Essay On Homeless Community

Gentrification has greatly changed the face of Oakland so far in the 21st century. New shops and people are moving in at record numbers, greatly increasing the median income of the city; however, many long-term residents are being evicted due to increasing property values and rent prices. Many are also outraged at the loss of Oakland’s strong cultural roots, but at the same time, in low income areas, crime rates have greatly reduced and academic performance has increased. This begs the question: In what ways has gentrification positively and negatively affected Oakland so far in the 21st century?

Throughout my years living in Oakland I have seen violence and distress within my community. What most people hear about Oakland is never really anything positive; it’s mostly always negative. Oakland is known to have a history of gang violence, drug abuse, high school dropouts, teenage pregnancies, and social injustice. Within my research I find myself asking this question, ‘Why is there so much violence in Oakland? And what is the major contributor of this hardship that my community faces? Throughout my research I have learned that social injustice is a major contributor to Oakland violence, followed by the News media shown on television that also helps Oakland have a bad reputation. Most of the violence created in Oakland also comes from

The city of Stockton had a crime rate of 695 crimes per 10,000 residents. PBS Newshour states, “One thing builds upon another. The poor financial situation has forced the police force to drop by 27 percent recently. And that, of course, has made the already high crime rate go up even more” (PBS Newshour, 2012). Crime has been one of the biggest factors that has affected the health of the community in many ways by causing fear of assault, gang-related violence, and having it as a barrier to using community parks, exercising outdoors, walking to and from school, accessing local food outlets, and using public transportation, (SJC2HAC, pg. 31,

Oakland, California maintains its spot as the #2 Most Dangerous City in the United States for the second year in a row; however, after reaching a 10-year high in violent crime in 2012, the city managed to decrease its crime rate last year. Despite an over in violent crime during the first six months of 2013 relative to the

In fiscal year 2006, the HUD, Department of Housing and Urban Development, was presented a budget by the Bush Administration consisting of $528.5 billion for homeless programs (Romeo 1). The problem of homelessness and extreme poverty is not a new occurrence; but in past years more extreme measures have been taken to combat the issue as more people become homeless. Expensive social programs and housing developments for the homeless have been created to help battle the increasing issue. Homelessness is an expensive problem that will never end; furthermore, the condition of homeless people in America is affected by the type of education they receive, the state of the economy, and the amount of funds that are available to house and feed them.

Adding to the inequalities and misfortunes within communities of color, gentrification has taken the Bay Area by a storm. Gentrification is the purchasing of deteriorated urban homes and areas, then the renovation by higher-end and middle class communities. An abundance of high-end people rush into the Bay Area and purchase up the real estate. Incoming middle and higher class take the Bay Area real estate and revitalise it into up-and-coming neighborhoods, then increase rent prices. Therefore, reducing affordable housing for communities of color. Therefore, this revitalization is changing the character of communities because the Bay Area may appear nicer, the communities of color are unable to afford the standard of living. Communities of

Hobo, beggar, and bum are just a few terms used in society today to describe the homeless community. Today, more and more individuals and families are becoming homeless and majority of them never imagined being homeless. This tragic event could happen to anyone. There is not a guide created to overcome the barriers of homelessness or a "how to manual" when an individual or family is faced with homelessness. "Homelessness occurs when people or households are unable to acquire and/or maintain housing" (End Homelessness, 2016).

Gentrification and police brutality is still prevalent in America. This is especially true for the people of Skid Row in Los Angeles, in which they are treated poorly. People view the residents of that area as worthless or harmful in the community. However, what they fail to realize is that the community is a benefit for residents there, because they are not able to pay bills and it is easier for them to live there. On the other hand, new people are moving to Los Angeles daily which is why they are looking at Skid Row as a piece of land and are trying to get rid of it and the people there.

The gentrification and displacement debate is more controversial than ever in Oakland, California. You can see it everywhere from the outskirts of West Oakland to Lake Merritt, and all throughout East Oakland. There is no denying its strong prevalence throughout the city and the reverberation of both negative and positive effects it brings with it. Oakland was once notorious for violence and its high crime rates and now it has become an up-and-coming hot spot for newly affluent and mostly white residents while pushing out low-income African American and Latino residents.

Gentrification is an existential threat in the Bay Area due to urban renewal, spatial capital, and inequity. This threat can best be described as the process of residential or commercial use of an urban area shifting towards higher economic classes (Center, 199). The process of gentrification has caused many native residents to be displaced from their homes, as well as being forced to move further out of the area or become homeless. Neighborhoods that were once oasis’ for the working class are shifting and becoming too expensive for the people who live there. Food and job insecurity are two forms of inequity that contribute to gentrification practices. These three factors are key in the gentrification that is threatening Bay Area residents.

I was always the kid in my family that enjoyed philosophical debate, and now with my recent love for African-American culture and history, I feel that the Telluride Association Sophomore Seminar would be just up my alley. Sitting in a room with a handful of other African-American high schoolers that have the same fire for learning and discussion as I would be wonderful, and possibly would foster a plethora of great new friendships. The workshops lead by the adult professionals would also serve as a good networking opportunity as well as the chance to understand what career opportunities would possibly available to me. I am a young intelligent poor African-American that has Haitian heritage living in Orlando, attending a predominately caucasian school on a magnet.

Hayward, California, near San Francisco, a modern city with the latest technologies, clean streets, and a busy academic and business life. A complete paradox of the popular image of San Francisco, South Hayward from what I experienced, had an increasing amount of poverty, drop-outs, and littered streets. The stain of poverty and seemingly unmotivated people in my native city, encouraged me to take action by volunteering to feed the homeless, struggling families, and the people in power wanting to better Hayward as well. Through TRIO, I became a mentor to encourage the youth to pursue college and have a perspective on their future career life. Besides the people of Hayward, I also cared about the animals, I became a volunteer in the Hayward

A liability I see around my community that affects Oakland is the trash around the streets. This affects my community because the more trash we have in our community the more people feel it is right to litter. This affects me because instead of making it seem that Oakland is a nice and beautiful place we make it seem like it is not-- we make it

Unlike the suburbs yet a suburban mentality was instilled; the idea that how we appear to others and education is the key to social mobility, well, the legal key. Although I was born a child of the ghetto I learned that the ghetto is where I’m teenage mother in Kingston, Jamaica. I currently reside in Seaview Gardens a community that is said to be a ghetto, and don’t get me wrong, it is but it’s my suburb and it’s where I learnt everything I know. “What people think of a ghetto is dependent on how people in the ghetto think” – Shadiomar McPharlene; where I live although there’s distractions all around,

Throughout the entire history of human civilization, the prevalence of homelessness has been a challenge to every nation.  It might be depressing to learn that no countries today have eradicated homelessness, but the human race is never stopped from trying harder than before to tackle this prolonged issue. As the two leading economic powers, America and China have to face the challenge of reducing homelessness. According to a report written by Nation Coalition for the Homeless, “a study done by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty which states that approximately 3.5 million people, 1.35 million of them children, are likely to experience homelessness in a given year” in America alone (National Coalition for the Homeless, July