Homelessness
In the 1870s, New York City found many young boys sleeping on the streets and the New York City Rescue Mission was established as the first of many such organizations seeking to rescue (Wiki, 2010). All of America, had hobos, who lingered near the trains, hopping, moving and living near those areas and usually forced to keep moving by local authorities. Following the Civil War and the Great Depression, found millions of individuals hunger, hopeless, and homeless. From then to the early 1960s not much of a focus was on the homeless because the economy was thriving, people were working, enjoying the American dream of owning a home, raising a family, and retiring complacent. During the early 1960s, large mentally ill populations were released from institutions and were suppose to re-enter a community mental health setting for treatment and follow up but the community programs never evolved to the point that it eliminated their need to live on the streets. Since, modern homeless began a resurgence as a result of the weaken economy and the lack of available affordable housing.
Sitting back in our homes, we wonder how people become homeless. Now many of those same people, with the epidemic of foreclosures and massive loss of employment opportunities, people are finding out first hand, how and why people become homeless. Some have lost their jobs, could not find a new one, thus could not pay the mortgage or rent on the residence and have been forced to vacate the premises with no where to go.
Times changed and places where individuals used to be allowed to loiter, such as churches, public libraries, and cavaedia began to fill up with homeless people forcing local governments to enforce new public policies, like no eyes shut, and churches locking their doors when services are not being held. Privately hired security guards were used to enforce these new policies, thus creating a social awareness. These closed doors forced the homeless population to live on the sidewalks, in the parks, under bridges and thoroughfares, in subway, and railroad terminals. The apparent effect of this was their becoming invisible to society. Just as Voltaire said, we became tolerate of them but blind.
Soon temporary housing, boarding rooms and emergency housing began to offer temporary housing programs and the like to the homeless population. These facilities only allowed the individual(s) to sleep overnight during the day light hours or just offer one night shelter opportunities. When the homeless had to leave the facility they were to take whatever belongs they had as well. If the temporary shelter filled up, reached capacity or if the individual was not eligible to utilize the facility they were turned away.
After careful review, lack of funding or hard rules and regulations, the public has observed that these temporary measures have not been successful. They are not capable of dealing with all the obstacles and challenges of the homeless, they are only providing a nightly sleeping area, providing a meal or two, yet the individuals served are still considered homeless and still crowding the streets, receiving minimum assistance, and increasing public concern.
Homeless Solution
If given the opportunity and the resources to solve the problem, I would take a holistic approach. Taking the stand that just providing a home for the homeless, does not address the other issues I would develop a program that would address all the issues and concerns of the homeless. Our program, Development of the Upliftment of the Homeless (DUH) will accept all homeless individual and families. The program is outlined in Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III.
DUH would be located on several large parcels of land and the government would back the program financially with the assistance of other philanthropy means. Each parcel would be utilized as a helping part of the homeless community. The community would consist of a medical clinic, training centers, gas station, grocery store, other small establishments, a cafeteria, recreation center, auditorium, rent-free housing, and subsidized housing. It would also include several motor pools for the necessary transpiration of the individuals. The vision is to have this community to be totally manned by the homeless with the assistance of an executive director, a program director and highly trained and skilled personnel. The plan would include rehabilitation, vocational and career development training, and life skills instruction in an effort to bring forth self sufficiency.
Phase I of the program will begin the process of learning about the homeless individual. Each participant (homeless) would complete an application and began the process of evaluation. During the application process all personal information, needs, mental and health conditions, and goals will be assessed and an Individual Management Plan (IMP) will be designed. The goals and objectives of the program will be outlined and the individual would be mandated to sign a contract agreeing to allow the program to develop himher to be a viable and productive individual. Those that are identified as mentally ill or victims of substance abuse, would be transferred to DUH Mental Health Facility immediately to begin the process of identifying the illness, substance abuse, and begin treatment. Those that are without illnesses would be assigned housing, supplied with four changes of clothes if needed, supplied with personal hygiene items, tested to determine literacy, and counseled on setting goals for their sustainment.
This phase of the program will provide rent free housing and training to the individual. They will be responsible for maintaining their living quarters and other duties that will be surrounding the maintenance and operation of DUH. The duties and responsibilities would be outlined and those individuals needing assistance or training on chores, life skills and such, and will be provided by the program personnel.
There will be 3 sections of the free housing projects, (a) single males, (b) single females, and (c) families. The single units will house 6 individuals to a room, with each having a bed and a dresser. The other facilities will be located on the floor for all personal hygiene functions. The family units will consist of similar items, but room size will be determined by family size. The aptitude of the adults will be determined and the program will work towards that end. The adults would, therefore, have options on receiving vocational and career development assistance and will attend training during the weekdays. The children will be registered and taken to and from school by the DUH School Bus.
During the training process, the adult individuals will receive a stipend on a weekly basis that will be placed in a saving account, made available after their training is complete and they have moved on to employment. Those individuals that progress to this level will be moved on to Phase II of the program. Those that require additional training or medical care will receive that until they can qualify for the next level. An individual will be limited to 180 days placement in Phase I, should an individual not be able to move from Phase I to Phase II, additional mental and physical testing will be done to determine the cause. DUH will partner with local businesses and employment opportunities will be available within the community to the individuals that graduate and make progress into Phase II. Additionally, the compound will consist of various opportunities for the trained individuals. There will be small shops or businesses that the individuals may open and operate utilizing their skills learned in vocational training andor enhanced through career development. The grocery store, gas station, cafeteria, the recreation center, and the auditorium will have some paid employment opportunities as well.
Phase II will include individuals who have had training, have employment or are self employed and are now qualified for the DUH Subsidized Housing (SH). In the DUHSH, they will be responsible for the upkeep of the house, maintaining their employment, and continue to donate time to the operation of DUH. Rental payments will average 30 of their wages or less, according to what is reasonably affordable per personfamily in the housing unit and these living accommodations are available for a total of 365 days. During this year, the individual will receive training on budgets, parenting, life skills, and counseling as needed. During the last quarter of this stay in SH, the individual will be supplied with an opportunity to purchase a vehicle from the DUH Automotive Academy for a subsidized amount determined by income. Also as part of DUHs vision, all Phase II adult participants (one per family) will be supplied with a cell phone for communication purposes, at a subsidized rate. The program will cost the participant 30 per month and that will be stable for the following three years. After three years, they will return the phone to the program.
The children in the program must attend school, must maintain average grades, and must participate in an organized sport. Tutors and mentors will be available and they will be encouraged to further their education with the assistance of grants and scholarships. They will be rewarded for better than average grades with opportunities to participate in Olympic type events, opportunities for movies, and video games. Should any child have discipline problems and the parents feel they cannot handle alone, that child will have to participate in DUHs Military Camp during weekends to help the child and parent(s) identify and work through those issues.
Just as there are incentives for the children to do well in school, incentives are built into the program for additional motivation for the adults. During Phase I the incentive will be Gift Cards for outstanding performance in the training program, perfect attendance in the training program, and for completing all required follow up dates. Follow up dates in Phase I are done every 15 days, in Phase II every 30 days and in Phase III every 90 days.
Phase III would be for individuals and families that have left the compound and are successfully living and working on their own. These individualsfamilies have graduated from Phase II and received assistance locating housing and employment off the compound. Phase III will run for 365 days and the individual and families are required for follow up every 90 days. For every follow up made, a stipend of 100 will be made available to assist in rent or utilities. The individuals will also be allowed to use the program for the next three years for assistance in school supplies, holiday gift baskets, and other emergencies that may occur. Each individual will be allowed a maximum of three emergency vouchers for assistance.
DUH will maintain a set of quantitative measurements and complete a needs assessment annually. DUH would stay connected with past participants to ensure that they are sustaining. Upon program completion each participant would be encouraged to complete a survey, evaluating did the program assist them and how, any questions, concerns, areas of improvements and so on. Measurement of the program will be mandatory. Using a balanced score approach, HUD will constantly look for the most efficient and best practices in working with the participants and this approach will allow HUD to make upgrades and adjustments as needed.
The majorities of people are not homeless because they want to be circumstances, many times was the driving force. A major problem with homeless programs is that they have no evaluation or measurement program in place. Evaluation can help programs determine which programs (or parts of programs) are effective with particular clients said Winship (2001). DUH wants to know if the program is achieving the goal. We dare not look at our program as Machiavelli, for empathy is needed, and he did not show that for humankind. DUH wants the homeless to have a voice, to become viable, and sustainable adults. As Plato, thoughts through Socrates, the homeless must leave the cave and walk into the light of society. To be recognized as viable, productive adults, only needing the chance, training, and the opportunity for a second chance with help. Homelessness has no prejudice or bias, it can be afflicted upon anyone, anytime, and anyplace.
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