Monica Arreaga U59881174 April 20, 2012 SYG 2010

Homelessness in the United States

It is estimated that 744,313 people in the United States are currently experiencing homelessness and the numbers are increasing. I chose homelessness to write on and further research because it was something that caught my interest when we discussed it in class and the video we watched on it really upset me and affected my views on people who are homeless and what they go through on a day-to-day basis. 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 (Why Are People Homeless). For years, organizations dedicated to assisting the less fortunate have fought a growing sense of NIMBY (not in my backyard) and anti-homelessness ordinances. Homeless campuses too often serve as revolving doors that house poor people for a limited amount of time, then spin them back out onto the streets with no improvement in their ability to climb out of poverty. It is not enough to

simply take homeless people off the streets and hide them. The real solution is to address the reasons why they become homeless in the first place. That is not to say that emergency shelters are not needed, but, rather, that funding should be spent on planned social services to assist the homeless in receiving the help and support they need to move out of poverty (Helping People Off The Streets). Housing assistance can make the difference between stable housing or no housing at all. However, the demand for assisted housing clearly exceeds the supply, excessive waiting lists for public housing mean that people must remain in shelters or inadequate housing arrangements longer (Why Are People Homeless). Most states now have a three-year or longer waiting period for Section 8 housing (Helping People Off The Streets). These shelters and programs although helpful and necessary are not helping stop or solve the problem. Two factors help account for increasing poverty: eroding employment opportunities for large segments of the workforce and the declining value and availability of public assistance. As a result of loss of benefits, low wages, and unstable employment, many families leaving welfare struggle to get medical care, food, and housing. Poor people are frequently unable to pay for housing, food, childcare, health care, and education. Difficult choices must be made when limited resources cover only some of these necessities. If you are poor, you are essentially an illness, an accident, or a paycheck away from living on the streets (Why Are People Homeless). Also, declining wages have put housing out of

reach for many workers: in every state, more than the minimum wage is required to afford a one or two bedroom apartment (Who Is Homeless) and you can never save up money because most shelters charge you for your stay so it just becomes a never ending cycle. In 2007, 12.5% of the U.S. population lived in poverty. Children compose 35.7% of people in poverty (Why Are People Homeless). Being homeless is something that is hurtful to your family and your self-image; homeless people find themselves hungry, depressed and sometimes even abused. Children living in poverty are extremely affected by poverty, school might be different for them, they might get picked on, these kids have to deal with not having a place to call home or a quiet place to do their homework. Im sure many homeless children also have to deal with hearing their parents argue or their parent stress over money, which only places more of a burden on them. This problem is far from solved and much still needs to be done to help get a movement on its feet. I would like to see help for all but especially children and veterans, since shockingly 40% of homeless men have served in the armed force (Who is Homeless), which is extremely saddening that more help cannot be offered to the heroes of this country. Many emergency shelters need to be turned into short and long-term transitional housing. These facilities should remain open 24 hours a day with support services that assist people with moving into permanent housing. Support services would include job skills training, addiction

recovery groups, mental health services, shower access, phones, and mail delivery. Long-term facilities should include job training and placement, child care, life skills training, transportation, and case management that require clients to set clear goals and objectives. Above all, facilities must create and maintain an environment that respects the dignity of each individual since most of these people have already lost everything, they dont need to be put down even more. Cities must make the commitment to increase the number of affordable permanent housing units for families, single individuals, and people with disabilities (Helping People Off The Streets). If I were to start a social movement to deal with this problem I would call it Everyone Needs a Home. Some of my slogans would be Because Sometimes Bad Things Happen to Good People, Help Give Others Not Only A Place To Call Home But Hope and You Too, Can Make a Difference. Some tactics I would use to get the word out would be social networking such as Facebook and twitter, newspapers, posters and rallying around school campus and busy areas of the city to try and raise money and awareness. Its difficult to get people to listen and involved sometimes but I believe there are many good people in this world that would love to give out a helping hand if given the opportunity. I would recruit my members by first asking all my close friends to join me and having them invite people who they think would be interested, also since USF is such a big campus I could make informative flyers to hand out and maybe set up a table where people could stop and get information on homelessness and how they can

help on their way to class. Finding out how successful a campaign would be seems to be a little difficult, some ways I would try to get informed would be to go check the amount of people checking into shelters and see if the numbers have decreased any. Also I could survey the homeless and see if theyve noticed any difference in the community or if they feel like there is more support for them going around. A conflict theorist would claim that the reason the homeless problem persists is not because of a homeless individual's supposed inability to advance oneself but that homelessness stems from the capitalistic social classes that oppress those who cannot find a place to work or a physical address to call home. Therefore, when the oppressors deny employment to those who need employment, the economic-underclass victims will either rise up demonstrably or consider taking a more silent route, which results in maintaining an existence as outcasts (Sociological Perspective on Homelessness). This knowledge can be helpful in that it helps people understand that people are not homeless by choice but through various circumstances of life. The economic development of every city is important to creating a healthy community and improving the quality of life for all citizens. Every human being should be entitled to adequate income, affordable housing, and quality health care. If society understands this basic principle and effectively invests its resources, that inevitably will make a lasting difference (Helping People Off The Streets).

REFRENCES

Hernandez, Joshua M. Sociological Perspective on Homelessness. Interactional, Functional, and Conflict-theorist Viewpoints on Homelessness, Oct 2007. Web. 18 Apr 2012. < http://voices.yahoo.com/sociological-perspectives-homelessness 576009.html>.

Hess, Robert V. "Helping People Off The Streets: Real Solutions To Urban Homelessness." USA Today (Periodical) 128.2656 (2000): 18-20. OmniFile Full Text Mega (H.W. Wilson). Web. 22 Mar. 2012.

"Who is Homeless?" National Coalition for the Homeless. Bringing America Home, July 2009. Web. 15 Mar 2012. <http://www.nationalhomeless.org>.

"Why are People Homeless?" National Coalition for the Homeless. Bringing America Home, July 2009. Web. 15 Mar 2012. <http://www.nationalhomeless.org>.