The Importance Of Living In Public Housing

Vulnerable families were hit hard by the recent recession and housing crisis. Rates of homelessness and housing instability among families with children increased during this period, and thousands of families in the United States remain without safe, stable, affordable housing (Cortes, Dunton, Henry, Rolston, & Khadduri, 2012). Families without adequate housing face barriers to multiple aspects of wellbeing including physical and mental health, educational and employment opportunities, family stability, and social engagement. Homelessness has proven to be harmful to children above and beyond the general conditions of poverty, and children without adequate, safe, stable housing experience negative outcomes across multiple domains of health and wellbeing.

Some problems associated with living in a neighborhood with a high percentage of the population living in poverty include increased crime rates, poor education, health problems and psychological distress. The concentration of people in high poverty neighborhoods magnifies the problems faced by the poor. This is because it leads to the concentration of the ills associated with poverty. Children in these neighborhood do not only lack basic needs but are also exposed to an hostile environment that holds numerous temptations and does not provide positive motivation (McConville & Ong, 2003). In addition, because schools are distributed geographically, children from high poverty neighborhoods attend the same schools and this result in low performance. This concentration also intensify the shift of the middle and higher income families away from these neighborhoods thus creating a gap between social needs and the financial base necessary to address these issues. The concentration of poverty is important because it has an impact on the distribution of income which might undermines the social fabric and may restrict opportunities for others (Jargowsky, 2003).

For the past fifty years the shift from meeting the housing needs of the poor through government projects-based housing to a more individual approach, has been slowly implemented. Housing vouchers now enable underprivileged populations to move from high-poverty, segregated neighborhoods to more un-segregated, low-poverty neighborhoods. Low-poverty neighborhoods have less crime, better opportunities for employment, and more diverse schooling options. Some housing advocates however, contend that housing assistance is unnecessary and is an income subsidy that should be combined with other social safety nets (Clark, W. 2008).

One of the causes of homelessness in Baltimore City is lack of affordable housing, this includes subsidized housing from the state. Lack of affordable housing in Baltimore City is due to an increase luxury housing and Baltimore’s decrease desire for rental housing (Mayor’s Office of Human Services, 2013). Available housing is not proportional to the wages of people living in Baltimore City. Nearly half of renters in Baltimore spend 35% of their income or more on their rent. The waiting list for Baltimore City opened in 2014 and 74,000 households applied for 25,000 available slots for up to six years to own a voucher (“Homelessness in Baltimore,” 2017). For the extremely poor population there are only 42 available homes for over 100 people who identify with the population (Public Justice Center, 2015). Therefore, Baltimore needs to make affordable housing for their population or there should be an increase in jobs and wages. However, the private sector is not interested in developing houses for the low-income population because it is not profitable compared to selling a building to a company to make luxury housing (Richman, 2015).

In 2013, I had the opportunity to assist local public school administrators on the issue of illiteracy and the allocation of resources in inner-city schools. Additionally, I collaborated on a small team to implement plans to provide public housing for the homeless in Orange County, CA. During this time, I also had the opportunity to be a nanny for five kids who were formerly homeless. I was able to be a part of their transition from street life to home life and witness the effects of poverty

Families require stabilized housing that is affordable, safe and maintained. If they don’t have stabile housing they are moving more often and this can effect the children’s education when being moved from school to school. The parents are unable to focus on the other areas of their lives when they are unable to find decent housing.

According to the Census Bureau 25.6 percent of White Center residence live in poverty, which is greater than the national average. A leading cause of poverty is not having access to higher education. I believe this is a problem because children are the ones affected most by poverty. According to the Census Bureau, 42.4 percent of children in White Center under the age of 5 and 49% of 16 to 17 year olds live in poverty. The families that face the most poverty are single female households with no husband present, at 51.3 percent. Unemployment is a leading cause of poverty. The unemployment rate at White Center, WA 26% higher than the national average. I believe this is a problem that needs to be addressed because housing prices in the Seattle

One of the strongest examples of the perpetuation of urban poverty is depicted in the foster care system. In 2012, it was found that 20 percent of youth who aged out of the foster care system were reportedly homeless at one point in their lives. Nearly 60 percent of these were males had been convicted of a crime. Only about 48 percent were employed. Children who were in the foster care system showed signs of slower social development. About 55 percent of the adolescents in foster care are placed in three or more different homes. This can retard their social development and make it difficult for them to hold down a job. Children in foster care struggle greatly in school because approximately 33 percent of these children changed

The act also appears to greatly have an impact on families with children under the age of 18. According to Goldberg and Goldberg (2013), families with children under the age of 18, should be focused on safe housing and child development. Leventhal and Newman (2010), stated that a lack of quality housing can affect children’s health, and development. Furthermore, lack of access to housing could affect families with children. For instance, families can suffer from trauma or psychological stress due to homelessness (Kilmer, Cook, Crusto, Strater & Haber, 2012). The access to affordable and quality housing is essential for families with children. Therefore, the Fair Housing Act prevents barriers to attain housing, and allow access for families with children to purchase

It is difficult for children who are hungry, bullied and living in shelters to focus on the elements of school. (Weber & Lugg, 2008). The McKinney-Vento Act is a fine legislation to assist homeless students in school. I admire the fact that the Act allow students to attend the school of origin or the school of choice, in addition provide an array of services and program. I understand this Act provide referrals to other partnering agencies however, I would like to see the legislators of this Act advocate for more affordable housing for this population by pushing congress to fix the housing and employment crisis which dramatically affecting homeless children’s education. Hence, there are housing program and policies that causes families to separate where fathers cannot reside in the house while receiving housing assistance. The housing problem affects everyone at large, the unemployed, low income and fixed income individuals and families. Housing prices are very high and the employment wages are very low where housing is not affordable. Oftentimes, these group of people make a little over the guidelines and cannot afford to feed their families and pay for housing at the same time (Weber 2014). Henceforth, homeless and poverty cannot be eradicated until inequality, disparity and employment is fixed in this

Wendy Koch from US today stated,” The number of homeless people in rural and suburban shelters jumped sharply: 32% of all people in shelters compared with 23% in 2007” (2009). She also pointed out that after the recession began, the problem of homelessness has migrated to rural and suburban areas.

My paper purpose is to show you how a housing authority location assist the communities with tutorial programs, Section 8, health factors, and safety, parenting classes to help people with low income to be able to rent a home at an affordable price.

Promised a helping hand, security, and affordable living, residents of Chicago’s public housing soon found themselves in dilapidated, drug-infested, crime-filled, isolated centers of despair. During a time in which most American citizens could easily turn their eyes from the struggles of the poor, Sudhir Venkatesh’s Gang Leader for a Day took readers into the depths of the world in which the poor resided. Through Venkatesh’s work, readers are inadvertently introduced to broader sociological concepts such as, collective efficacy within communities, the concentration effect, recurring themes of morality, and the underlying power of race, class, and gender as it related to the crime that took place during Venkatesh’s ethnographic like research.

When placing my life into the context of the world around me, it can be rather difficult to examine upon the struggles I’ve had upon my life. Particularly profound instances have scarred me to a certain degree, and for quite a while I’ve maintained an unhealthy manner of total repression from these happenings. However, as I move forward in my journey in life, battling to ward off the demons which have infiltrated my psyche since my youthful days, I hold the knowledge that I am not alone, and there are always people that care for me and my well being. This is where Affordable Housing has emaciating themselves in my heart forever. Without Affordable Housing, there is a fantastic chance that I am not the same happy, hard-working individual that I am today, and for that, I will forever be indebted to Affordable Housing. The impact

Gould and glad discuss the unreeling effects living this way has on children stating. “- Two of the five leading causes of death among children over one year old, injuries and homicide, are closely connected to characteristics of a child’s home and neighborhood. “The fourth key goal is to stabilize living situations. Without housing subsidies, low-income families may have to struggle to pay rent, or rely on shelters and the couches and floors of a series of family members and friends. Such families are continually at risk of having to move. High levels of mobility— and housing insecurity more generally—can heighten stress and undermine physical and mental health”(136) Another point Gould and Glied point out is that most of these homes that these children are living in will have dangerous amounts of lead, and mold or a lack of proper plumbing. Which are all not just dangerous but can cause long term effects on the child’s physical health.” Environmental toxins in a child’s home, such as mold or lead paint, can cause diseases and disabilities. Poor housing conditions may also cause family stress