Personal and Professional Interest I have witnessed the powerful life changing manner in
Personal and Professional Interest I have witnessed the powerful life changing manner in
This case study discusses Mayor Paul Schell’s pledge for homeless families in Seattle, Washington. Being that homelessness in Seattle was so bad Mayor Schell knew it was something that had to be done. Therefore, on June 2, 1998 Mayor Schell spoke to the press and pledge that there will be no homeless families with children and homeless single women on the streets of Seattle by December 25, 1998. This paper will analyze the policies, strategies, and programs within his administration and the impact on them by his pledge. It will also discuss the implementation of the program. Lastly, it will discuss the importance of the assessments prior to the implementation.…
During the past decade there may have been an increase in homelessness due to the struggles of daily life. People have many ideas on ways that the government or communities can help improve these situations. It is not easy to help the homeless but any help can improve their lives and our streets. It may not take them completely off our streets but it can help them to get back on their feet.…
solution for improving the problem of homelessness. Creating a program that not only house the…
In 2008 the US Department of Housing and Urban Development began accepting funding applications for rapid rehousing initiatives. Identified by the National Alliance to End Homelessness as programs which involve, “housing identification, rent and move-in assistance (financial), and rapid re-housing case management and services,” rapid rehousing has been conclusively shown in multiple studies to reduce the rate of return to homelessness more effectively than other initiatives such as temporary housing and emergency housing (14). This, as well as the overall reduced cost of providing rapid rehousing services, is stated as fact in the US Interagency Council on Homelessness’ report “Opening Doors,” however organizations are still not preferentially…
Homelessness is a part of life many are aware of and may even have witnessed or observed an individual experiencing homelessness. Homelessness crosses many social classifications including race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, age, location, health, social status, and family status (Mizrahi & Davis, 2008). There are homeless individuals in every city across the United States. This paper will focus on the homeless population within the city of Kalamazoo, Michigan.…
The Alliance analyzes policy and develops pragmatic, cost-effective policy solutions. The Alliance works collaboratively with the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to build state and local capacity, leading to stronger programs and policies that help communities achieve their goal of ending homelessness. This group provide data and research to policymakers and elected officials in order to inform policy debates and educate the public and opinion leaders nationwide. There are four key areas that the Alliance works to end all homelessness: family, youth, veteran, and chronic…
Working in the field of human services, we encounter various barriers and some causes of barriers are due to poverty. One main barrier that is harder to deal with are working with the homeless. As we take for granted the opportunity to go home at the end of the night and enjoy a good meal, there are many that are not given the same privilege. There are a number of people identify as being homeless as they’re residing in the streets and have no dwelling to take care of their personal hygienes or food to eat a good nutrition meal to maintain healthy. In the meantime, the number of homeless people continues to rise. These are the people that need some assistance now and the community should come together to assist those in need of basic survival…
Two trends are largely responsible for the rise in homelessness over the past 20-25 years: a growing shortage of affordable rental housing and a simultaneous increase in poverty. Persons living in poverty are most at risk of becoming homeless, and demographic groups who are more likely to experience poverty are also more likely to experience homelessness (National Coalition for the Homelessness, 2009). The lack of affordable housing is the primary cause of homelessness in the United States. Due to the combination of stagnant incomes and rising housing costs, affordable housing has become unobtainable for an increasing portion of the population, and as the disparity between wages and housing costs increases, more individuals are at risk of homelessness. In the current national market, even a one- bedroom…
With the recent affordable-housing crisis that has been transpiring in Canada, homelessness has become a highly significant social issue (Gaetz, Gulliver, & Richter, 2014, p. 5). To address the issue of homelessness, the Alberta Secretariat for Action on Homelessness (Secretariat) released the document “A Plan for Alberta: Ending Homelessness in 10 Years” in 2008. The philosophy behind this plan is Housing First which was popularized in New York City in the 1990’s (Calgary Homeless Foundation, 2014, p. 1).…
Homelessness has been affecting societies despite of economic stability and the overall wealth of the nation. It is seen as a stigma and directly associated with the concept of marginalization. There are the conventional notions of people sleeping in a cardboard box or addicts concealed between the alleyways of streets. Yet the homeless include those who live in their cars, in temporary shelters, abandoned buildings, and cheap motels. They are individuals who lack sufficient resources and who can not afford adequate housing. But what defines a home? Homelessness is about more than rooflessness. A home is not just a physical…
Homelessness has become an epidemic issues across the world. Baltimore City has become a hot spot for the homeless. According to statistics, Baltimore City is rising at thirty thousand homeless individuals with the given year (Shocking Stats About Homelessness in Baltimore and USA, 2016). On any given night, Baltimore City streets will be homes for three thousand individuals (Shocking Stats About Homelessness in Baltimore and USA, 2016). This is an on going problem that continues to grow every year. There are several prevention programs in placed to help the homeless in Baltimore City, however it is not enough to get them off the streets for good. A better prevention plan needs to be implemented. This paper will…
Homelessness is a growing social injustice in the United States. The degradation that these people face every day is terrifying. It is a crisis that we too often ignore, hoping it will restore itself. That assumption delivers a widespread lack of understanding about the facts that lead to homelessness. Homelessness exists as a problem that we should acknowledge and treat.…
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, (2016), reported the current estimate of the homeless population at 549,928 to Congress November of 2016, after the completion of a point in time survey conducted one night at the end of January 2016 across the nation to include the sheltered and unsheltered homeless population. Of the 549,928 reported, 68% were residing in emergency shelters. The homeless population according to the report is comprised of veterans, families, unaccompanied youth 18-24 years, unaccompanied children under age 18 and single individuals. At some point and time, social workers will encounter this population regardless of their discipline and it is important to understand the issue, the person's perspective, and the needs and resources available to assist (Social Work Policy Institute, 2010). Social workers operate from the position of social change and understanding the many dimensions of homeless will assist social workers in the fight to end homelessness. There are many perspectives and misconceptions on the issue surrounding the homeless population. Society plays in integral role on the issue of homelessness and resources and actions taken to prevent the increasing numbers. As social workers, we have the ability to guide how homeless individuals and families see themselves and how society sees…
America currently obtains more than 500,000 people living on the streets. Homelessness is a rising issue that is continuing at full speed. Everyday more people are forced to the streets with no other options. The main cause of homelessness is loss of income, divorce or breakups in a home, and traumatic incidents in a person’s life, these factors can push people out onto the streets and damage their mental and physical health.…
The homelessness problem in communities across America is real and is certainly not an easy social problem to tackle (Howard, 2013). However, if a large city such as the City of New York that spending over a billion dollars a year in homeless shelter programs is having trouble funding the program and accommodating the ever-increasing homeless population, imagine the mission impossible facing smaller cities around the nation (Stewart, 2014). Although it is a fact that increasing funding for homeless service programs helps the effort to eradicated chronic homelessness, it is also true that cities across America are working with restricted budgets of their own (Moulton, 2013).…