How To Reduce Homelessness In The United States

Homelessness in the United States can be ended, not just maintained. Allot of cities now have plans to eradicate homelessness. Homelessness and housing instability are large issues that afflict a diverse demographic such as: Families, youth, veterans, and chronically homeless single male adults. Ending homelessness may require specialized solutions that are specific to individual needs. Factors like these make defeating homelessness a difficult task. Although solutions exist for some of the demographics, such as housing for chronically homeless adults, scaling up best practices remains a challenge. For other subpopulations, such as transitional aged youth, evidence-based interventions need to be developed. In this paper we argue that ending homelessness is a Grand Challenge that is big, important, and compelling—one that the profession of social work should be adopt. Meeting this challenge will require a focused, organized response from social work researchers, clinicians, and policymakers. Ending homelessness will require innovation and interdisciplinary or cross-sector collaboration. Key words: Housing First, Permanent Supportive Housing, rapid re-housing, prevention, poverty. The notion that homelessness in the United States can be ended, rather than managed (Mangano, 2002; National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2012), represents a fundamental shift in expectations from the 1980s and ’90s. Since the early 2000s, researchers, policymakers, advocates,

The United States has over 3.5 million homeless people a year. If the United States stopped supporting other nations food related issues, then they could start focusing on its own starving people. Once the U.S. starts focusing on its own people, then there could be many solutions to the well-known problem of homeless people in America. Who makes up the 3.5 million homeless people, a year, in America?

We live in a world where it is survival of the fittest. It is hard to succeed, one wrong decision can easily lead someone into a financial struggle. This can lead to homelessness. Homelessness is not a lifestyle that one would choose by choice. In 2003, there has been "... as many as 1.3 million Canadians that have experienced homelessness...at some point during the last 5 years." Affordable housing costs less on an annual basis compared to putting the homeless in prison. Canada was the last to have an action plan towards ending homelessness and as we are understanding; the prisons are being over-populated.

There is no doubt that being homeless has always been a problem in America. It is a problem for everybody, no one ever wants to be deemed homeless. Recent studies reveal that being homeless has now turned into an epidemic in some cities across the country. The homeless population has increased this year for the first time since the Great Recession and I think it is utterly ridiculous when the top two prominent cities in the United States (New York City and Los Angeles) are among the top three homeless cities in the world. The increase has been so disturbing that some state governments decided to call for a state of emergency. The reason behind the homeless population increase is due to the West Coasts flourishing economy. Rent wages increased

Given national recognition, The State of Homelessness in America benefits individuals needlessly suffering from a lack of shelter and a steady income. Efforts such as raising awareness and knowledge about the increase in the homeless population has sparked a number of organizations devoted to lessening the amount of individuals living on the streets in major cities. The state of homelessness is able to provide accurate information and statistics for viewers nationwide.

Homeless as defined by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as an individual who lacks housing, including those whose primary residence during the night is a supervised public or private facility that provides temporary living accommodations, they are a person with out permanent housing, who may live on the streets, in a shelter, abandoned building, or other unstable situations (HHS). It is important for communities throughout the United States to develop a system that identifies the number of homeless around them. This information is valuable to many government and private agencies, it enables them to acquire, and maintain needed resources and money in order to best serve their homeless populations. There are different ways that communities attempt to count their homeless population, shelters, feeding centers and others who provide resources are able to take count of how many they serve each day, but unfortunately it can be hard to track those who do not come on a returning basis. The US Census Bureau every 10 years also conducts a Service-Based Enumeration (SEB) to help count the population In the study published by the National

help others who are in any way, shape or form underprivileged; including the homeless. While,

The thought of being homeless is a terrifying to anyone, but sadly for many it is a reality. I could never imagine not knowing where I was going to sleep for the night, especially not as a teenager. Teenage years are a struggle for everyone then adding homelessness into it gives an entirely different set of issues for someone to be presented with.

In the United States of America where it is considered as one of the wealthiest countries in the world, many people are still experiencing homelessness. In the year 2015, 564,708 people were recorded to be homeless in just one night (National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2016). On the other hand, in the year 2014, there were 578,424 homeless people. Of that number, 216,197 were family members, and 362,163 were individuals. 15 percent of that number was homeless because of having chronic disabilities, while 9 percent were veterans.

As Americans, individuals take the small comforts of life for granted daily. The everyday individual overlooks a growing dilemma in the U.S., and goes home every night to the comfort of their family. The homeless population has increased over the years, and continues to grow by the day with the increase of the cost of living. Healthcare needs, and the availability of facilities to the under privileged is a major problem in the United States. Up to 610,000 individuals and families are living on the streets each and every night. All of these individuals are at a greater risk of contracting an illness simply because of their living situations, as well as not having the means to financially afford the cost of a doctor’s visit.

Homelessness is an arising problem within the United States. Poverty and homelessness are inheritably linked. As children we were raised to believe that through hard work and determination that we could accomplish anything. We all had dreams of having nice cars, a nice home and lots of money, however this is impossible when a person is living pay check to pay check and close to being homeless. Knowing that we live in the “land of opportunity” brings many dreams to anyone’s mind, however, many families are experiencing financial issues that are causing them to become homeless because they cannot afford to live and pay their bills, food, child care, health care and education (National Coalition of the homeless, 2007). Homelessness in America is persistent, complex and widely-occurring problem that incorporates many economic, social and psychological dimensions (National Coalition of the homeless, 2007). With the shortage of affordable rental property is causing the increasing number of poverty families. Homelessness doesn’t only affect an adult but it does affect many children. In America, 3.5 million Americans are homeless each year. However, of these Americans that are homeless children make up more than 1 million people who are homeless (Home Aid America , n.d.). With children and many families that are homeless, veterans, and domestic

Just by walking down the streets of Portland, it is obvious from the roadside tents, cardboard signs begging for spare change and shopping carts overflowing with possessions that the housing crisis in America is not going to resolve itself. For hundreds of years, homelessness has been a frowned upon and ignored issue by those who have never experienced it. Overlooking and ignoring homelessness has not done anything to help the growing issue, but allowed it to continue for even longer. In the article “Homelessness” on Opposing Viewpoints.com, it explains how the homeless face discrimination and treated as outcasts, “During the colonial period, homelessness was caused by varying economic and social factors; however, this condition was widely

Homelessness is not a secret and has not been for decades as it increases in astonishing numbers. These outrageous numbers of people who are without, homes and have no protection against such a damning situation which is cause by the increase of joblessness, coupled with a plummeting economy. Why ask, why is so many of our citizens living this way? The question should be proposed by our government, how can we as a society fix our homelessness in the United States?

According to Dan brown, award winning journalists, article illustrates that many children in america are becoming homeless, being placed in foster homes and living in violent environments. This upsets a large amount of people because many children are experiencing things that adults would learn later on in life.The plans that should be done to prevent this disaster from happening is that there should be more focus on funding facilities that help kids and their parents to get back on their feet again. Dan Brown had said that children are living in violent homes, maybe the funding could somehow benefit the facilities to do get these kids off of the streets, another idea is to educate the parents on how to get a job, how to parent and how

In 2005 an estimated 100 million people were homeless worldwide and as many as 1.6 billion without proper housing (global homelessness). Homelessness is an often overlooked problem; people do not realize the extremities of this issue. Unfortunately, Columbus, GA has one of the highest homelessness rates in GA (homelessness report). People unintentionally disregard them every day on their way to work, school, and home. They are regular people just like everyone else, yet no one takes care of them. Unfortunate situations can happen to anyone, and when they do people reach out and do what they need to take care of them; so why do they not do the same for the homeless? This is a problem that desperately needs help. In Boston, they have an organization called Housing First. This organization reaches out to the homeless communities, finds them apartments, helps them get a job and provides a way for them to get their life back on track. In Columbus, we need to start something similar called Community First.