Presentation slide

Lingthep 2

Manisha Lingthep
Professor Leebert
ENGL 102
9 May 2021

GRANT PROPOSAL

HOMELESSNESS IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Problem Identification

Homelessness is one of the top five social and health issues in the United States, impacting thousands of people. Homelessness is described as a condition in which a person does not have a permanent place to live. The country’s changing economic conditions have contributed significantly to an increase in homelessness, especially among the elderly. Majority of homeless people in urban areas face a variety of problems, including a lack of quality medical services, a lack of basic necessities, and inadequate food (Tibbetts, Ottoson & Tsukayama, 2020). In today’s world, the crisis is only getting worse, necessitating state and federal government action.
Homelessness in most states of the United States has resulted in a flocking of some areas that are reserved for urban growth, compared to earlier years in the twentieth century (Tibbetts, Ottoson & Tsukayama, 2020). In California, for example, the number of homeless people and families outnumbers those in other urban areas. The cost of living in California is high, and most people cannot afford even the most basic necessities. Since they do not receive adequate assistance from the authorities, homeless people face health risks, homelessness, and starvation while living on the streets (Tibbetts, Ottoson & Tsukayama, 2020). Even though the situation has been daunting for the government over the last five years, it still plans to build homeless shelters that will allow for long-term resettlement. More affordable housing units are built in areas where homelessness is most prevalent, allowing more residents to be resettled (Tibbetts, Ottoson & Tsukayama, 2020). Additionally, the needy have access to private homes and food banks so that they can obtain the assistance they need to succeed in the long run.

Prevalence

In the United States of America, homelessness has become a major issue. Homelessness has existed throughout history and continues to be a problem in the United States. Many people’s lives have been affected by the issue. People should be aware that they can become homeless at any time. The state of not having a place to live is referred to as homelessness. Millions of people in the state are struggling to make ends meet. Seventy-five thousand people in the United States encounter homelessness in a single night, with 3.5 million of them being homeless for an extended period of time. The mentally ill are suffering on the streets, which poses a problem for the rest of the city. The number of families who have become homeless has risen dramatically in recent years. Homeless families with children are making up a growing proportion of the homeless population. According to statistics, approximately 40% of homeless people live with their children. Many of the homeless people are from rural areas. Children and single mothers make up the bulk of the homeless population. Homelessness has been a problem for a long time, but that does not mean that people must suffer because of it. When a war breaks out, some people are forced to flee their homes. For example, the Vietnam and Korean Wars rendered the majority of people homeless, forcing them to live on Skid Row. Since the rate of homelessness is rising, society and the government should assist the homeless.

Assessment of resources

Many government agencies are assisting with the reduction of youth homelessness in the United States, which is wonderful. The Department of Housing and Urban Development, for example, assists homeless people by providing accommodation, food, therapy, and career training programs. As well as the Department of Health and Human Services, which provides critical human services to protect the health of all Americans, including the homeless. Thus, the support to government agencies such as the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Health and Human Services is critical to reducing youth homelessness in the United States. The amount of youth homelessness is continuously growing due to a shortage of affordable housing, which is one of the reasons that increasing the fund for the Department of Housing and Urban Development would help to minimize it. According to studies, there could be as many as 1.6–2 million youth living on the streets, in shelters, or in other types of transitional housing in a single year (Piche, Joshua). For example, many young people between the ages of 18 and 24 are unable to afford a place to live due to a lack of income because the places they are renting are more expensive than the money they receive.

Impact of the problem

Millions of homeless people suffer from mental health issues. Homeless people also face many obstacles when living on the streets, which can lead to mental instability in the long run (WICKENS, 2018). When people are unable to obtain the necessities of life, they are more likely to experience mental illness. Since they do not obtain support in the form of therapy from specialists in the fields of psychology, their situation worsens over time (WICKENS, 2018). The elderly on the streets are the ones who suffer the most. Experts have also described worsening health conditions among the homeless as one of the most serious consequences (WICKENS, 2018). The homeless in the United States are unable to access high-quality medical treatment. Many procedures and therapies require significant sums of money due to technological advances and advancements in medical practices. The homeless are unable to pay because they do not have a steady source of income (WICKENS, 2018). As a result, their health problems deteriorate over time, while others die on the streets. Simple medical care can be difficult to come by, particularly for the disabled, those with chronic conditions, and those who live on the streets. Furthermore, experts believe that substance addiction is a problem among the homeless, especially those living in urban areas. The availability of inexpensive drugs that allow homeless people to relax and reduce their stress levels inevitably leads to addiction (Nishio et al., 2017). About 40% of those living on the streets of California are drug users. Hard medications have massive consequences that could be permanent if no interventions are implemented early on. Many homeless people and families feel cut off from the rest of society. Thousands of them gradually lose their self-confidence because of their loneliness. In an ideal world, the homeless will not readily associate with others, making their situation much more precarious. The rate of crime among homeless individuals and families in urban areas is considered to be high. Due to the high number of delinquents, the crime rate in California, the “capital of homelessness,” is higher than in any other region. The homeless often participate in criminal activity to obtain funds to purchase food and other essentials while living on the streets. People who live in permanent homes in the United States are at risk due to the growing number of homeless individuals and families in urban areas.

Intervention Strategies

To provide inexpensive and affordable housing, the government continues to develop more infrastructure and subsidize housing costs. Early measures, according to MacKenzie and Chamberlain (1995), can help strengthen social cohesion and reduce the rate of family breakup. Since most teenagers encounter homelessness while still in school, schools have the best environment for early intervention. Many homeless students, according to MacKenzie and Chamberlain, drop out of school and enter the ranks of the unemployed and homeless, eventually becoming chronically homeless. To address the issue of youth homelessness, several policies have been introduced. The reconnect program, group placement choice, fund community coordination, and national benchmarks policy are the four most common policies. These policies either assist in the improvement of school welfare facilities for schools to serve homeless students or youth at risk of being homeless. These services, however, have failed due to a lack of funding from government agencies (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2002).
The majority of prevention efforts are geared toward adolescents. While these strategies can help prevent chronic homelessness, there is no evidence that they can be extended to the general population. Future research is required to assess alternative housing solutions for teenagers and the elderly, as well as ways to end homelessness entirely.
Social workers offer care in accordance with state and federal social security regulations. A social service worker’s strategy for homeless families and individuals can vary depending on where they deliver their services. Creating and delivering opioid recovery programs for the homeless is an effort that will help them improve their quality of life over time. Drug addiction is caused by a lack of direction and poor decisions (Rukmana, 2020). As a result, the number of homeless people who may find care in recovery facilities is high because professional counselors and rehabilitation services are available. People of all ages should benefit from the recovery steps. Providing basic needs for the homeless, such as food and clothes, is another intervention technique that can make their lives easier (Rukmana, 2020). People should donate food and other needs to food banks in urban areas so that they can live comfortably. As a result of the living costs, food banks will provide free food and other necessities to the homeless. When living on the streets, the homeless need routine medical examinations. Most of them suffer from chronic illnesses that may necessitate expert medical intervention. As a result, social workers with medical training will offer free health checkups to homeless people on the streets (Rukmana, 2020). The checkups will include diagnosing the patients and giving them the drugs, they need to get better. This prevention technique would not only assist the sick in improving their welfare, but it would also help to prevent deaths in the long run.
Despite progress, the federal government must do more to reduce homelessness in the United States. According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), homelessness in the United States is on the decrease. Since 2010, the number of people experiencing chronic or long-term homelessness has decreased by 21% (22,937). In addition, veteran homelessness has decreased by 33% since 2010. Since 2010, the number of families with children experiencing homelessness has decreased by 15% (or 11,833 households). Even though the homeless rate has decreased, the government still has work to do to reduce the number of homeless people in the United States. 2014 (Sullivan).
In comparison to standard services, a variety of housing systems and case management approaches tend to minimize homelessness and increase housing stability.
This result, however, is uncertain since most studies are prone to bias due to inadequate reporting, a lack of blinding, or poor randomization or allocation concealment of participants. Aside from the general need for better-conducted and published studies, there are clear study gaps in the areas of: 1) vulnerable youth; 2) abstinence-contingent housing with case management or day treatment; 3) no abstinence contingent housing contrasting community vs. independent living; 4) Housing First vs. interventions other than normal services.

Housing services that are conditional on abstinence

Housing that is provided with the presumption that tenants can stay sober is known as abstinence-contingent housing. When compared to traditional services, the findings showed that abstinence-contingent housing could result in fewer days spent homeless (low certainty evidence).

Housing services that aren’t abstinence-required

Non‐abstinence‐contingent housing is housing provided with no expectations regarding sobriety of residents. Housing First is the name of a particular non-abstinence-required housing program. Housing First is likely to decrease the number of days spent homeless (MD=62.5, 95 percent CI=86.86 to 38.14) and increase the number of days in secure housing (MD=110.1, 95 percent CI=93.05 to 127.15) as opposed to standard facilities (moderate certainty evidence). Furthermore, it is possible that the number of people placed in permanent housing after 20 months would increase (low certainty evidence).
In comparison to usual services, non-abstinence-contingent housing programs (not listed as Housing First) in combination with high intensity case management can reduce homelessness (low certainty evidence). Individual apartments may not be as effective as group living arrangements in reducing homelessness (low certainty evidence).

Vouchers for housing with case management

Housing vouchers are a type of housing assistance provided to certain groups of people who meet certain criteria. When opposed to traditional programs or case management, the findings showed that it could minimize homelessness and increase housing stability (low certainty evidence).

Care in a facility with case management

Residential care is a form of accommodation provided to clients who also need mental health or substance abuse treatment. When opposed to traditional programs, we discovered that it has the potential to minimize homelessness and increase housing security (low certainty evidence).

Conclusion

In conclusion, homelessness in the United States is a social issue that needs immediate intervention from elected officials and other stakeholders. Typically, social workers collect information about homeless people and families in order to develop the most effective intervention methods. The rising cost of living in cities can be mitigated by ensuring that more affordable housing for the homeless is built. The government should also take steps to expand medical services for the homeless and inform the public about the importance of avoiding domestic abuse in communities. In comparison to standard services, we discovered that a variety of housing systems and case management approaches tend to minimize homelessness and increase housing stability. There was no evidence that housing systems or case management resulted in worse results for homeless or at-risk people than standard services, according to the report.

Work Cited
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2002) Homeless People in SAAP: SAAP National Data Collection Annual Report 2001-02, Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Catalogue No. HOU 72.
Burt, M. R. (2003). Chronic Homelessness: Emergence of a Public Policy. Heinonline, 12.
Henwood, B, Wenzel, SL, Mangano, PF, Hombs, ME. (2015). The grand challenge of ending homelessness. pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu.
MacKenzie, C. C. (2005). Youth Homelessness. Youth Studies Australia, 24, 5.
Nishio, A., Horita, R., Sado, T., Mizutani, S., Watanabe, T., Uehara, R., & Yamamoto, M. (2017). Causes of homelessness prevalence: Relationship between homelessness and disability. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 71(3), 180-188.
Rukmana, D. (2020). The Causes of Homelessness and the Characteristics Associated With High Risk of Homelessness: A Review of Intercity and Intracity Homelessness Data. Housing Policy Debate, 30(2), 291-308.
Tibbetts, K. K., Ottoson, R. A., & Tsukayama, D. T. (2020). Public Health Response to Tuberculosis Outbreak among Persons Experiencing Homelessness, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, 2017–2018.Emerging Infectious Diseases,26(3), 420.
WICKENS, M. (2018). A Brief Ethnographic Account of Shelter Life for Homeless Women in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.