Habitat for Humanity and the Coalition for the Homeless are examples of some nonprofit organizations who want to reduce homelessness and aim to provide affordable housing.  Homelessness has been a problem for decades, and these two organizations have worked to help lessen this issue.

Different Approaches & Achievements

Habitat for Humanity:

Habitat for Humanity’s main focus and mission is that every family would have a decent place to live

Habitat for Humanity;s approach to reduce homelessness to getting volunteers to help build homes for families in need.  They have a more formal approach for this matter.  The initiated contracts as well as paired up with banks.  They also have more communities across the nation.

Coalition for the Homeless:

Coalition for the Homeless goal is primarily to help the individuals and families in need, as well as to reduce homelessness in New York City.

Coalition for the Homelessness had a more personal approach towards this matter.  Instead of have hundreds of people volunteer and build homes, they send vans to the Grand Central Terminal to feed the homeless as well as provide them with warm clothes and blankets when their cold.

Relation to Class Discussions: Homelessness & Affordable Housing

Ed Koch & the Rebuilding of NYC, Jonathan Soffer, Ch. 18, “Homelessness”

Andrea Elliott, “Invisible Child”  The New York Times, 2013

While doing research for this project, I came to realize how our readings in class can relate to these nonprofit organizations. In the both the book Ed Koch & the Rebuilding of NYC, and the New York Times article “Invisible Child”, we learned how difficult living in the streets are. Ed Koch tried his best to fight homelessness, however, he was unsuccessful, however, he still tried and help poor individuals into shelters. The book also mentioned the decline of single-room occupancy, and how mental institutions release many of their patients who were not ready to be by themselves yet.

In the article “Invisible Child”, readers were able to see from a poor child’s point-of-view of how it was like to live inside a crowded shelter.  Many of these shelters were old, had holes, and had mice everywhere. This article gives an inside scoop of what it is like to constantly migrate to different shelters, now how problems at home can effect school and outside of school as well.  Problems at home can influence attitude, and as a child, they shouldn’t be exposed to these things.  Every child should deserve an actual childhood…they should not have to struggle.  Dasani was 11 years old, but had a role of a mother to her siblings.

In the house that Dasani lived in was not safe.  Women would be sexually assaulted, robbed, and just violated and no one cared.  The Coalition for homelessness makes sure that doesn’t happen.

Final Thoughts

I believe that after reading these articles in class and gaining a different perspective of families who are really struggling had really helped me understand how difficult it can be to be in the streets.  Usually, homeless individuals are just scared, and people would be too afraid to help them.  Studies show that once they have a stable place to live and with the right support, they are able to bring themselves back onto their feet.

These nonprofit organizations are wonderful.  They give a sense of hope back into families who feel like they lost it all.