Category: Response Papers (Apr 20) (Page 2 of 2)

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.

If not already apparent, these two chapters in the CQ Reader made it abundantly clear just how big of a problem there is with homelessness in this country. It has gotten to the point where it can no longer be ignored, or even downplayed; and it reached that point years ago. The numbers that were presented in these readings tell it all, especially the fact that one in every five homeless person is a child.

So we have come to the obviously conclusion that something must be done. However, that is the only easy part about this topic. Once you dive into the world of how to fix the homeless problem in America it becomes a lot more difficult to come to an easy and sound conclusion.

The main program that was addressed in the reading of chapter 9 was the Housing First approach. There are aspects of this plan that are, in fact, good ideas and will likely benefit a large number of families and people that are currently homeless in this country. However, despite that it can help some portion of the homeless population, for a large portion of it, this plan will not only not help but will harm.

There are many different reasons that a family or individual is forced into a homeless state; too numerous to mention. For many people that have no homes it is due to economical reasons: either housing prices got too high, they lost their job for the time being, etc. These are the type of people that Housing First should jump on; they are the ones that will benefit greatly from a program like these. Many times, people in this situation just needed a couple more months, or something around there, to be able to get back on their feet. That is what this program would give them the opportunity for; instead of forcing them to the street (or homeless shelters, or any other form of homelessness) too early and starting a change reaction that sees this family out of a home for years to come. On the other hand, there are just as many, if not more, people that giving a home to will accomplish nothing. These people are the ones who, for some reason or another, were actually their own cause for them being homeless and will possibly just slip right back into the same predicament they were in before. Regarding these people, help of a different kind is needed; we need to address the root of the problem, not give them another chance while hoping something new occurs that didn’t last time.

Homelessness isn’t only an issue involving poverty. Income inequality and increasing housing costs are factors that add to homelessness, and fixing those factors can help decrease the likelihood of a family becoming homeless.

Also, many kids born in working class family neighborhoods don’t receive the same quality of education kids receive in middle class family neighborhoods. The inequality in education needs to be eradicated and more opportunities, such as job training and fun activities that will build skills needed later in life, need to be provided for kids that are in the lower SES.

I agree with Nunez and Culhane that the homeless must be provided with services such as job training, other educational services, and mental and physical health care instead of just being plopped into housing. Some can really utilize the services if they are provided with it, and others might not need it. But for some, providing education services and health care can help end a cycle of homelessness.

Housing and rental discrimination still persist today.  In the past, discrimination was more open and overt; today, it is subtle.  Minority buyers and renters are treated less favorably than whites.  Whites generally are given more information, help, and options than minorities by realtors, bankers, and insurance providers.  For example, banks have become stricter to minorities, offering “higher down payments and less favorable mortgage rates.”  As a result, minorities have a tougher time buying a house.  Very little has been done to dismantle the segregated neighborhoods.  Real estate practices continue to contribute to residential segregation. Even today, the Fair Housing Act is not adequately enforced.  For example, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is processing fewer complaints, it is taking longer to process complaints, and victim compensation has declined.

I am unsure if I would be for blocking HUD’s new fair-housing rule or against. I agree that people should choose where they want to live without government interference. But I’m also for reducing racial segregation and providing people access to better resources. I’m leaning more towards against blocking it, but who am I to say that people have to live in certain areas even if they don’t want to.

Housing is a major issue for all non home owner. It often takes up more than one-third of a family’s paycheck. Some people may ask why is it so hard to buy a house in the United States? Isn’t is an American Dream? It is true that many people dream about owning their own home; however, it is not possible for everyone due to poverty or housing segregation. Sometimes, people cannot even find or afford a proper place to live. So they have to either live on the streets, or in motels or shelter. Historically speaking, United States have a long history in housing segregation which forced minority to concentrate in ghetto and hinder their ability to purchase a house. The global economic recession is also a factor that drives up the housing segregation and rate in homelessness.

In pre Civil War era, slaves and masters lived in separated quarters and it stayed the same way even after the Civil War. African Americans were often found themselves in very poor housing condition with concentrated blackness in one area. They could not find better housing option because many places set up rules to forbidden them to enter. During the post World War II period, the GI Bill was not fully benefitting everyone. African Americans still found themselves to be denied from the benefit. They did not receive any mortgage to purchase houses in the newly built suburban and they found themselves back to the urban center with poor housing condition. This did not solely happen to African Americans, but to many minorities as well. Banks practiced redlining to prevent handing out loans to minority so they could not purchase a house of their dreams. Redlining was still in practice today; it could not be completely eliminated without proper government overreach. Many housing discriminations could not be solved by private sectors alone. Government has to set up necessary policies to prevent companies to do so. According to Washington-based Urban Institute, “… racial and ethnic minorities continue to face ‘subtle forms of housing denial’ by real estate and brokers and apartment owners, even though ‘blatant’ acts of racial discrimination are declining.” These subprime loans led to the mortgage crisis during the economic recession which forced many people to leave their homes and became homeless.

Homelessness has always been an issue for this country. In the current economy, it is hard to find affordable housing with decent living condition. Many rental houses and apartment take out more than one-third of a family’s monthly paycheck. In addition to the mortgage crisis, many families become homeless because their rental homes are foreclosed. According to HUD’s 2012 study, more than 66% of families lived with a friend or relative before moving into a shelter. When they move into a shelter, some people said they give up dignity. Many people rather stay on the street or live in a motel if they still have cash. There is no definite way to end homelessness because different people are losing their jobs each day. Without a steady cash flow, it is hard to rent a home monthly. For other people, lack of education or trauma lead to poverty and then lead to them being homeless. Shelters have implanted on-site job training and support programs to get them back on their feet. HUD’s Housing First program is a great way for homeless people to return to normal lives, but it tends to be very costly to do that. Housing sources are tight because real estate developers do not wish to minimize their profit. The government should set up incentive for private sectors to provide more affordable housing The Affordable Housing program in New York City is a great example which prevents low-income families from being homeless. At the same time, the city government gives the developers tax break for each unit they have provided.

Discrimination in housing and homelessness often goes hand in hand together. If there is less housing discrimination, people are able to find housing everywhere with reasonable price. Homelessness would decrease because some people would not have to pay extraordinary prices to live in certain area. As the economy is recovering, people can find more stable jobs to provide them with consistent income for housing. However, the government would still need to work on policies to help minorities, especially people with disability and from disadvantageous background, with more affordable housing. The current housing price is beyond the capability of many minimum wage workers. People would return to shelters if the rent or mortgage exceed their monthly paycheck.