Housing is a fundamental aspect in a person’s life. However, not everyone may possess it. Unfortunately, homelessness is one of the greatest problems of the modern world. In spite of the development of the country, some of its citizens face the problem that may be caused by the economic factors, natural disasters, or individual’s mental issues. Although homelessness reflects some imperfectness of the governmental power in the sphere of the social welfare, there are solutions which include providing people from the streets appropriate employment and ensuring the financial support of the inhabitants of the poor districts.
To begin with, each year between 2–3 million people in the United States experience an episode of homelessness. The citizens without shelter are commonly disposed in the urban territories of the country. However, homelessness is also spread in the suburban and rural areas. It influences people in spite of their age being he/she a newborn or an elderly person. In fact, the problem is short-lasting, but for about 10% of the individuals, it is either a returning issue or a cyclical one.
Furthermore, homelessness depends on the diverse aspects such as race, gender, age, sexual orientation, or ethnicity. Nevertheless, first and foremost, the lack of accommodation is closely connected with the economic instability in the state as well as insufficient support in buying housing affordable for those with low income. For example, the financial crisis of 2008 became a downturn of the economic situation in many countries around the globe, which influenced the earnings of their citizens. Consequently, it caused high unemployment rate and loss of savings. Thus, a lot of people were left without the shelter.
Secondly, the reason of the lack of housing may be the natural disaster, which has occurred in a particular territory. It may be an earthquake, a hurricane, a flood, etc. In fact, any unpredictable weather change or phenomena is an issue, which may lead to homelessness. For instance, one may provide the example of the hurricane Katrina as a result of which many citizens were devoid of their homes.
Thirdly, mental illnesses or addiction may culminate in the deprivation of the housing. In this case, people lose it due to their own actions and intentions. They either do not have income, or it is spent inadequately. Thus, such a group of people remains without shelter.
The Research of the Problem
The issue of homelessness is a keen aspect of the modern society which can affect a majority of the population. For this reason, a great number of scientists have been investigating and discussing the problem for decades. Moreover, their works comprise the solutions of the issue as well.
To start with, Bray has written a report presented by the American Psychological Association that states the problem and represents the historical background of the homelessness. It contains the information about the surveys conducted and the statistics received during the last few years. The work also includes the depiction of the groups that are at risk, and mainly, they range from the newborns to the adults. Additionally, the author gives the overview of the psychological factors which include the steps of entering and exiting homelessness. Finally, the role of psychologists and the policy are mentioned.
Fertig and Reingold in their work “The Characteristics and Causes of Homelessness among at Risk Families with Children in Twenty American Cities” investigate the features and causes of homelessness. The presented data estimates the various sets of the risk factors that affect the problem at the personal, community, and city levels. Furthermore, they show the links between institutional and informal social support. Finally, the paper concludes that strengthening of the governmental interventions in the lives of the families with low income reduce the rate of homelessness.
In “Tent Cities: An Interim Solution to Homelessness and Affordable Housing Shortages in the United States”, Loftus-Farren introduces the issue under consideration and its background. She draws attention to the links between the economic crisis and the absence of the accommodation among the residents. Furthermore, the solution in the form of the tent cities is presented. The author demonstrates their advantages and arrangement from the self-governance to the advocacy and the security. Nevertheless, the given approach has its disadvantages as well represented in ethical constraints and communities’ attitude to them.
Finally, Philipps states the reasons of the homelessness and the measures of the public policy to cope with the problem in the work “Homelessness: Causes, Culture and Community Development as a Solution”. The author mentions the number of triggers that cause the phenomenon in the society. The conclusion is made that both the community and culture play the significant role as a means of the individual overcoming of the problem. Thus, the norms of the culture and the rehabilitation are investigated. Finally, the author analyzes the modern institutions that assist homeless and proposes solutions to improve the situation by shaping public policy.
The Solutions to the Problem
Therefore, after reviewing the scholarly articles on the homelessness, the best solution of the problem is to provide the citizens in need with the appropriate financial conditions which may be reached via help in employment. The qualified and non-qualified specialists should be supported with the job opportunities. Obviously, they cannot be estimated equally. However, those who do not possess any vocational experience may be trained. After that, the employers can propose them the job based on their skills and knowledge as well as on the sphere of interests. Consequently, it will ensure that people receive income that makes them financially independent, and as a result, they will succeed in housing. Obviously, such a scheme cannot exist without the governmental support. The authorities either on the state or on the local level should sign the agreement about the cooperation. Thus, some plants, factories, or enterprises will teach the homeless people to gain some vocational skill. Meanwhile, the authorities will provide them with a permanent housing, sufficient clothes, and nutrition.
The second solution of the problem concerns the financial support of the inhabitants of the poor districts since the residents of such neighborhoods experience the lack of the placement. Additionally, dysfunctional families with the instances of violence, drug or alcoholic abuse commonly reside in such locations. Thus, the problem should be nipped in the bud. Primarily, such districts should be controlled by the authorities which can be implemented via the support of the social programs. Therefore, they can prevent citizens who are on the verge of losing their placement from homelessness. In particular, the social services should estimate and determine both moral and financial condition of the families in the discussed places. Moreover, they should define the percentage of the families who are in the risk group of becoming homeless. Social officers have to maintain the connection with them to overcome the psychological problems regarding the various types of the parental abuse and the children’s education. Property owners, police, spiritual leaders, or the neighbors are the sources of the information on such families since they spend more time with them and remain on the closest positions to them.
To sum up, homelessness is one of the essential issues of the modern world. It closely relates to the work of the governmental institutions as it is a reflection of the prosperity of the state and its ability to solve the problem. The lack of accommodation is mainly caused by financial conditions, natural disasters, and various kinds of abuse. Nevertheless, the given paper has provided several ways to overcome the problem such as employment opportunities and sufficient social welfare that will assist in reducing the significance of the social phenomenon. Overall, the housing should be the essential requirement for every citizen.
The issue of homeless people is more deeply analyzed in the case study writing. Check it out!