Day: April 20, 2017

New York is a state with the second largest homeless population in the United States, and we know it all too well. From the homeless men and women on the streets who stay out in the cold, to the people who are stuck in homeless shelters for years without sufficient assistance to get them back on their feet, the issue of homelessness is one that we have acted against but have not been able to solve.

The issue of homelessness is complex – while poverty may be the prime cause of homelessness, there are many things that cause poverty. The lack of a high-quality education for everyone regardless of their socioeconomic background, the lack of jobs due to a stagnating industry, or even social issues like the abuse of drugs or certain mental illnesses make it extremely hard for people to maintain jobs and pay for housing. It’s even worse as the issue of housing discrimination is very prevalent and has been here for decades. For instance, African Americans have been blocked from moving into majority white neighborhoods for decades now, and while fair housing laws have been passed, the issue is still largely there. Professor Douglas Massey from Princeton University states that an alarming one-third of African Americans living in cities are in fact living in highly segregated neighborhoods.

The government itself hasn’t been able to do much in reducing racial segregation in housing. The Section 8 Voucher Program, which provides assistance to low-income families in dire need of housing does try to solve the issue, but it falls short. The waiting list for it is as large as 25,000 in a city like St. Louis and there is a rental cap imposed that makes it hard for families to find decent homes. Furthermore, landlords do not necessarily have to accept these tenants because while the city enforces the law, the county does not. When it comes to the federal level, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development has also not quite done absolutely all they can to minimize the issue of housing discrimination in the US. Like Professor Jargowsky has said, “they work so much with the housing authority, and the housing authority works with the developers.” Instead of the people’s needs being met, they appear to be shoved aside.

HUD has not done so well regarding homelessness either. While their assessments have pointed out that homelessness has indeed dropped since the recession in 2007, it fails to take into account the many people who have come up with their own refuges outside of the formal housing shelters such as those who have “doubled up” or in other words, have been staying with different family members or friends. To me, it seems like the problem of homelessness is being grossly underrepresented and while the issue is definitely hard to solve, we shouldn’t be pretending that we are solving it by skewing the numbers.

As a greater society, we have a duty to provide basic needs to the members of this society. It is up to the people and the government, elected by the people, to determine what those basic needs are. As with everything, there are differences in opinion. Chapters 9 and 11 in the CQ reader express the importance of having a roof over one’s head. Housing is an extremely important bare minimum. Without it, it is almost impossible to find the motivation to do much else.

Homelessness is an issue that we literally face every day. Chapter 9 delves into the idea of housing the homeless. The best way to house the homeless is to understand what their needs are and what caused them to be homeless in the first place. According to experts, the main contributor to homelessness is poverty. A lack of education, jobs, and underemployment are all factors. If one does not have access to proper education or a job, they cannot afford to pay rent or purchase a home. Not only is it a monetary problem, but homelessness is a social problem as well. Mental illness or substance abuse make it difficult to keep a job or afford housing.

Housing First and Rapid Re-Housing, in theory, appear to be a great tag team providing housing and financial aid, respectively, to those who have recently become homeless to prevent them from being on the streets or in a shelter. While the cost of these programs and effectiveness is debatable. I believe that these programs could flourish with an additional element. These programs need to be complemented by some sort of education component. Since a cause of homelessness is a lack of education, which makes finding employment difficult, I believe that classes teaching basic skills such as computer, writing, and resume building can improve these peoples’ chances of getting out and staying out. Additionally, individuals and families need the emotional support, guidance, and group therapy to deal with everything that is presented before them.

Not only is homelessness a major housing issue, but housing discrimination is as well. When racial segregation in housing was legal in the 1930s and 1950s, white families were receiving mortgages with great interest rates, while black families were being denied. This allowed white families to move into comfortable suburban areas and it left black families in the dust. Although now racial segregation has declined, it still exists in many cities across the United States. Reading Kimberly’s story at the start of Chapter 11, I was completed shocked by her experience living in public housing in Baltimore and how she succumbed to the realities of her surroundings. Although she was given a Section 8 voucher, not everyone is as fortunate and not all landlords accept them. This makes it incredibly difficult for families to find good, diverse neighborhoods to live in. Although I do not have an answer, and I do not know who does, both homelessness and housing discrimination are serious issues that needs to be resolved.

How can anyone accomplish anything without having a home? Our homes are our security blankets, our private little corners that we can go to in order to re-charge, so that we can face the big world out there. Based on this outlook, everybody deserves a home, especially the child going home after a harrowing day at school. Those who don’t have a home because of adjustment problems such as drinking, drugs, or crime, will never make adequate progress without having a home. As such, after reading Peter Katel’s chapter on “Housing the Homeless” I firmly agree with the concept of “Housing First.”  This procedure allows for quickly placing individuals in housing and avoiding transitory homeless programs such as shelters. The author provides research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing that children perform better in school, and that adults show better recovery and response to treatment when given a permanent home first. The economic issues that force individuals into public shelters take a long time to resolve; step one in this process is having a home. People need a stable shelter in order to build their confidence, make improvements in their lives, and develop within society. Placing the homeless in permanent housing and providing supportive services will give them a base from which they can begin to solve their life problems. Without a home base, there is no “home run” solution.

Related to having a home is movement out of undesirable domiciles, such as shelters, slums, and public projects, that discourage personal and social growth. The location and quality of a home is important because they help create an environment of hope. The article by Kenneth Jost on “Housing Discrimination” points out that in order to have fair housing the houses that people are placed in should be equivalent and that people should not be precluded from living in nicer neighborhoods, such as in suburbs, based on gender, racial, sexual, disability, or financial discrimination. Putting the homeless, the poor, minorities, or immigrant groups in poor neighborhoods, segregated from well-to-do white neighborhoods, keeps them from being exposed to the wealth of beauty, safety, and educational opportunities that are available in safer suburban areas. It should be the job of the government to ensure that people of all backgrounds can live together in any neighborhood, and to also ensure that all neighborhoods are well integrated. Laws such as HUD’s “Fair-Housing Rule” and the “Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule” need to be implemented; the latter allows governmental funds to help improve the housing situations for desegregated poor and minority groups. Although historically there have been laws against housing discrimination based on religion, race or disability, these laws have not prevented the growth of segregated, exclusive neighborhoods. Instead, minorities have primarily been confined to poor and low income housing in poverty and high crime areas. These areas are often limited with regard to their access to good educational systems and jobs, thus preventing the growth of these individuals in society. Having a house to live in is a step up from homelessness, but it is not just the presence of a house but also the quality of the environment in which the house is placed that makes a difference. An integrated environment with opportunity for all is what is important in helping to create a safe home base in which to grow.

Homelessness is a universal problem, one which cannot, should not, and hopefully will not continue to be ignored to the extent that it is.  Contrary to popular opinion, homelessness is a not a problem unique to the mentally ill, addicts, or minorities, rather it can and does afflict people of all backgrounds.  And simply put, both homelessness and housing discrimination are affliction which are preventable, with an increase in awareness and efforts being made by the general population as to their existence and extent.

You would be hard pressed to find a politician who is willing to advocate for the continuing of the existence of a homeless population.  Furthermore, if asked, no one would support, at least barring economic differences or racial issues stemming from their own biases, housing discrimination.  To this end, it makes no sense that we, as a community, claim to wish to see the end of homelessness, as described the CQ reader, such as that of single mothers or children, but continue to allow one of the primary causes this issue.   In that we fight homelessness, but oftentimes sit contentedly, thinking that the Civil Rights Act in the ’60’s was enough effort made to fight the issue of minority suppression in the United States. So that rather than perpetuating the injustice which we oftentimes turn a blind eye to,  while hypocritically claiming that we are an accepting community who wishes to see all people on equal footing to some extent,  it would behoove us to take meaningful steps to rectify this situation.

This is where the issue becomes far more complex.  While the measures taken by the Bush and Obama administration are admirable,  they are equivalent to cutting out a metastasized cancer without even trying to treat the original tumor.  The assertion that studies done to determine the causes of homelessness were inconclusive is unacceptable, and if not being redone, must be conducted again.  It is folly to try to find people places to stay without taking steps to ensure they or others don’t end up on the streets.  Considering that homelessness existed before the Reagan era, which the text cites as the period of a fundamental shift the American economy,  there must be a universal, continuous, underlying cause, which must be identified and rectified.

In regards to housing discrimination, this is an issue less to do with homelessness, although it does cause it, but rather with race relations in the United States.  Landlords will not be able to change, unless there is a fundamental shift in our society in regards to how the races view each other.  This can be helped, not necessarily solved, by a changing in our educational system.

Both homelessness and housing discrimination are symptoms of greater ailments, and it is time that we targeted the underlying problems rather than what these problems cause.

Homelessness and housing discrimination go hand in hand as many people who are homeless, end up in that position due to lack of jobs, housing, section 8 vouchers, or landlords providing them with a home. I knew that women, especially single mothers are more likely to be homeless due to most of them not being the breadwinners, or not having jobs available to them because of their motherhood. What I did not know was that twenty percent of children are living in homeless shelters. As a country that boasts providing opportunities for future generations, I believe that it is important that we find places to provide children a proper home with their families. Not only is it disheartening that a considerably world power has a grand population of homeless people, I find it annoying that we not only cut back on the amount of aid that we give them which can help them to quickly get back on their feet, but we don’t have enough shelters to house them in.  What I also find to be questionable is that the United States has the largest army in the world, and majority of the country’s budget goes to the armed forces. Although we have a large military budget, there is still a huge amount of veterans who are homeless and struggling with PTSD. I believe that their budget should be used not only for current military purposes, but provide veterans with housing, jobs outside of the military, and proper rehabilitation.

I feel that in the past, the USA used to put more care into welfare like New York City did in the past, but now it is more about generating revenue from tourists, which in turn end up hurting the homeless even more. For example, in  Hawaii, which is a huge tourist area for people in the USA and abroad, they fine people $1,000 for sitting, or laying on the sidewalk. This law not only targets the homeless, who would use those areas as places to rest, but it unfairly punishes them because they will not have the money to pay the fine, therefore most likely ending up in jail. Instead of trying to punish them for their homelessness, they should provide them areas to live. I know that the Mayor of Honolulu was pushing ordinances to build more public restrooms, and shelters which they lack. All states should ensure that they have proper facilities to help the homeless, rather than creating “universal” laws that end up targeting them.

Not only is homelessness a problem, but housing discrimination is a piece to why there are so many homeless people. Pre- civil rights era, there was a systematic housing discriminating as white people were given mortgages with low interest rates, allowing them to move to the suburbs, and buy houses in different areas. On the other hand black people were denied mortgages, and stuck in red-lined areas that lacked in values. Due to that, many black people ended up living in run down neighborhoods. Although housing discrimination is not systematic, it is now based on the individual. For example; for those who are able to get a section 8 voucher for subsidized housing, it is based on the landlord’s discretion to decide whether or not they would accept the voucher. Also, a lot of real estate agents would steer people of color into specific neighborhoods keeping areas segregated.  Another decision that led to housing discrimination was urban renewals. City developers would build highways, or other major projects in areas mainly populated by people of color, which would either end up pricing them out the neighborhood because staying there became to expensive, or pushing them into housing projects because their homes were destroyed in the renewal. Both homelessness and housing discrimination are issues that we need solve, and do it so that it is fair to everyone.

Many people are often under the assumption that people who are homeless tend to be mentally ill. However, according to Urban Issues, this is not always the case. According to Chapter 9 of Urban Issues, “Since the early 1980s, large numbers of single parent families, veterans and mentally ill people have become homeless.” Hence, the problem posed by homelessness is to what extent should it be defined and how we should go about fixing it. Homelessness according to Urban Issues, does not take into account the number of people who stay with their families and friends before moving to shelters. “Doubling up” as it is referred to is often left out of the bracket of homelessness because there are only so many people that shelters can often hold due to a lack of adequate funding. It is for these reasons that some believe shelters can be counterproductive. Due to overcrowding conditions, many people actually prefer living on the streets for the sake of their own free will so that they are not subjected to follow any rules in the shelter. The best option as I see it and as Urban Issues discusses is to grant subsidies to people who are unable to afford housing. That way, it minimizes the cost of managing a shelter and finding permanent housing for them after. Hence, it would just be a one-time transition for them being in their own homes. In Chapter 11 of Urban Issues, the idea of having a program to provide federal housing vouchers in African American neighborhoods to move families from high crime neighborhoods to racially mixed neighborhoods, supports this.

One of the main causes of homelessness is poverty. Poverty is often caused by unemployment which in some cases refer to people who stay home to take care of their disabled loved ones. Therefore, as much as subsidies and housing vouchers may aid people who are homeless, a system still needs to be in place to prevent them from going back to being homeless and to prevent other people from being homeless as well. Thus, to really stop homelessness would mean implementing more high paying jobs, providing better healthcare and services that will compensate family members for taking care of their loved ones. An interesting point that was discussed was that the money earned from current jobs can barely cover housing, food and healthcare. To really understand this, some attention must be paid to the federal poverty level. The current poverty level is roughly around an income of $24,000 per household per year. However, this range is outdated since the cost of living in America has risen over the years and the income range has never been adjusted to accommodate this change. Therefore, even people who are earning more than $24,000 a year are finding it hard to get by but yet cannot receive the necessary federal benefits because their income is not at the said poverty level. This discrepancy does in some way contribute to poverty and therefore should be addressed.

Moreover, one thing I found interesting about Chapter 11 that focused on segregated housing, was that redlining still actually exists in some areas today. It discussed a case where only recently the Wisconsin based Association Bank provided $200 million in mortgage loans and settlements to minority customers who were affected by redlining. The truth is if neighborhoods continue to be segregated, the poor from the rich, then the advancement of low income families is very unlikely. Therefore, through integration progress as a society could definitely be made.