Essence of The State of Homelessness in America

According to “The State of Homelessness in America” article located on whitehouse.gov, “over half a million people go homeless in a single night in the United States.” (The Council of Economic Advisers). Homelessness in America is a serious problem. “Approximately 65 percent of homeless individuals seek temporary shelter however, the other 35 percent (just under 200,000 people) are left to sleep in places that are not intended for human habitation” (The Council of Economic Advisers) such as the streets, in abandoned buildings, sidewalks, cars, etc. There are many reasons why an individual can become homeless. Some of the reasons include but are not limited to Veterans who have been discharged from the military with nowhere to call home, misguided individuals who have no job or income due loss of job or socioeconomic status, and even teenagers/young adults being kicked out for drug use or addiction. Although there are some solutions to homelessness, there hasn’t been any proposals presented to minimalize homeless in the United Stated of America.

“Homelessness is not hopeless. It is a serious social problem but a solvable one-if we, as a society, have the determination.” (David Levinson). My proposal is to start an organization to not only help homeless individuals seek shelter for a few nights, but to ultimately change their living circumstances long term. This organization will raise money to supply and benefit the homeless to help improve their lives. Volunteers will raise money by providing cleaning services to State buildings, renovating abandoned homes in the community and using them as forms of shelter, doing countless fundraisers within the community, having daily food/clothes drives to have and endless supply of food and clothing. Additionally, the organization will have sponsors who will donate large lumps sums of money for buildings and homes.

The benefits of this organization are: More food supply, clean clothes and shoes, programs that can help homeless individuals learn interview etiquette so that they can get jobs, provide basic living necessities (healthcare, financial literacy courses, and sustaining a good credit score), and more homes and shelter. By doing these 5 things, homelessness in our communities will drop tremendously.

By running a daily food and clothes drive in our community, this will allow the organizations to provided food and clothes to the homeless individuals in need. In addition, 105 refurbished bulk containers can be purchased as low as $138.00 apiece (Toolots Reliable Equipment Fast). These can be placed near dumpsters through the community and labeled as “Clothes and Shoes” donations. By placing these bins near dumpsters, this will encourage citizens to donate clothes that they were going to throw away. We can use the clothes and shoes that are donated via that Clothes and Shoes donation bins to provide to homeless individuals who cannot afford decent, clean clothes and shoes.

Additionally, the organization will provide programs to all homeless individuals to learn how to get and keep a job. These programs will provide them with the knowledge required to get a job. The courses will include interview etiquette, resume building, and rides to and from the interview. If they are offered the job, the program will provide them with the proper work clothes and rides to work for the first 6 weeks for $1 a day. All proceeds will go towards the organization to continue helping others. By doing this, it will ensure that they are getting to work on time thus allowing them to keep the jobs that they have.

While providing these courses, I believe that it is also imperative to provide each individual with basic living necessities and knowledge so that they can be successful. These basics include health care, financial literacy courses, and sustaining good credit. “For the estimated 554,000 homeless individuals on any given night in the United States, obtaining quality sleep is often challenging. This group is known to have multiple health disparities” (Michael Businelle). By providing healthcare, it will help significantly decrease the amount of the heath disparities within the homeless community. Additionally, individuals will undergo a mental health evaluation and be offered counseling if necessary. It is important that everyone has health care. Most importantly, I believe that having healthcare will provide each individual with the knowledge that they need to live a long healthy life. Although the program assists with getting a job, be able to manage your money will also prevent individuals from going back down the same road to homelessness. By providing financial literacy assistance and courses, this will teach the individuals how to manage and save money for their necessities such as groceries, paying bills, and ultimately purchasing or renting a home. Lastly, the individuals will be taught the importance of maintaining a good credit score. This course will teach them how to work on their credit as well as sustain a good credit score so that they can purchase or rent a home.

More homes and shelters will be available to the homeless individuals in our community. We will do this by purchasing abandoned houses, duplexes, and buildings and renovating them in to local shelters and homes to homeless families. By doing this, more shelter will be provided throughout the community. The renovated homes and duplexes will be given to homeless individuals who are eligible. The eligibility requirements are:

1. Must be employed for 6 weeks.

2. Must have taken the courses that teach financial literacy and sustaining a good credit score.

3. 3. Must have at least $500 saved.

4. Must pass a drug test.

This will set them up for success in the future. By being able to purchase/rent a home or duplex, it will give them a sense to responsibility.

There are some possible obstacles that might speak against the implantation of this idea such as:

1. Shelter is already provided throughout the community

2. Every homeless individual brought homelessness upon themselves by using drugs of making poor life choices.

3. The organization will not end homelessness.

Even though there are shelters that are offered throughout the community, they are not all considered safe. Studies show, that most homeless individuals rather stay on the streets or in abandoned buildings than shelters because of their fear of the aftermath of staying in the shelters. These fears include but are not limited to lice, bed bugs, little to no ventilation (which causes difficulty breathing and can ultimately lead to death), getting assaulted and robbed by other homeless individuals, and waiting in line for more than 4 hours just to get inside. With the organizations that I’m proposing, the shelters and homes provided, with have the proper cleaning and safely precautions in place to ensure that everyone is safe and clean. In addition, cleaning jobs will be offered to certain homeless individuals for compensation.

The myth “If you’re homeless, your brought that upon yourself” is not always 100% true. According to The National Law Center of Homelessness and Poverty, “the top four causes of homelessness among unaccompanied individuals were (1) lack of affordable housing, (2) unemployment, (3) poverty, (4) mental illness and the lack of needed services” (Homelessness in America: Overview of Date and Causes). Although many homeless individuals are subjected to drug use, most homeless individuals are not drug addicts.

Although the organizations will not end homelessness in our community, it will decrease homelessness. Not only will the organization decrease homeless individuals in the streets, it will also assist them with staying off of the streets by taking advantage of the services offered by the organization in question. I believe that if there were more influential rehabilitation programs offered, it would significantly reduce the amount of homelessness in the community.

In conclusion, I believe that the organization that the organization that is proposed will not only temporarily end homelessness for numerous individuals but completely change their lives. By offering several rehabilitation services from mental evaluations with the choice of counseling to financial literacy will set them up for long term success. Furthermore, they will have a safe place to sleep without worrying about getting sick from dirty living spaces or getting assaulted and robbed for their shoes and jacket. The organization will offer endless outlets that will ultimately contribute to their success. They will not have to wonder where their next meal or jacket will come from. If more than just shelters were offered to the homeless individuals in our communities, we will have less homeless individuals in the streets of our communities.