Introduction
United States has one of the highest homelessness rates among the industrialized nations globally. This necessitates interventions to reduce the prevalence of homelessness. The National Center on Family Homelessness is determined to end homeless across the United States especially in cities that are worst affected such as Baltimore City. Homelessness is caused by economic hardships that render families unable to have access to affordable and safe shelters. The other leading causes of homelessness include domestic violence that forces women and children into the streets, physical and emotional challenges rendering individuals lacking the capacity to support themselves. Over 1.6 million children are considered homeless in the United States with over 2 million adults being victims of homelessness too. 60 % of the women who are homeless live with children below the age of 18 thereby creating the need to address the issue of homelessness. The consequences of homelessness are not desirable since it leads to poor personal development and growth among children leaving them psychologically affected and unable to have access to proper education. The homeless tend to live with anger, hopelessness, and sadness which further worsens their mental state. Such children tend to suffer from chronic illnesses that in turn makes them to die at young ages since they are hit by respiratory infections, mental illnesses and gastro intestinal problems. The suffering experienced by homeless families implies that there is need for support from a multi-disciplinary team including government, the nonprofit organizations and communities in helping to eradicate homelessness in Baltimore.
Background information
Baltimore City has many homeless youths and children who find it hard to cope with the hard situation of living in street shelters, sharing housing facilities with other persons and coping with the stress caused by the lack of regular sleeping accommodation. Majority of the children who are awaiting foster care or are abandoned in hospitals. 35 % of the homeless people in Maryland are from Baltimore with an estimated 2567 people experiencing homelessness every night. The cause of homelessness in the city is probably due to the fact that a majority live below the federal poverty level making it hard for them to afford rent for housing units. Half of the poor population are in deep poverty which then leaves them with no choice but to live in the streets of Baltimore. A third of the children in Baltimore are members of poor families which indicates that a lot of children are at risk of poor development due to the poverty levels of their families.
Poverty is a major cause of other grounds that led to homelessness including domestic violence, physical and emotional challenges which in turn reduce the ability of the families to support themselves. Affordable and desired homes are key to changing the lives of individuals forever but with the current situation, families are immensely affected by high levels of homelessness. Children and women are the most vulnerable groups since they find it hard to survive on the streets. The end result is that they are left depressed, anxious, and withdrawn and are hopeless. Children tend to develop illness related to respiratory, gastrointestinal and mental problems that limit their chances for a successful life. The overall effect is that they are unable to achieve higher education standards and are often left to engage in illicit behavior such as crimes and drugs and substance abuse. This implies that there is need to ensure the issues of homelessness in Baltimore are addressed while at the same time looking at ways to protect the vulnerable groups.
Key stakeholders during policy implementation to make changes
The issues of homelessness create the need for a collaborative approach to decision making and implementation of action plans. The National Center on Family Homelessness continues to play a major role in addressing the issues that lead to homelessness while at the same time looking for ways to eliminate homelessness across the United States. There is need to involve the community in identifying the worst affected groups as well as enhancing a clear understanding of the factors that lead to homelessness in Baltimore. The community as a whole is imperative in ensuring that there is limited incidences of domestic violence and that its homeless members are given adequate social support to ensure they enjoy the privilege of affordable and good shelters. The congress has to be able to enact policies that are focused on reducing the number of homeless people in Baltimore. The government has to play a significant part in protecting its people since most of the homeless families and individuals rely on the state to provide the support that would see them live in safer neighborhoods. There is need for the government to look after those affected by extreme poverty since they are the ones who are unable to have access to the housing facilities due to their limited income levels. Using local, state and national programs, the government can build affordable housing units in collaboration with nonprofit organizations and ensure that the neighborhoods are free from violence. A decreasing government support affects the initiatives to reduce homelessness since the resources needed for the operation tend to be limited without the state support. County public schools are also among the stakeholders that need to protect the lives of homeless children. This implies enrolling homeless youths in varied schools and ensuring that they are provided with adequate facilities that make them develop appropriately in the society. Homeless children are depressed and hopelessness in life which implies that through use of public schools, it is possible for their hope to be restored and hence work towards becoming useful members of the community. People need to engage in voluntary efforts with the local communities to ensure that donations are made to the National Center on Family Homelessness which is responsible for reducing the number of homeless people. Through the donations, the organization will then be able to provide the necessary social support to the homeless as well as looking for ways to build them housing units to restore their hope in life.
Appropriate policy theories and data to understand the issues of homelessness
The policies in tackling the issue of homelessness include the need to invest in research activities to determine the key reason for homelessness. Utah, for instance, relied on a team of experts to identify the chronically homeless. Through its policy to provide homes to the homeless, Utah was able to significantly reduce the number of homeless people in the state from 2005 in 2005 to 539 homeless people in 2014. Significant efforts and investments are still being done in Utah and New York cities to ensure there are zero cases of homelessness among the residents. Through research, it is possible to rebound the families through understanding the social, economic, medical and mental health issues that put them in the streets of Baltimore. There is also need to look into ways through which the community could play its role in providing community based shelters and services to the homeless. Through involving the community, it is possible to determine the extent of limited affordable housing, poverty levels in the community and the groups affected by homelessness. This then makes it easier for National Center on Family Homelessness to be effective in addressing the issues that lead to homeless and be able to change the lives of the affected families forever. While acknowledging the need to involve the community in homelessness eradication practices, it is all-important to ensure the state, local government and national programs are implemented to ensure that the plight of the homeless is addressed.
There is need for investment in effective and efficient management information systems that analyze the trends and the reasons for homelessness in Baltimore. However, significant efforts are already underway in Baltimore with a view to reduce homelessness. Various grants and funds have been set aside to protect those who lack regular, fixed and adequate nigh time residence. Rental allowance programs are aimed at providing subsidies to the low income families to enable them afford the housing rent. While giving priority to the homeless families, foundations such as the Freddie Mac Foundation launched in 2014 has been key to assisting the homeless with children and those at higher risk of homelessness by providing them with rental subsidies as well as community resources including workforce training, career development and childcare support to enable them cope with the hard economic conditions. By providing the families with work skills and career development trainings, the foundation is aimed at ensuring self-sufficiency among the homeless in the long run. Measures have also been put in place to provide housing assistance and emergency shelters as well as education to the homeless to be able to equip them with necessary skills for employment. There are also prevention and supportive programs in Baltimore which include providing financial assistance, purchasing basic essentials for the homeless, paying for electric and heating bills as well as assisting the disabled homeless in the streets. However, there is still a lot to be done to ensure the low income earners have access to affordable housing facilities as well as providing the social support necessary to significantly reduce the number of homeless individuals and families into the society.
Conclusion
The high costs of housing facilities and socio-economic problems such as domestic violence, unemployment and mental problems are among the key factors that lead to homelessness in Baltimore. Woman and children are the worst affected by the events of homelessness since they are the most vulnerable groups in the society. The homeless tend to be depressed, withdrawn and are at risk of contracting chronic illnesses that in turn increase the disease burden in the nation. Children are affected since they are unable to access education and appropriate personal development facilities they ought to have access to in order to ensure they are successful in their lives. The National Center on Family Homelessness has made significant efforts in helping the homeless through donations, volunteering and providing social support to the homeless. Foundations and rust funds have also been put in place to ensure the homeless are provided with incentives such as rental subsidies, education, and childcare and provided with emergency housing facilities to enhance their safety. However, there is still much to be done by the government whose support has been decreasing and leaving much of the work to the private and nonprofit organizations. The congress has to be able to assess the situation and the reasons behind homelessness and look for ways to deal with the issues to reduce the levels of homelessness in Baltimore.
References
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