Homelessness Prevention Strategies

Homelessness and poverty is a growing problem not only in Nebraska but, in the United States as a whole. The world population is growing with more people starting families but, with the economy on the decline this becomes a problem. Many people have lost jobs and jobs have become very scarce. Many people have gone to the government for assistance. There are many things that can be done to prevent the problem from growing and even reduce the number of people that are homeless or living below the poverty line or at risk of either of these. I believe that there is more than one preventative strategy to use when trying to prevent poverty and homelessness in Nebraska. First, I think that the primary prevention strategy would work here. The reason
I think that the primary prevention strategy would work here is because it is used to prevent dysfunctions and disorders from occurring.
“An example of the primary prevention strategy might be a program to help the unemployed learn new skills and use support networks. Such a program might help prevent depression, alcoholism, and other psychological disorders.” If those people that are at risk for becoming homeless can have the resources available that will teach them certain skills maybe they will have a better chance at staying above the poverty line and not becoming homeless. It is necessary for those at risk for homelessness and those affected by poverty to learn new skills, in order to introduce them back into the world of working. These kinds of programs may even help those at risk of becoming homeless or poverty from becoming alcoholics, becoming depressed, and/ or abusing others, or even harming themselves. They will be taught how to deal with not only the stress of everyday life but, also the stress of how to provide for themselves and their families. They have to find shelter, food, and other things crucial to survival, things
that so many others take for granted. I find it very understanding that those affected by homelessness and poverty can become very stressed with all the things that they have to deal with. Many homeless people find themselves coming down with or effected by mental disorders because of all of the things that they have to deal with and worry about every day. It is vital that they get help for this right away before it progresses and if at all possible prevent it before it even happens. This is where the primary prevention strategy comes into play.
Along with the primary prevention strategy, the secondary prevention strategy would be effective when dealing with homelessness.
The reason that I think the secondary prevention strategy would be fitting when dealing with the issue of poverty and homelessness is because; the secondary prevention strategy is detecting dysfunction and treating it as early as possible. I think that this will fit because those at risk for poverty and homelessness are a growing population every day. The secondary prevention strategy will assist in reducing the population of the homeless and those below the poverty line. The secondary prevention strategy could be used to prevent homelessness for an individual but, generally focuses on reaching out to groups that are at risk of poverty and homelessness. According to "The Homeless Coalition Of Hillsborough County" (2013), a target population that might be focused on would be any individual or group of people that have experienced one or more of the following: “Loss of Job, Domestic Violence, High Housing / Rental Costs, Disability - Physical/Mental, Death of a Family Member, Low Paying Job, Natural Disasters (fires, storms), Catastrophic Illness, Family Break Up, Lack of Transportation (car or public system), Family Crisis (loss of hours; car break down), Lack of Affordable Health Care” (Why People Become
Homeless).
In certain situations the tertiary prevention strategy could be used in dealing with those affected by homelessness and poverty. The reason this would be effective is because the tertiary prevention strategy is defined by rehabilitating and returning to the community those afflicted with severe mental disorders. I think that when a person is homeless or anyone is affected by poverty needs to be reintroduced back into society. Some of the homeless population suffers from mental disorders. They need to relearn how to function normally in society. If they have been homeless or lived below the poverty line for a while they could possibly need help to be rehabilitated, if they are just put back into society then they have a risk of relapsing or running into other problems such as, drugs and alcohol.

References
The homeless Coalition of Hillsborough County. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.homelessofhc.org/index.php/get-educated-information-homelessness/causes-of-homelessness
. (n.d.). Human services in contempory America. : Cengage Learning.