Homelessness has been the most important socially concerned issue around the globe and especially United State of America is one of such countries with high number of homeless people. Social support agencies, government concerning department and the policy makers are apprehensive about this issue as it is increasing day by day. The economic turmoil that hit recession in America has contributed in increasing the number of homeless people.
There are certain major reasons behind such gigantic scale homelessness and few are being discussed in this proposal. The basic reason of homelessness is the redevelopment projects initiated countrywide and meanwhile the low-income areas were demolished to make feasible ways for the development plans leaving behind poor and disable public homelessness. The urban projects have no options to provide affordable shelters to poor. The economic downturn caused high unemployment in the country and raised poverty among low middle class people.US veterans affair department failed to provide proper mental treatment and training to secure job especially for those people left behind from Vietnam War. Natural catastrophes destroyed many houses, shelters, offices and increased the number of people on streets. Mentally retarded people who spent large part of their lives in prison and had high intake level of drugs remain unemployed because of their track records. Government of US paid least attention to its homeless people and remained more involved in issues related to other countries. Victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse those hiding from law enforcement agencies made up large portion of homeless population.
The American’s State of homelessness carried out a survey during the time between the years 2009 to 2011 and found that despite tight economic situation the number of homeless individuals reduced by 1% and this decrease was the result of significant initiative taken by federal agencies by investing significant budget to reduce the number of people on streets. Such efforts can help to re house people by implementing cost efficient and problem based inferences. HPRP should actively participate to control recession based homeless by the help of federal support and investment
Homeless people are at high risk to be the victim of different abuses and splits families as few shelters only take children and few only allow women. Homeless children are more prone to contagious infections of ear, throat, and stomach and are likely to live a depressed and isolated life. Homeless adults are exposed to deadly disease due to poor hygienic condition and therefore AIDS, Tuberculosis, Diabetes and Hepatitis are more prevalent among people living a miserable life on streets.
Currently various fruitful paradigm have been designed by the government to eradicate homeless in next 10 years time. Homeless can be strategically handle by providing shelters, health and clinical support, kitchens, employment at reasonable wages to help even a single member of the family to support his family. National alliance to end homelessness needs to plan out organized development programs to put an end to this social problem .
Non-profit organizations can proactively participate to provide shelters to poor and homeless people because large number of Americans are caught up in low paid jobs and are not able to buy a house or to pay heavy rents. The solution of the problems does not lie in giving away temporary shelters but the main motive is now to address the root causes behind homelessness. To start with resolving the issue of homelessness in US, few steps are recommended to be taken as following:-
Evaluate the characteristics of those people who are already homeless or might become in near future.
Planning such programs which place homeless people in permanent residences and provide job training to them to acquire suitable jobs.
Implement educational programs to uplift the knowledge level of homeless people and bring awareness to them about the importance of living a life with good status and standards.
Opening various housing trust funds including rental support programs.
Ensuring about the transition of homeless people from temporary shelters to permanent houses. This also includes job training, health care, transportation and other forms of facilities.
Analyzing the results of facilities provided to the homeless people in strategic manner to ensure that the measures taken are effective and are yielding the desired targets. It includes creating an evaluation and control procedure which will ensure continuous evaluation of the progress and control the imbalances through this evaluation.
Conducting various meetings and conferences not only with the important personalities playing their role in these programs but also with the community and homeless people to ensure that the benefit is rightly provided to the needy ones. These conferences will also be aimed at getting suggestions from the community and homeless people so that these programs will be made more effective in future.
Communities can actively work to evict homelessness just before it prevails by supporting and conducting several charity and poverty support programs.
The last step is to provide data of overall summary of the progress to the community and local governments so that the fund rising may be made easy and people will be more aware of the situation about the homeless people. Homeless people generally qualify for a variety of types of public support programs; hence the public organization must collaborate with each other in order to ensure that everyone is getting a suitable amount of assistance rather than few individuals getting most of the assistance.
United States is one of the developed counties but its government is long neglecting to take remedial actions to reduce homelessness. Private and government organizations need to work in a collaborative manner to effectively deal with this problem. Permanent housing plans for poor, disabled and diseased people need to be designed and implemented. Continuous investment and monitoring of the action plans should be carried out. The adverse effects of homeless should be kept in view while designing any welfare strategy. Proper and hygienic health facilities should be made in reach of poor people. Priority based full flagged program for the wellbeing of under privileged people should be executed to bring relief to their miserable lives infrastructure
Proper data should be gathered in order to categorize people facing homelessness into groups with same situational factors like youth, children, women, families and others. This data will be of great help to formulate strategy for each group separately. Jurisdictions should act strictly to hold people responsible for specific task in infrastructure development also to plan available resources in an effective manner to push each group out of trouble.
Works Cited
C. G. P. Grey. English: A homeless man in New York with the American flag in the background. 04 August 2005. 17 November 2012
Jean & Alexander Herd Library. Homelessness: Issues and Groups. 17 November 2012
Pollak Library. Homelessness. 17 November 2012
sonyblockbuster. English: The juxtaposition of the homeless and well-to-do is common in New York. 9 January 2008. 17 November 2012
