Homelessness and Lack of Affordable Housing in the United States
- provide an assessment of the problem size and scope, causes of the problem and issues you need to pay attention. You will also want to discuss:
- How social policies affect this community
- What issues of social, economic, and cultural justice affect this community; and
- Existing social services and how they meet the needs of the community.
Homelessness and Lack of Affordable Housing
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Homelessness and Lack of Affordable Housing
Introduction
Homelessness and lack of affordable housing are major problems in the United States and other countries across the world. The homeless can be either sheltered or unsheltered. According to Wakin (2022), sheltered homeless spend their nights in emergency shelters. On the other hand, unsheltered homeless individuals spend nights in the streets, abandoned buildings, cars, or other places not intended to be inhabited by humans. Kushel (2020) reiterated that there is a large number of homeless people around the globe and effective interventions are needed to address the issue. In that regard, the purpose of this paper is to provide an in-depth discussion about homelessness.
Assessment of The Size, Scope, And Causes of the Problem
Homelessness and lack of affordable housing are posing a serious threat to many people. The lack of affordable housing is the leading cause of homelessness in the united states. In January 2020, about 580,466 individuals were experiencing homelessness in the United States. Approximately 70% of them were individuals and the rest were family people with children (endhomelessness.org., 2020). Currently, the number of homeless people stands at about half a million individuals. This problem can affect anyone, however, the risk is significantly related to gender, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Men are most likely to experience homelessness than females. As with race and ethnicity, whites have the largest number of people experiencing homelessness, followed by Blacks, Hispanics, Multiracial, and Native Americans respectively. However, minority groups are at higher risk due to discrimination. People who have low income and are unemployed are most likely to become homeless (endhomelessness.org., 2020). Causes of homelessness include unemployment, lack of affordable housing, low income/poverty, racial discrimination, and domestic violence, among others.
How Social Policies Affect Homeless People
Social policies tend to protect the less fortunate in society. Some social policies advocate for housing to help the homeless find where they call home. They also advocate for the employment of vulnerable groups and good wages (Kushel, 2020). Furthermore, some social policies try to prevent discrimination which then reduces the risk of becoming homeless among minority groups.
What Issues of Social, Economic, And Cultural Justice Affect Homeless People
Social and economic status and cultural justice have a direct impact on homes people. Social and cultural issues are related to ethnic discrimination and domestic violence. Those who engage in domestic violence are more likely to experience homelessness (Wakin, 2022). Also, people who experience cultural injustices such as discrimination are on the verge of homelessness. Economic problems such as unemployment, low wages, and low-income increase one’s chances of experiencing homelessness.
Existing Social Services and How They Meet the Needs of the Homeless
Several social services are in place to help meet the needs of homeless people. For example, emergency shelters are normally the first place these individuals normally turn for support (SAMSHA, 2022). Transitional housing is a temporary residence for up to 24 months to help individuals stabilize their lives. Permanent supportive housing offers safe and stable housing environments for people with chronic homelessness. Other programs focus on the provision of food support to prevent homelessness (SAMSHA, 2022). Programs seeking to increase the supply of affordable housing in America, such as the Housing Trust Fund also help the homeless acquire affordable shelters.
Conclusion
Homelessness is a major threat to human life in the US. More than half a million US citizens are experiencing homelessness. Social policies have a direct influence on homeless people. Social, economic, and cultural justice issues contribute to the problem. The US government has put some social services in place to address the problem.
References
endhomelessness.org. (2020). State of Homelessness: 2021 Edition. https://endhomelessness.org/homelessness-in-america/homelessness-statistics/state-of-homelessness-2021/#:~:text=In%20January%202020%2C%20there%20were,the%20diversity%20of%20our%20country.
Kushel, M. (2020). Homelessness among older adults: An emerging crisis. Generations, 44(2), 1-7. https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/asag/gen/2020/00000044/00000002/art00010
SAMSHA. (2022). Homelessness Resources: Housing and Shelter. https://www.samhsa.gov/homelessness-programs-resources/hpr-resources/housing-shelter
Wakin, M. (2022). Homelessness in America: A reference handbook. ABC-CLIO.