Homelessness
During the past decade, most Americans seemed to believe that homelessness was a new phenomenon caused by the combination of regressive governmental policies and the recession of the early 1980s. The truth is that homelessness is not new, nor are our efforts to respond to it substantially different from those of our forebears. Throughout history, society has been confronted by the problem of homelessness through, beggars, the dependent poor, the unemployed, and the unemployable. Americans have viewed them alternatively as a threat to their society and its strong work ethic, for they are heroic individuals on the path of the American dream. The shameful derelicts of skid row, and today's new homeless are viewed as an embarrassment, and as a society we try to force ourselves to not acknowledge that they exist. Only in the recent years has the public been willing to admit that social isolation, alcoholism, drug abuse, and mental illness were closely associated with homelessness, and from time to time reformers have designed programs intended to address these problems, some punitive, some generous. Today, fearful of blaming the victim, most people prefer to deny these conditions and view homelessness as a single p
There are many different opinions on how to address the issues of homelessness. Work is the chief source of income for homeless people, followed by public benefits. Next is the need to increases and improved services offered to the homeless. It's unfortunate that our society is too materialistic and people like Bill Gates have billions of dollars, while others have nowhere live and nothing to eat. Homelessness remains to be a growing problem in the United States, because we refuse to acknowledge the fact they need more funding. In the past twenty years, thousands of affordable units have been lost to abandonment, urban renewal, gentrification, arson and condominium and cooperative conversion. Creating more housing is the number one issue for attempting to reduce the number of homeless people. It's a shame that the majority of society looks the other away when issues of homelessness are brought up. The result is that the cost of housing has risen, but unfortunately the earnings of low income people have not kept pace. In the past, gaps in the supply of affordable housing were filled by either the federal government or the private sector, but their activity is no longer enough to make up the shortfall. Over the past twenty years, the supply of housing available to low income people has declined. In order for us to increase there income we must expand public benefits to develop a system teaching the homeless good job skills so they can a have a fair shot at landing a decent job. If homelessness is to end in America, more housing must be made available to poor and low income people. Over the past twenty years, increases in wages and benefits have failed to keep pace with increases in the cost of living. As we attempt to solve the homeless problem, we must realize that these changes are directed toward changing the environment and by themselves will not end homelessness.
Common topics in this essay:
,
Bill Gates,
low income,
homeless people,
income people,
low income people,
affordable housing,
past twenty,
available low income,
supply affordable housing,
income people past,
housing available,
housing issue,
public benefits,
supply housing,
private sector,
|
Acceptance Essays
