, but in some ways underutilized partners in ending homelessness due to their strong connections within the community, faith-based organizations have a strong volunteer and advocacy base and flexible donor funds (NAEH, 2017).

There are so many situations happening in the world. One of the biggest problems we have in our community would be veterans/ people being homeless. I believe that just because someone is homeless it does not mean they are different from anyone else. We are all equal and no one is better than another. I assure that homeless people should be helped and heard instead of people making fun of them or not caring just because they are fine. I think that a change should happen and realize that we can always help just by starting from a little thing that may not seem much. Sometimes us as humans don’t realize the importance of our community because we are focused more on other things in life that we consider ‘important’. I want to acknowledge how important it is to help others and how that can make a huge difference in our community by making sure that they are okay and have the support they need. Homeless veterans/people have so many problems such as money, family, support and etc., that it gets frustrating to them and leads up to consequences just because they can’t get help. Some of these consequences would be drugs, physical and sexual abuse, or having to experience physical or mental health problems as well. This is why I think that promoting and donating can help so many homeless people all over the world because it can reach out not only in our community but, all over the world.

To begin with I want to give an example of what is happening around us. “Since 2009, the number of veterans experiencing homelessness has dropped by 48.4%”, according to the national alliance to end homelessness. Many people do not realize that the percentage of that can increase each year. For example, “On a single night in January 2018 there were 37,878 veterans were experiencing homelessness… made up about 9% of all homeless adults… 2% were homeless as part of a family and 90.8% were men, while 8.5% (3,571 veterans were women)”, according to the National Alliance to end homelessness. This just shows us that there are thousands of people needing help which makes it harder because not many people see it as something affective to them. We always hear news about them needing help and wanting to have an opportunity to become better of themselves but no one is willing to help them which is sad because that just makes them think that they do not have any type of support by their side. Homeless veterans/people are in need of healthcare, shelter and employment which is the basic. They also need food, support, feeling welcome, and etc. Veterans between the ages of 18 and 30 are twice as likely as adults in the general population to be homeless, and the risk of homelessness increases significantly among young veterans who are poor which just makes it worse.

The main cause of homeless veterans would be the lack of support and social isolation discharge. For example, another problem would be, that there aren’t enough affordable housing options for the homeless and the qualification process takes months just to get evaluated whether they should help them or not. In my opinion this is just a distraction to not help them because if you really wanted to help you wouldn’t question them why they show they have a shelter over their head or make them wait for an evaluation process which can take months to be seen. I do not understand why a homeless person has to go through an evaluation of whether they should get helped or not, this just doesn’t make any sense and there should be change towards that.

Many veterans have vouchers but no place to cash them in which still doesn’t help them as much as people would think it would because it still isn’t enough. Yes, it can be somewhat helpful but that doesn’t mean it will help them get out of being homeless right away. People do not realize that they need help and that us as humans should try to help them whether its donating or giving money or even raising a charity for them. All this just makes the process frustrating, and somewhat non-existent since it isn’t really helping, for those in need of a shelter. Part of this problem is that Veterans are unaware of the programs and services offered to support them and what resources to tap into to transition back into the workplace.

When they take their first steps back into society, support is often nowhere to be found because people believe that they are doing great and they do not need help, but in reality, it may not always be like that. Inadequate programs give support to them and housing for returning Veterans depending in what community they are in because some just do not exists those kinds of program or help for them. To start thinking logically about this problem, one must understand that ‘average veteran’ always falls in these kinds of problems in their life. One might think that enlisted military personnel have enrolled because of their background, race, poor education level or low household income, but this is inherently false even though there is a percentage of that. U.S. military service disproportionately attracts enlisted personnel and officers who do not come from disadvantaged backgrounds and a soldier’s demographic characteristics are of little importance in the military, which values honor, leadership, self-sacrifice, courage, and integrity/qualities that cannot be quantified even if they wanted. According to our findings in the film: “During their tours of duty, at least 1 in 5 female veterans experienced sexual assault or repeated harassment, according to

the Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center. These women are four times more likely to suffer from PTSD and an increasing number end up addicted to drugs and alcohol”. This just shows the consequences they have to suffer just because they do not receive help of any kind.

Volunteers of America works to prevent and end homelessness through a range of support services including eviction prevention, emergency services, transitional housing and permanent affordable housing. If a veteran is fortunate enough to be able to locate help, the monetary commitment or approval for financial aid can take months, even years, to obtain. Waiting, endless approvals and lists the Veteran must endure to receive help creates unnecessary tasks and wasted time that the Veteran could be receiving assistance. This adds to the time that the veteran is likely to spend nights displaced without shelter. Despite numerous media stories about homeless veterans and the problems they face, actual studies exploring the incidence and causes of veteran homelessness remain scarce. Part of this complex problem is lack of research and concrete understanding of causes and statistics. Without understanding the full scope of the problem, experts and groups cannot create the specific programs and treatment for veterans.

Once you are in the cycle of poverty, it is very tough to get out. The fact that people have to worry so much financially just about having a place to live, creates many stresses that in turn cause people to give up on the system. When you are having to decide whether to pay your rent or feed your family for the night, it is a very tough mindset to be in. LA has one of the highest costs of living in the entire country, and it is hard to keep up. The general public does not seem to be less inclined to move here, I imagine that the numbers will only increase more and more. All of this just shows that homeless veterans are in need of help and aren’t receiving any.

I believe that donating and promoting the homeless shelters is a big way of helping them. I say that this is a single way of helping them because they are in need of support and since they do not have that they will feel happy knowing that people are going out on their own way to help. Promoting homeless shelters helps because it spreads the word and can reach out so many people about the situations going on with homeless veterans. For example, when you promote homelessness on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and etc., people will hear about it and will donate things to them whether it’s something small or big because they will click on the link and see how they can help. Creating a page promoting the homelessness is a good way to start helping them and creating a change because you can engage your audience faster and have different kinds of options and videos of ways they can help. Donating to the homeless can help them a lot because they will receive food, water, hygiene, clothes, supplies, and etc. Many living on the streets fear coming forward due to possibilities of arrest and criminal victimization. Focusing on homelessness among Veterans in the United States should be our primary focus, as they are twice as likely than the average American to be chronically homeless and there’s factual reasons for this statistic. Having a campaign where people can go on the internet to donate money can also help them buy what is necessary for them. In my perspective, if we take action of this problem and start donating, promoting, and starting campaigns then I strongly believe that we will see results in the percentage of veteran homeless in the U.S and this problem will just decrease and not be as big as it is now. This is the way I believe we can help them because we are giving out support to them, making sure they are good in health and emotionally/ physically.

The state of California has the highest population in the U.S. thanks to its many urban areas, like Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco. Unfortunately, because of its high population it is also home to many homeless Americans, including veterans. While ideally no American should be homeless, it is unfortunate that many of the men and women who serve in the military return to America to find themselves without a job or a home. The state of California should make it a priority to help its homeless veterans get off the streets because of their great service to this nation. To decrease the population of homeless veterans in California, the state government should provide the following: mental health services following discharge; funding for veterans’ homeless shelters; more affordable permanent housing; a job networking program; and scholarship opportunities.

California should provide more mental health services to veterans following their discharge from military service. A significant percentage of veterans experience mental health problems, specifically PTSD and substance abuse, because of the trauma they face at war. According to Susan Ladika, close to half of veterans who served after 9/11 suffered some form of mental illness, and 35% received treatment for mental illness (Ladika, 2019). A study led by researchers Marilyn Winkleby and Diane Fleshin also found that homeless veterans have a higher alcohol intake than nonveterans (Winkleby, Fleshin, 1993). In order to lessen the percentage of veterans suffering from mental diseases, the California government can provide funding to veterans’ organizations such as the Veterans Village and the Fisher House Foundation, allowing them to establish therapy and rehab centers exclusively for veterans. These therapy centers can give veterans access to therapists, therapy dogs, and even a temporary shelter if they should need it. Treating the mental health problems many veterans face will allow for a smoother transition into civilian life and decrease the percentage of homeless veterans in California.

The state government can also fund these organizations to move veterans off the street and into transitional homes as rapidly as possible. According to Alan Greenblatt, Los Angeles County passed a ballot measure in 2017, creating a comprehensive homeless program that is expected to get over 90% of its homeless population off the street (Greenblatt, 2017). Additionally, in her article ‘Veterans Struggles’, Ladika discusses the research of the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA), indicating that the percentage of homeless veterans has significantly declined since the VA has started working with veterans’ charities and organizations (Ladika, 2019). Like Los Angeles and the VA, the California government should provide a certain amount of funding to veterans’ organizations, like the Veterans Village and the Fisher House Foundation, to provide transitional housing for veterans in need. These transitional housing facilities may even provide amenities in addition to food and shelter, such as therapy and help finding employment. If the state government provides funding to veterans’ organizations to create temporary housing, the percentage of homeless veterans in California will significantly decrease.

In addition to funding temporary homeless shelters, California should make permanent housing more affordable for veterans. Since California is the most populous state in the union, its housing market is one of the most expensive, making it extremely difficult for struggling veterans to find a home. According to Peter Katel, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) started providing housing vouchers to veterans in order to help them buy permanent homes, helping more than 73,000 as of 2014 (Katel, 2014). The state government can revise current laws to expand on this HUD policy, mandating more residential areas for affordable housing for veterans. By reserving more areas to be affordable, more veterans will have the opportunity to find a house in the state of California.

California should create a job networking program to connect veterans to new career opportunities. Ladika states, that the majority of service members are not sufficiently prepared to return to civilian life before their discharge, stating that 20% of them turn to alcohol abuse and only 25% have another job ready after their discharge (Ladika, 2019). Kimberly Curry Hall’s team also address this problem in their book Veteran Employment, claiming that many veterans do not know how to find connections to jobs that are relevant to their abilities and many companies do not know how to find veterans (Hall et al, 2014). The state government can solve this problem by establishing a job networking program. Like an employment agency, the program can find potential career matches for veterans by looking at local availabilities and individual resumes. Ideally, the program will connect veterans to their dream career after the service, but it will also help veterans find some form of employment to support themselves. By connecting veterans to jobs and salaries, the Veterans Networking Program can ensure that less veterans become homeless after their discharge.

Additionally, California should provide more scholarship opportunities to veterans. In ‘Veteran Employment’, Hall and her team found that companies seeking exclusively employees with college degrees are less likely to hire veterans, and only a small percentage of companies will hire veterans for a certain level of employment (Hall et al, 2014). Veterans that do not have college experience or a degree qualify for less job opportunities. The state government should offer more scholarship opportunities for veterans to entice them to get a college degree if they do not have one. The state should also provide more federal student aid to veterans to make this higher education more affordable. By assisting veterans in paying for college after their discharge, the state can ensure that more veterans have a chance to find another career after their service.

Overall, California can decrease its percentage of homeless veterans by providing funding to veterans’ organizations, expanding current housing policies, creating a job networking program, and offering more scholarships to veterans. With more state funding, veterans’ organizations can create more therapy centers and transitional housing centers specifically for veterans. By expanding a current policy that mandates certain neighborhoods to have affordable housing, veterans with little to no income will have more options to choose from when buying a home. A job networking program can connect unemployed veterans to possibly career opportunities after they have been discharged. Lastly, more scholarship opportunities and student aid packages will encourage veterans to pursue a college degree if they haven’t already, bettering their chances of finding another job after their service. By implementing at least one of these policy ideas, the state of California will see a decrease in their high population of homeless veterans.

Bibliography

1. Greenblatt, A. (2017, August 4). Poverty and homelessness. CQ researcher. Retrieved from http://library.cqpress.com/
2. Hall, K., Harrell, M., Bicksler, B., Stewart, R., & Fisher, M. (2014). Hiring Veterans. In Veteran Employment: Lessons from the 100,000 Jobs Mission (pp. 7-16). RAND Corporation. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7249/j.ctt14bs4jf.6
3. Katel, P. (2014, October 10). Housing the homeless. CQ Researcher, 24, 841-864. Retrieved from http://library.cqpress.com/
4. Ladika, S. (2019, October 4). Veterans’ struggles. CQ researcher, 29, 1-55. Retrieved from http://library.cqpress.com/
5. Winkleby, M., & Fleshin, Diane. (1993). Physical, Addictive, and Psychiatric Disorders among Homeless Veterans and Nonveterans. Public Health Reports (1974-), 108(1), 30-36. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/4597281

The housing crisis is an issue Butler highlights in the novel. The unaffordability of housing and services not only places pressure and financial restraints on people who possess homes, but it causes a rising number of homelessness. The violent representation of the homeless has led to urban securitization as a community response, and Butler symbolizes this with the wall that separates Lauren’s community from the poor.

In 2011, an estimated 1.5 million homeless people in the US were attributed to the changing labor market structure in the economy. Unaffordability is driven by falling incomes that deepen income polarization. This can be portrayed by contrasting settlements such as in Mumbai with over 55% of the population living in slums but are against the backdrop of high-rise condominiums and Antilla, one of the most expensive houses ever. The setting of the Robledo neighborhood mirrors this contrast between Lauren’s gated community and the squatter settlements outside of the wall and homeless on sidewalks.

In the novel, Lauren hints about the inequality between the “walled estates” and the “pitiful, unwalled residential areas”, as well as between “politicians and big corporations” who “get the bread” and middle-low class people like Lauren’s community who “get the circuses”. The inequality is portrayed in the physical landscape of residential areas but also in the economic and financial status of individuals and households.

Gated communities such as Robledo, are meant to protect residences from homeless people who are depicted as “drunks or druggies” and “dangerous and crazy”. The wall which barricades the neighborhood is first described by Lauren as “a massive looming presence…more threatening than protective”. The diction of “threatening”, Butler further emphasizes by the strategies Lauren’s community takes to protect themselves against the homeless: “pieces of broken glass as well as the usual barbed wire” on the wall, neighborhood watch armed with weapons, and “adults of every household to own weapons”. This alludes to issues of urban securitization that transforms not only the physical landscape but also behavior. The wall in the Robledo neighborhood mirrors the defensive design and architecture that many cities are employing in order to keep some users in or out of the space. Real-life examples include benches that are made uncomfortable to sit in to prevent homeless people from sleeping. Along with this are militarization tactics that are used in urban policing: the Toronto police possessing military assault rifles parallels with the armed adults and the compulsory target practices.

The pressure of unaffordability stems from the lack of wealth and unstable income the Robledo residences possess. Urban securitization that takes violent forms in the novel emerges because police services are too costly. This extends to other services and even basic necessities such as water and food. Whilst the households in their community have forms of income to cover their current needs, the lack of wealth provides no safety net. The precarity of their living conditions has implications to their economic well-being but also social life and this is evident. This mirrors the rise of precarious work in the ‘Postindustrial’ urbanism era.

To conclude, the housing crisis Butler portrays is an extreme depiction of contemporary urban issues. The symbolic wall and defensive behavior Robledo has towards homeless people represent urban securitization. Unaffordability of services and basic necessities arise because of deepening income polarization that resulted from economic crises like unemployment.

In the article, “Millions Living Above the Poverty Line Also Struggle to Get By”, the author states, “The large share of the population struggling to pay bills includes Americans of all types, the WOW report found. More than one-fifth of homes headed by a college graduate and 24 percent of Americans working full-time can’t make ends meet, according to the report. Those statistics indicate that economic insecurity extends beyond the unemployed or little-educated…(Berman2013).” Victims of these risk factors end up being homeless involuntarily; that is why the whole homelessness issue is complicated and hard to solve. This means that homelessness is not a housing problem or a financial issue, but it is a public health problem that can be solved from the medical perspective. In the past decade, the federal government has invested a lot in research and services to help solve the mystery of homelessness in the United States. This paper evaluates Herbert Gans and Michel Foucault’s’ perspective towards the increasing homelessness cases in the United States.

Theoretical analysis

Herbert Gans believes that the number of homeless people in the United States is high because those who are better off creates such situations as they know the homeless will be of great use to them. According to Herbert Gans poverty is a fault of the poor and homelessness is one of the consequences of poverty. He says that this issue can be solved but because the better off people do not want it solved the situation has to remain that way. A situation like this is important as they will take advantage of it to get cheap labor and create jobs. Those people who are homeless will be willing to offer ant services at any pay for them to get something to eat or a simple shelter they can call home. With more people in the streets, the dirty works can be done like cleaning the streets and the drainage systems in exchange for food and shelter.

In the attempt to solve the homelessness situation there will be job creation because more specialist will be required to offer their services (Kouri, PPT, functions of the poor by Herbert Gans, slide 4). Apart from jobs many charity organization with being formed to help with the situation and others will get a chance to organize for fundraisers to help them. To the homeless people, they will think that those who plan to help them care about them and they will volunteer to offer services as a way of appreciating. On the other hand, the high society who organize benefits for the homeless is after their own interests. The issue of homelessness in the United States may never come to an end because it is like a cycle where the high society cause the situation and then volunteer to help them never will it come a day when the better off will organize permanent benefits for the homeless because they will have no people to leech on for personal gains. From Herbert Gans perspective, homelessness within the United States will be on the rise because it has benefits to the better off people in the society.

Michel Foucault believes that most social issues like homelessness are as a result of social failure due to misused power and knowledge. He believes that if power and knowledge are used in the right way, then it is possible for those with power and knowledge to control society. For an issue like homelessness, the main causes should be evaluated because it cannot be solved from a general perspective. Those in power may think homelessness is an issue caused by the housing problems only for them to find that even after solving the housing problem there are people out there who are still homeless. The policymakers and the administration are not playing their role to evaluate the homelessness risk factors so that the strategies to solve the issue can be created from the risk factors. You cannot solve an issue without uprooting the actual cause; otherwise, it will reoccur again in no time.

Michel Foucault says that power is everywhere and can come from anywhere, so the issue of poverty and homelessness is being escalated by use of the wrong power and ignorance to the truth and scientific understanding. In society, there are people who benefit from social issues, and they use the power they have to create such an issue. With more than one power controlling the society solving the issue becomes a mystery. To make the matter even worse, those who should be helping to come up with a solution to end homelessness in the United States are the same people behind the cause of the same situation. From Michel Foucault’s viewpoint, as long as the truth behind the homelessness situation in the United States and the understanding of it is ignored the issue will be on the rise even in the future no matter what strategies are applied to solve the issue. He says that is it easy to control society by use of power and knowledge, but the impact is determined by who uses the power.

Conclusion

In my opinion, Herbert Gans explains the homelessness social issue better than Michel Foucault. I feel so because homelessness has been recurring in the United States for quite some time now and it was all about power all of the federal administrations would have found a way to fight the big businesses playing behind the scenes to escalate the problem. I believe that many Americans do not want the issue to be solved because of the benefits it brings to the economy. Most of the high society benefit from the situation as it creates more opportunities for them and they will never push for the issue to be solved. There are disadvantages for having so many people in the streets, but their contribution to wealth-making is all that matters. I feel that this situation is caused on purpose because there is no way a country with a large economy as ours would not be able to solve a social issue lie homelessness whose causes and risk factors are known.

In this reflection, I will be discussing my own personal beliefs concerning my chosen topic of homelessness. From my perspective, I will critically reflect on what has influenced my beliefs throughout my experience as well as, what could be challenging and what I could use as opportunities through being a social worker.

From my perspective, I’ve encountered several different beliefs on what homelessness is during my existence. I recall from a young age being consciously aware that homeless individuals were different than my family, friends, or myself but didn’t understand why I felt confused, as I knew they were human just like myself. During adolescence and under the influence of other individuals’ opinions, I briefly held the belief that generally homeless persons were dependent on substances and lazy. My beliefs were shaped this way because of a personal experience of a homeless individual that I encountered frequently while walking home from work. My beliefs were made this way through the numerous times I witnessed him rummaging through public bins looking for cigarettes. However, this belief just solidified as I observed him more often and the community would regularly give him money. With his change, he would disappear, then a few minutes later arrive back shortly with a bottle of alcohol and a pack of cigarettes. Once again, just as my younger inner child thought, I was confused as to why he’d buy alcohol instead of a meal. I am now also consciously aware that individuals can become homeless for an array of reasons and how addicts usually can’t stop what they’re addicted to without help, support, and a safe environment. While going through, this I noticed several other personal beliefs that affected my perspective on homelessness. These include I regularly made assumptions that all homeless individuals were addicted to something, that the location I saw this happen had high numbers of homeless persons and I was ultimately afraid to approach them, which I then used my assumptions as an excuse to ignore homelessness.

It was not until recently that my views had dramatically altered. I watched a documentary called “Drugs Inc.” on Netflix, which primarily focused on the everyday lives of homeless people.

It exposed that substance addictions were common in homelessness, but also there was an array of other issues that affected the individuals. It releveled how the impacts of addiction can affect an individual physically and psychologically, which can result in finical issues, mental health issues, and losing relationships. I now have a more depth understanding as I believe that homelessness and substance abuse are frequently seen together and contribute to one or the other, but also how many other issues contribute, like mental health. I have also realized that this can happen because of the difficult environment/conditions, while being isolated without any support, especially from their families.

Furthermore, through exploring my own personal beliefs I’ve realized how much it can influence my work as a social worker in the future, especially regarding my chosen group of homelessness. Personal beliefs, values, attitudes, and behavior will all contribute to how I will approach potential challenges in the future. Possible challenges can include how to appropriately approach homeless individuals and effectively communicate, not making assumptions, especially regarding substance abuse as my beliefs can unconsciously link them together and use critical thinking methods to recognize how each individual will vary and will need different strategies. However, there are also lots of opportunities to learn from working with homeless individuals. These include exposing myself to new environments that may be uncomfortable, the opportunity to learn from other social workers who have previously been exposed to homelessness, and actively listening to the individuals’ perspective, which could help assist me in someone else’s case if similar. As a social worker, it would be important for me to be actively engaged while skillfully being able to critically reflect and think, apply evidence-based approaches, use interpersonal communication skills, be consciously aware of ethical, political, and cultural aspects, and comfortably change strategies when necessary to build trusting relationships to assist my clients successfully. In conclusion, through exploring and reflecting on my own personal beliefs on homelessness, I have now realized how being consciously self-aware, using challenges and opportunities, can influence or affect how I interact and view homelessness as a social worker in the future.

Poverty and Homelessness in the US is a big problem- How to solve it

How many times do you see a homeless person on the streets, holding up a sign describing that they need help? If you were to answer that question, you probably wouldn’t know, because we see homelessness happening every day of our lives and we lose track of how many. We live in a country where there are many opportunities and dreams but poverty plays a big role and it can lead to many reasons.

Introduction

When people see homeless people on the streets asking for money, I am sure that they would automatically think that they would need it for drugs or alcohol. I believe this because it has crossed my mind as well. As I grew older, I learned not to judge a book by its cover. To this day, I have witnessed people drinking or even smoking while holding up the sign, but I still try to help them because we don’t know what a person goes through to be in that position.

Homelessness is not always just drugs and alcohol. There are stories behind this, and therefore people have many reasons to be homeless. Homelessness in the United States is a big problem and it is sad to see people day and night in these situations but there are ways to be able to solve this.

What causes homelessness? Well, several causes contribute to this like, abuse, domestic violence, lack of affordable housing, unemployment, lack of needed services, drugs and alcohol addiction, and many more. Living in the United States is expensive, it’s hard to maintain a financially stable life with a minimum wage pay. Domestic violence also plays a big factor, a real-life situation can be a woman being treated horribly by a partner who thinks is in control, and they have no other choice, but to just leave, with no money, and clothes on their backs, since they depended on the partner. Then they are left with nowhere to go, and sometimes even with kids and with no government assistance.

The effects of homelessness can be health issues, people getting raped, and families separating from each other. Living in the cold, or in the hot can lead to personal health issues. People can easily get raped since they have nowhere to be, and at times a person can be sleeping and can be randomly assaulted, simply being outside where you don’t know what dangers are out there is not a safe place to be. It’s a sad reality that not all shelters take everyone. Some shelters don’t accept certain people, for example, others don’t accept children.

Shelters are not considered a long-term solution, shelters, can sometimes lead to bad things. Sometimes, homeless people try to avoid shelters because there have been bad experiences there like violence, theft, rape, and other violent incidents. Homeless shelters in New York City had a record of 826 “violent incidents” inside the shelters. It’s hard to believe that a “safe place” which is considered a shelter, can not always be a good idea, and that’s how homeless people try to avoid it.

Affordable housing is considered a long-term solution. There are thousands of people who work and get paid minimum wage, and cutting down the price to what they can afford, can make a huge difference. If the government would consider this and look into depth then the number of homelessness people can be reduced.

Now, this can lead to a disadvantage. Not every homeless person will want to stay at home all the time. Many of them are very used to being in the streets, and some have physical and mental problems that can lead them to not stay off the streets. Analyzing this method, and overall the government providing an affordable, and long-term home can solve this situation.

Housing plays a big factor in solving homelessness but to be able to live a stable life, the government should provide services for all. Not having the attention to personal health, behavioral health, employment, and other supports can result in having people unstable. Bassuk Center on Homeless and Vulnerable Children and Youth made a report on how having services is important just as housing alone. Services can prevent homelessness in the future and can help them financially, mentally, and physical ways.

America is struggling to solve homelessness, not everyone is going to be a doctor, a lawyer, and in other top-level positions to be stable enough. For America to end homelessness all they need is higher incomes and lower housing costs. That leads people to work a minimum-wage job and those are the people who are considered to be at the highest risk of being homeless.

It is crazy to see people in the streets in very bad conditions, you see them sleeping on concrete, getting abused, with no food and water, or their medications. You’re going to think that they needed all these services but in reality, what these people needed was a higher income or a cheaper rent. America sees no improvement in getting better. The economy is creating new homeless people and the problem gets worse each day and each day it becomes harder to solve.

New York City is ranked as the number one city to have the most homeless people. They are at 78,676 of homeless people and 3,711 of them are unsheltered. New York City is the most expensive city in the United States. Living in this city comes to one hundred and twenty percent higher than the national average. This shows that the most expensive state contributes to the highest number of homeless people. Kansas City, Missouri is ranked at the lowest homeless population. It has 1,798 homeless people and 324 are unsheltered. You can see that this city is not expensive, therefore it has the lowest number of homeless people.

There has been a method that people have seen significant improvements in and it is “data” which is being used to solve homelessness. So far, three United States cities have noticed the success that data brings upon. A U.S national program which is called, “Built for Zero” uses modern investigation programming to follow the lives of homeless individuals. They enable agencies to intervene and help them in housing. It has helped 96,000 people off the streets since 2015, it includes 65,000 veterans. It has been stated that it can have a major effect by uniting organizations and giving a reasonable image of the various issues confronting the city.

Overall, homelessness is a serious matter and every day the numbers do not stop growing. These are a few ways on how we can prevent homelessness to keep growing. Evening having a group to go out and help the ones in need as a community can reduce homelessness. I have always cared about the well-being of others, even if I don’t know them personally. It breaks me to see people on the streets suffering and it is sad because this is the reality of thousands of people in the world. Researching this topic opened my eyes more and I found ways to help the community and reflect on it as well.

Bibliography

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