Phillip P
Homelessness is a problem, so how can we solve this? How many people are homeless? The reasons on how maybe one decision led them to be on the streets are behind why they may choose to live on the streets. Did alcohol or drugs cause them to fall to poverty and unhealthy behavior? Who were they before they became homeless? Do they have resources or do they scavenge for food or use the wilderness to survive? Does the government want to help the homeless and what can we do to tackle this crisis? In the United States there are many who suffer from homelessness, but there are many solutions to this problem.
There are many reasons why people become homeless. It may be because they lose the support from family or losing a loved one. One reason people become homeless is that they may have lost everything from a divorce. Things like natural disasters and serious illness can be a cause as well. In America, it is factual that most people with low income wage jobs cannot afford a two-bedroom apartment. The government lacks in providing affordable housing, so not everyone who is living on the streets can be sheltered. A shortage of 7.2 million affordable rental homes for seriously low-income renters is another cause for more poverty in the United States (“Homelessness/Poverty Fact Sheet”). It can be so devastating when whether physically or mentally, a person with disabilities, drug or alcohol addiction cannot keep a job. Even one’s race can be a cause of homelessness. Statistics show that most low-income renters are working students, seniors, and people with disabilities (“Homelessness/Poverty Fact Sheet”). Seventy-one percent of Americans spend half of their income on rent. Data from United States Conference of Mayors states that most people remain homeless for at least eight months; emergency shelters hold individuals for 69 days for single men, 51 days for single women, and 70 days for families (“How Many People Experience Homelessness?”). After the 69 days people are left on the street for roughly five months.
Meanwhile, the governments that are supposed to help homeless people are instead making the issue worse. In Osceola County, Florida, this state imprisoned 37 homeless people repeatedly and spent around $5,000,000 to do so. Since 2006, they have raised loitering laws nationwide by 88%. Furthermore, the anti-camping laws are up to a high of 69%. Panhandlers have elevated to a high of 43%. Research of homeless people being arrested is about 4-6 times more likely than people who are not homeless. About 50,000 men and women leaving prisons are becoming homeless (Mitchell 2018). This causes the released prisoners to not have a support and resources to aid them for their care.
Even many of our own veterans, who have served this country, end up homeless after they leave the military. The reasons why they become impoverished are due to shortage of affordable housing, not being able to get a livable income, and not being able to access health care as often as they need. Many war veterans may suffer from a disorder called post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and that can also be a cause. The VA assist approximately about 150,000 veterans with health care (“How Many People Experience Homelessness?” 2009). These are Americans that fight for our country to keep us safe and the government needs to aid them when they come back home.
One way to end homelessness is by having government assistance programs for the homeless community. Rehabilitations centers and more housing at a cheaper cost can also help. Another way to help homelessness is to distribute cell phones to the homeless. Cell phones have been a new source of communication for the homeless. The reason why this is an important solution is because they can connect with employers for job interviews, talk to family, and get emergency care. Another way is by making it easier for homeless people to find jobs and earn income. Some ways that people have already worked towards minimizing the amount of poverty in America by changing some of the laws in place against homelessness. In Austin, Texas on June 21, the city officially voted to change some of the laws criminalizing homelessness. In Sacramento County, they decided to change the laws regarding homelessness by making sleeping on public property legal if there are no spaces in shelters available. In Boise, Idaho, three judges stated that anti-camping laws did not agree with the Constitution. This ruling helped other cities to think about the morality of their own laws against homelessness.
Funding is going to be an issue for the solutions. However, the government provides funding through federal and state grants for housing and homeless assistance. The government in the year 2020 will issue a grant to the homeless for assistance for three billion dollars and twenty-four billion dollars for housing. This may resolve most homelessness in the United States by 2020. While most homelessness is going to be resolved, it is not going to solve all of the homelessness. We as a country need to help donate money and resources to the charities of America for the homeless.
We solve homelessness by giving them the right resources. They range from being born into it or losing everything due to a catastrophic event in their lives. Also, many people become homeless when they are addicted to drugs and alcohol. Not having an education can be a reason for low income or being poor. People go back into homelessness because the government does not aid released prisoners. The Government should provide more support for its homeless community.
Annotated Bibliography
“Homelessness Archives.” Invisible People, Invisible People, https://invisiblepeople.tv/category/learn-more/homelessness/.
“Homelessness/Poverty Fact Sheet.” Family Promise, https://familypromise.org/homelessness-fact-sheet/. This is about the homeless having communication resources and homeless being arrested. This is important to my essay because it tells the reasons why the homeless need mobile phones and the amount of homeless criminalized. I picked this article because I see the homeless receiving cell phones in order to get aid.
“How Many People Experience Homelessness?” National Coalition for the Homeless, National Coalition for the Homeless, July 2009, https://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/How_Many.html.
Mitchell, Mindy. “Homelessness and Incarceration Are Intimately Linked. New Federal Funding Is Available to Reduce the Harm of Both.” National Alliance to End Homelessness, 29 Mar. 2018, https://endhomelessness.org/homelessness-incarceration-intimately-linked-new-federal-funding-available-reduce-harm/.https://invisiblepeople.tv/learn-more/
The summary of this is on prisoners becoming homeless after leaving prison. I believe that this is a good for my essay because it gives the numbers of released criminals becoming homeless. This important to me because they can return back to prison which I’m arguing against.
The summary of this essay is about the facts of how many people go homeless in California. This tells about the number of homeless veterans and households we have in California. I picked this article because it has great research and facts. This important so we can keep track of our poverty level in California.
https://endhomelessness.org/homelessness-in-america/homelessness-statistics/state-of-homelessness-report/california/?emailsignup&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-ZuD04Te5AIVl-NkCh2ioAL4EAMYAiAAEgLsnvD_BwE
NAEH, ”Federal Funding for Homelessness programs”, https://endhomelessness.org/ending-homelessness/policy/federal-funding-homelessness-programs/accessed September 26,2019
This a funding website for homelessness in America. This is important to my essay because it gives a solution to solution. I picked this article because it has great data.
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