Argumentative Essay On Tent Cities

The issue of homelessness in regard to shelter in Australia has been prevalent for an extended period of time in the 21st century. Homelessness is the situation in which individuals are unable to attain a permanent and adequate quality of shelter. Shelter is a human right as stated under article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which specifies “Housing” as part of the standard of living required for an individual to maintain their wellbeing. Australia’s law specifies no legal right to shelter, however as a party of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), the Australian government must recognise that all individuals should be entitled to “an adequate standard of living for themself and their family”, where one criteria is “adequate housing” as stated in article 11. It is imperative that in order to fulfil both Australia’s obligation to uphold human rights and maintain social cohesion within society both legal and non-legal responses are effective in dealing with both the causes and effects of homelessness.

Every New Yorker has the right to a safe and affordable place to live in. New York’s shortage of affordable housing has reached a crisis point. Poor and elderly people throughout New York City are at a greater risk of homelessness and forced low-income residents do not have food or medical care to stay in their homes. A sinful structure of homelessness in New York City is New York’s shortage of affordable housing. Millions of New Yorkers are desperate to find affordable housing and tens of thousands are forced to live either in dirty shelters or on the streets. Recent data indicates that nearly 60,000 people, including more than 23,000 children, stay in the city’s main homeless shelter system (Guelpa). A small amount of poor renter households received a housing subsidy from the local government. Little assistance is being provided which means that most poor families and individuals that seek assistance

Adoption of laws and policies that punish homeless people rather than addressing the problems that cause homelessness is an ineffective approach. Penalizing people for engaging in innocent behavior – such as sleeping in public, sitting on the sidewalk, or begging – will not reduce the occurrence of these activities or keep homeless people out of public spaces when they have no other place to sleep or sit or no other means of living. With insufficient resources for shelter and services for homeless people, enforce punishment for unavoidable activities is not only pointless, it is inhumane (Brown,1999, July/August). Relying on law enforcement officials and jails to address homelessness and related issues, such as mental illness and substance abuse, that are more appropriately handled by service providers, causes problems and widespread frustrations within the criminal justice system. Police officers are not adequately trained to respond to the situations that arise, the criminal justice system does not provide the necessary treatment

Homelessness is one of the oldest problems that exist, fast forward almost 40 years since it’s been recognized as one and still there has been no avail to finding a real solution. The definition of homelessness under the McKinney-Vento Homelessness Assistance Act is defined as an individual: “who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence; and a person who has a nighttime residence that is supervised publicly or privately operated shelter, and c) an institution that provides a temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized, or a private or public place not designed for, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.”

Since the impact of homelessness varies depending on the population and setting people are in, state and local leaders have a greater ability than the federal government to judge what actions need to be taken to help the homeless. Unfortunately, many communities have put more effort into hiding or keeping out people affected by homelessness rather than ending homelessness itself. One example is laws that work against the homeless rather than help them. Not only do these laws discourage the homeless from seeking help but they also discourage agencies and local officials from providing that help. “In recent years, there has been an increase in the enactment of laws and ordinances intended to regulate the activities of the homeless people” (“Dealing

On any single night in America, there are 610,042 people without a home (SIRS). Just think about how much space that would take up in prisons for people who are not causing a crime but are just without a home.Criminalization of homelessness is becoming a popular and widespread topic throughout the US. States all over America are beginning to make laws that prevent homeless people from living in public spaces. Homelessness may be temporary, chronic, or perpetual. The growth of homelessness within and outside of cities puts a new strain on shelters and has led to an increase in panhandling and loitering. Some people think these aspects of homelessness should be criminalized. Those who disagree say criminalization would only worsen the problem

The National Alliance to End Homelessness, a non-profit organization that voices the issue of homelessness, enlightens, “On a single night in January 2014, 578,424 people were experiencing homelessness – meaning they were sleeping outside or in an emergency shelter or transitional housing program” (The State of Homelessness in America 2015). Staggering statistics similar this inspired Matt Lynch to write his article titled ‘The Homeless Lack a Political Voice, But Not American Ideals’ and it also motivated Anna Quindlen to express her emotions in ‘Homeless.’ Both articles posed by Lynch and Quindlen contain comparative flaws, which range from logical fallacies to the utilization of unfair information. Each writing, however, incorporates multiple pieces of significant information relative to the topic at hand, yet Lynch’s work manages to pull ahead with the addition of minor, yet important, details that Quindlen failed to propose.

Did you know that Applied Survey Research counted a total of 4,539 homeless people last year in Sonoma County alone? I can vouch for the authenticity and methods used in this survey because I assisted as a counter. I am passionate about the social issue of homelessness, mainly because I was part of this population a decade ago. Applied Survey Research defines homelessness in part as, “An individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence…” The sad fact is that there are not enough resources to adequately shelter America’s most vulnerable citizens. Many cities have passed ordinances that have criminalized homelessness. These so called quality of life ordinances are meant to protect the society at large. Homeless people

The presentation of these facts should be met with an equally opposing force to change the homeless rates for the better. With all the tools and opportunities that can be used in this field, why should we not act upon it? It's time that we as a people band together to fix something that is bigger than ourselves. All too often we bring appeals to our government that are, if we can be honest, very selfish. To better understand a sympathetic point of view, imagine a loved one being out on the streets. Would that change a person's view on helping those without a home? Would the loved one hope, desire, and pray for an advocate and supporter to help carry them off the streets? The answer to both of these questions is yes. These are the points of view one must veer into in order to fully understand why it is such an important and relevant

“Homeless is more than being without a home. It is tied into education needs, food, security; health issues both mental and physical, employment issues, etc. Don’t forget the whole picture.” (“Boxed In” 2005 pg. 108)

Although most American citizens do not typically notice government programs in their daily lives, implemented policies have major effects on American citizens. It is estimated that around 1.35 million children suffer from homelessness due to their families living on the streets (Crook). With this massive housing conundrum, the United States government should increase funding for the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Increased funding would decrease homelessness by lowering the crime rate, educating students, and improving American living conditions.

Think back last week; how many homeless people did you come across? When you see these people, what comes to mind? Sympathy? Compassion? Or do you judge them right away? Most people are in this position not because they chose to, but because of a situation that happened in their life that put them there.

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” Perhaps these words written on Lady Liberty first inspired the creation of so called “sanctuary cities” in the United States. Sanctuary cities began in the 80’s as a network of churches and religious congregations that provided safe housing for refugees. Today, sanctuary cities have transformed from a small scale network to a larger social movement to fight xenophobia and bring the possibility of a normal life for undocumented people. Lately, the buzzword of “sanctuary cities” is on every politician's lips as Trump makes dramatic threats to cut federal funding from counties that continue this “sanctuary city” practice.

When all luxuries are taken away and have become unaffordable, these tent cities are the only places people can call home. In the article, “Camping for Their Lives,” written by Scott Bransford, it talks about the conditions that people without homes are forced to live in. Shelters for the homeless have recently become overcrowded and unmanageable, leaving most on the streets. The only other option from the streets are what they call tent cities or squatter villages. Makeshift homes and tents are used for living spaces on the outskirts of neighborhoods. The author of this articles is stating that they are not being treated fairly. They are constantly worried about crime and their belongings being taken from them. The very little they have is what is most important to them. If the community could pull together and help the homeless thrive, a safer and more secure living environment could be forged. The author makes very solid arguments that they are

The collateral damages of criminality do not lie with just the criminals themselves. The video “Tent City” showed us that children and families are also affected by this. Children are torn apart from their parents, miss them, and hate them for what they have done. Mothers blame themselves, but also expect their children to be an adult of their own at some point in life. Also, wives, and girlfriends leave those who abandon them because of jail and prison. I also think that there is damage being made inside of the camp. The people in there are so desperate for what they may want or need that they create gangs, and groups. They learn nothing more than how to get better at being a smuggler and sneakier ways to get away with it.