If you happen to live in a large, or even mid-sized city, you may come across a great deal of homeless people. People who live without the most basic necessity, namely shelter, have become so common that many, more fortunate people do not even notice they have become a part of the new American landscape. A nation that allows its citizens to live without basic shelter has no right to call itself civilized, and must adopt humane policies and practices in order to solve this growing epidemic.
Homelessness in the richest nation in the world is a shame, and a disgrace, and the crisis does not discriminate between race, gender, or age. According to Semuels (2015), the US has the largest number of homeless people in the industrialized world Moreover, about 1.6 million children are homeless in a nation that was founded on the precepts of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". Unfortunately, none of these ideals are possible without a roof over one's head.
Fortunately, however, homelessness is a social problem that has several workable solutions. For example, a study conducted in 2015 by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Vanderbilt University, and Abt Associates, found a workable, cost-effective way to alleviate, and possibly even house those who were previously homeless. The three-year-long evaluation, Samuels (2015) states, called the Family Options Study, took a look at three different groups of families who were given three different types of housing assistance, including a subsidy for permanent housing called a Section 8, temporary rental assistance for private market housing, and something called time-limited housing (offered in an environment that also gave medical assistance and counseling). The study, Samuels (2015) continues, which is about half-completed, has already found that families with the Housing Choice Vouchers, are doing a lot better than the other two groups For example, Samuels (2015) points out that they are moving around less often, have fewer overall health problems, their children are staying in the same school more often, and there are fewer incidents of domestic violence. Already, this study shows that there are workable solutions to the problem of homelessness in America.
In addition, other solutions to American homelessness offer great hope. One of these solutions, Abro (2015) states, called Housing First, is being offered to those in need in the state of New Jersey. The novel program, Abro (2015) adds, does not place pre-conditions on those who are homelessness, such as disqualifying those with addictions or mental illnesses from eligibility). Abro (2015) adds that the program, as its namesake suggests, gives housing to eligible homeless people first, "and then provides supportive wraparound services in mental and physical health, substance abuse, education, and employment" Some people would argue that such a program is too costly to taxpayers to remedy the homelessness crisis. However, Abro (2015) adds that overall cost reduction to society created by less-frequent visits to emergency rooms, less investment in shelters for the homeless, as well as less-frequent incarceration, the program will save taxpayers money over the long run. Thus, there are viable solutions to a social problem that is not only a crisis to those who must endure a life without its most basic necessity, but is also a reflection of a society that is showing signs of losing its humanity.
Finally, if the political initiative exists, the problem of homelessness can be nipped in the bud. While the two programs suggested are not cure-alls, they hold a great deal of promise for families who endure exposure to the elements, social instability, and shame. Homelessness is a travesty of all the values we, as Americans, hold sacred. Luckily, homelessness in America is a social ill that has several cures.
Works Cited
Abro, James. "There's a Solution to Homelessness. Why Aren't We Funding It?" The Nation.
Semuels, Alana. "The Best Way to End Homelessness." The Atlantic. 11 Jul, 2015. Web. 07 Feb, 2016.
