Social Problem
Homelessness is a major social problem in America. Recent reports indicate that each year, between 2 and 4 million people in America sleep in transitional housing, shelters, and in public places that are meant for other activities different from public habitation (Schwartz, 2014; National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2014). In addition, economic necessity is responsible for doubled-up families of more than 7 million people in the U.S.A (Whalen, 2008). In spite of such reports, it is estimated that the number of homes of people in America may be more than the already reported cases. Such a difference is attributed to the fact that people have different approaches and views regarding homelessness. For example, there are individuals who describe homelessness in aspects of the state where individuals live in public places, transitional housing, as well as in shelters (Schwartz, 2014).
On the other hand, homelessness can be considered to factor in families that have doubled-up with others as a result of harsh economic necessity (Rugh & Massey, 2010). There is a challenge as far as the methodology adopted in the collection of data on homelessness in America is concerned, as it might involve a number of flaws. In spite of this, it is a fact that there are numerous people in America who do not have access to decent housing (Whalen, 2008). Evidently, the state of homelessness in America is worsening and requires immediate and effective measures for the problem to be fully addressed (Bassuk, 2010). As such, it is addressing the problem will call for the understanding of the causes of homelessness in the country.
The Importance of the Problem
According to the current state of affairs as far as homelessness in America is concerned, there is a need for the adoption of better programs to deal with the factors that influence people’s loss of homes, as well as address the current cases of homeless people in the country (The National Center on Family Homelessness, 2014; Whalen, 2008). The lack of a decent home is a serious problem that not only affects an individual but their country’s growth and development (Toro et al., 2007). For this reason, addressing the problem of homelessness in America will not only be important for the affected people but also for the country’s economic growth. Whalen (2008) attributed this to the fact that providing shelter to homeless Americans will act as the background for them to engage in economic activities based on their current positions.
The Scope of the Problem
The problem of homelessness is associated with poor people due to the fact that such people are unable to afford to house. It is estimated that more than 3 million people suffer from homelessness in America (Schwartz, 2014). Such a group of homeless individuals comprises of homeless youth, unaccompanied runaways, families with children, as well as single individuals (The National Center on Family Homelessness, 2014). The review of the state of homelessness in America prior to the 2008 economic recession indicates that the number of homeless people was not as high as it is nowadays.
First, there is an increase in the number of doubled-up families in America where friends and families leave their homes to live with other friends and families because of economic challenges (National Center for Homeless Education, 2014). Such an increase is estimated to be 80% between 2011 and 2012. (National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2014).
Secondly, more than 1.1 million school-going children dropped from school between 2012 and 2013 due to homelessness (National Center for Homeless Education, 2014). Carrying out a comparative analysis of the previous school years indicates that there was an increase of 8% in terms of homeless school-going children (National Center for Homeless Education, 2014; The National Center on Family Homelessness, 2014).
Thirdly, recent reports show that affordable housing is becoming a crisis in America. This is attributable to the fact that 25% of individuals in the U.S spend almost half of their income paying rent. Such a situation has worsened since 2008 following the economic recession (The National Center on Family Homelessness, 2014). In addition, concerns have been over the findings that despite the harsh economic situation, the ethnic and racial minorities in America are disproportionately targeted as far as the increase in the cost of housing is concerned (Rugh & Massey, 2010). For example, recent statistics indicate that about 27%, 24%, 21%, and 14% of African-American families, Hispanic families, Asian families, and White families in 2012 respectively, spend more than half of their income in paying rent.
In comparison to the total population of America, there are more homeless male, adult, African-American. For example, in 2010, about 140 black people were homeless in comparison to only 1 white individual.
According to the statistics above, it is evident that there are a lot of homeless people in America. In addition, according to recent trends, the condition has been worsening. This implies that the failure to address the problem of homelessness in America now, there would be adverse consequences in the future as more Americans resort to transitional homes, shelters, as well as public places. To avert such cases, there is a need to immediately address the problem.
Causes of the Problem
A number of factors trigger the problem of homelessness in America. First, the lack of affordable housing alongside insufficient income plays a significant role in the state of homelessness in America (Whalen, 2008). For example, according to 2012 statistics, more than 10 million people in America were categorized as extremely low income-earners. In addition, during the same year, only slightly above 5 million rental units could be afforded by the individuals with low incomes in America. Rent takes more than half of the total income for most Americans, which implies that the other remaining insufficient part of their income in used to cater for other necessities like childcare, transport, healthcare, and food.
Secondly, homelessness in America can be blamed on the financial crisis (Toro, 2007). This occurs due to increased number of debts, unemployment, as well as the need to take care of emergency medical bills. When people are unable to cater for such expenses, they opt to move to the streets. In most of the cases, such scenarios put an individual in a financial crisis that does not align with their current income (Whalen, 2008).
Thirdly, cases of divorce in America have contributed to the current state of homelessness. This is attributed to the fact that in a case where one individual is not employed and suffers a divorce, the chances are high that such people are thrown out of the house to the streets. On the other hand, if the unemployed encounters challenges looking for job or even providing for the children.
Fourthly, foreclosure crisis contribute immensely to increase in the number of homeless people in America. For example, following the foreclosure crisis of 2008, more than 60% individuals became homeless (Rugh & Massey, 2010). A high number of families that are facing threat of eviction as a result of foreclosure are renters. Given the fact that these are the majority of the America’s population, it is expected that the homelessness situation will worsen in the future if the problem is not addressed.
Fifth, the level of poverty in America is at a high level, and has hence, contributed largely to the high rate of homelessness in the country. While it might appear obvious for a country to have poor citizens, the state of poverty in America is worse. For example, 25% of the homeless individuals in this country are in forms of employment which do not earn them enough income to cater for mortgages of rent (Whalen, 2008). For this reason, such individuals prefer to be on the streets as a way to survive on the amount of money that they earn from the jobs.
Sixth, mental illness has also contributed to the number of homeless people in America. This is attributed to the fact that people with mental problems require proper medication and treatment, which implies that one has to spend significant high amount of money. Considering the fact that the majority of the people in America are low income earners and unemployed, it becomes difficult to raise the required amount of money for the medication and treatment of their friends and family members who have mental illness. As a result, such people end up becoming homeless. In addition, people have grown wary of mental help following cases of base experiences, irrational fears, as well as the preconceived ideas associated with the illness. In most of the cases, mentally-ill people may fall in two categories; those who receive the medication and treatment but cannot afford to pay for their rent and those who do not wish to receive the medication and treatment, and are unable to sustain their jobs due to the illness, they lose they job cutting their only source of income and subsequently, end up homeless.
Increase in the number of drug abuse cases has also played a significant role as far as the state of homelessness in America is concerned. This is due to the fact that drug abuse interferes with an individual’s financial stability as some of drug practices are expensive and can also cause unemployment, death, illness, debt, or even arrest and imprisonment. Where an individual becomes addicted to a certain drug, the chances are high that they may end up homeless since they are not able to cater for their drugs as well as pay rent. On the other hand, an individual who becomes a drug addict may render his or her family homeless following the lack of family support due to unemployment and lack of finances.
There are numerous cases of domestic violence in America, which contribute to the country state of homelessness. Individuals running away from their violent partners end up in streets. Such a situation becomes tricky when the affected person has children to take care of. This has been evident from the high number of children in the streets (Bassuk, 2010). The lack of employment as well as the fact that the majority of Americans are low-income earners contribute to the homelessness of children because the amount of income they earn is not even enough for them and their partners and hence, becomes quite challenging to take care of the additional needs of the children.
Capacity of the Agency
Mission
This project’s name is Affordable Housing Program for All (AHPA). The mission of this project is to provide homelessness preventive measures, offer high-quality help to the already homeless individuals and reliable strategies to deal with the problem of homelessness in California, U.S.A.
Ability/Resources
Noble Connections International will initiate the project. It is a humanitarian agency whose objectives include improving the living standards of local communities and making them self-reliant. The organization has several years of experience in community work and hence, it is suitable for the current project. However, other organizations such as the United Nations will be involved in this project. The United Nations has carried out similar projects in the past and hence, it will be instrumental in this project due to its knowledge and expertise in handling community problems.
History
Noble Connections International was started in 2005 with the aim of providing help to communities in different parts of the world. For the last ten years, the agency has been involved in different projects involving community-based organizations. For example, it has carried out projects in the past to advocate for HIV/Aids awareness, education to the girl child, as well as established and managed several community-based projects aimed at ensuring self-reliance in terms of food production.
Proposed Intervention
Intervention’s Mission
The mission of this initiative is to ensure reduce the rate of homelessness and its associated impacts in California. This mission will be achieved by ensuring that there are measures to prevent, assist, as well as solve the problem of homelessness.
Intervention Hypothesis
In order to ensure that the project’s objectives are fulfilled, a number of hypotheses are made regarding the entire intervention, needs, and demands of the targeted group of people, as well as the social and economic environment around them.
First, it is hypothesized that in the next 20 years, the population of the low-income earners in California will not decrease. With the increasing rates of unemployment in the country, it is expected that the population of the families in need of housing assistance is going to increase. A decrease in the number of employed people will lead to an increase in the number of households in need of affordable housing.
Secondly, it is hypothesized that in the future there will be a decline in the funds available from the state and federal government for housing assistance programs. Such a scenario will lead to an increase in the demand for this project’s proposed strategy.
Addressing the Causes of the Problem
There are several causes of the state of homelessness in California as highlighted previously including increased divorce cases, drug addition, poverty, domestic violence, lack of employment, as well as lack of affordable housing. This project focuses on addressing the majority of the causal factors for a chance to improve reduce the rate of homelessness in the selected region.
First, the primary cause of the problem of homelessness in California is the lack of employment the majority of the residents, which increases the level of poverty in the region. Given that, the majority of the people in America are unemployed and those who are employed earning meagre salaries, sustaining their livelihood can be quite challenging (Bassuk, 2010). Therefore, to address the unemployment and low income problems in the region, the will lobby for government’s support as far as the creation of employment opportunities is concerned. In addition, the project will engage in campaigns for the purpose of ensuring the standardization of income for all Americans.
The second problem as far as the problem of homelessness in America is concerned is the increase in case of financial crisis (Toro, 2007). This is attributed to the fact that the majority of individuals engage in expensive lifestyles that are way past their level of income. As such, the project will seek to offer financial management lessons to residents of California to ensure that they live within their means.
Thirdly, the project will focus on addressing the problem of drug addiction, which has adverse effects on financial crisis, lack of finances, poverty levels, unemployment, and generally homelessness of individuals. The project will include guidance, counselling, and rehabilitation center where issues related to the avoidance of drug abuse such as avoiding drugs and even rehabilitation of drug addicts will be addressed. This approach is aimed at ensuring that the already addicted individuals are helped to reform, while at the same time offering awareness to the public on the consequences of drug abuse.
Fourthly, domestic violence has been cited as a contributor to the homelessness of many people in America (Toro, 2007). As such, to address this problem, the project will focus on creating awareness of domestic violence and its impacts to the development of the society. This will include providing options that individuals can adopt to avoid ending up homeless.
The second problem as far as homelessness condition in America is concerned is the scenario of disproportionate rent as evident between where the Blacks, Hispanics and Indians are required to pay more than the Whites Americans (Rugh & Massey, 2010). To address the problem of disproportionate rent increases, the project will carry out campaigns for the standardization of rent regardless of individuals’ race. On the other hand, in the second phase the project will engage in the provision of affordable housing plans to all people based on the amount of income they earn.
Mission/Goals/Objectives
In order to reduce the problem of homelessness in California, the project will have to fulfill a number of goals. The primary goals of the project are listed below:
Developing a community guidance and counselling center
First, the project hopes to ensure the development of a community center in California State purposely. This center will be used to provide guidance and counselling to the homeless, drug addicts, victims of domestic violence, as well as the unemployed. In addition, the center will provide short-term housing for homeless individuals as they search for job opportunities.
Increase employment rate
The project will make sure that individuals within the target area are employed. As such, the project will achieve this goal by increasing the number of employed people in California, as well as increasing their level of income by lobbying for income standardization, as well as better job opportunities for all.
Reduce the level of poverty
As noted earlier, the majority of the low-income earners in California depend on temporary employment for their everyday expenses. The increase in the rate of unemployment in America has led to high level of poverty. By providing guidance and counselling on financial management, individuals will be able to budget their expenses well with respect to their level of income. To reinforce this, the project will carry out campaigns to reduce poverty through the provision of employment opportunities by the government. On the other hand, the project hopes to create awareness regarding the need for individuals to start small and medium enterprises to subsidize their low income. Moreover, the project targets to start SMEs for the homeless individuals.
Program Detail
Description
The “Affordable Housing Project for All” project will enable homeless people to gain homes, while at the same time preventing additional cases of homelessness in California. The project will lower the target population’s potential to become homeless, increase the employment rate, reduce poverty, drug addiction, and domestic violence.
As such, AHPA project considers the low-income earners in California to be the most vulnerable as far as the homelessness is concerned. In order to address the current problems, the project focuses on the prevention of people from being homeless by offering sustainable and preventive measures, as well as lasting solutions to the problem of homelessness.
Flow of Services
The obtained funds will be used in ensuring that all the necessary services and resources are availed to the various sectors including technical assistance, and building partnerships. The project will comprise of a number of models to ensure the achievement of the all the set goals and objectives. These models will include the pilot program which is considered to be the trial model, and the second-phase model, which will be a replication of pilot model. The second phase of the project will be launched 6 months after the first phase, which will focus on the development of rapid housing, transitional housing, as well as permanent supportive housing.
Staffing
The success of this project will be determined by the expertise, knowledge, skills, and commitment of the involved staff. For this reason, three part time and three full-time staff will be employed to help in the management of the project.
- Project director: the duties and responsibilities of the project director will be to recruit project team, oversee the development and operation of the project, establish, and maintain important links with the necessary stakeholders such as the government and the Department of Health and Human Services.
- Center coordinator: the responsibilities of this staff will be to develop working links with the community leaders, self-help groups within the society, as well as schedule for center programs.
- Volunteer coordinator: the responsibilities of this coordinator will include the recruitment of volunteers- majorly comprising of university students, establish, and maintain links with various departments that might benefit from the project. In addition, the coordinator will develop and offer training programs to the volunteers and arrange for volunteer services at the community center.
- Project Evaluator: the project evaluator will be part time with the responsibility of providing the necessary entry level data with respect to the state of homelessness in America, the community’s energy needs, as well as carry periodic assessment to identify any changes that might influence the success of the homeless project model and the entire project.
- Center assistant: the responsibility of this part time staff will be to maintain the community center, as well as carry out any other duties involving the community-based organizations.
- Graphic artist: the responsibility of the graphics artist will be to design and illustrate posters to be used when training individuals on various aspects of the project and general concept of homelessness in America.
Budget
Line Items
Table 1: Project’s line items.
Function/Programs
The programs to be undertaken by this project are divided into two types of intervention as highlighted below.
The First Intervention: The Trial Model
This intervention will entail the creation and operation of a community center that will be used to offer guidance and counselling services to victims of financial crisis, drug addiction, domestic violence, and unemployment. In addition, the community center will be used to provide temporary shelter to homeless people in the course of starting over. The trial phase will be carried out for six months before launching the second phase.
Second Intervention: Second phase
The second intervention of the AHPA will include the extension of the trial project to other community agencies, and to the whole of California. This phase will focus on the provision of rapid housing, transitional housing, as well as permanent supportive housing to affected people.
Unit of Services Costs
The full-time staff for this project will be paid based on a 12 months contract, while the part-time workers will be paid according to number of hours worked in a day for 34 weeks as showed on the table highlighting the budget below. However, the rates differ according to the number of hours worked and the complexity of work especially for the part-time staff.
The FICA fee for the total amount of salaries will be 7.65%, while the retirement fee will be 6%. On the other hand, the coordinator and volunteer coordinator monthly fee will be $365 each, while the director’s will be $357.
Budget Narrative
The table below provides a summary of how the requested amount of $200,000 will be used in the proposed project. All monetary amounts are in dollars. On the other hand, all expenses are calculated on a 12-months projection.
Table 2: Project’s 1-Year budget justification.
Continuation Plan
Evaluation Plan
The primary objective of this project is to ensure that there is a reduction as far as the state of homelessness in the region is concerned. However, the project has other specific objectives such as reducing poverty level, drug addiction cases, unemployment, as well as domestic violence. As such, this project is scheduled to run for one year, which is considered to be a trial period. After 12 months in operation, the project will be evaluated to establish its success rate. Such evaluation will be aimed at establishing whether the project was viable as far as changing the state of homelessness in California is concerned.
For this reason, the evaluation plan will be based on a few aspects but with the major focus on the achievement of the project’s initial goals. Therefore, the project will be evaluated in terms of its ability to develop a guidance and counselling center, reduction of the rate of homelessness in the region, improved income, creation of more job opportunities by the government, as well as the provision of lasting solutions to the homeless individuals in the society, which include the availability of rapid housing, transitional housing, as well as permanent supportive housing. If the success rate is high and the majority of the above criteria are met, then the project will be continued for another year.
References
Bassuk, E. L. (2010). Ending child homelessness in America. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 80(4), 496.
National Alliance to End Homelessness. (2014). The state of homelessness in America. Web.
National Center for Homeless Education. (2014). Education for homeless children and youths: Consolidated state performance report data, Web.
Rugh, J. S., & Massey, D. S. (2010). Racial segregation and the American foreclosure crisis. American Sociological Review, 75(5), 629-651.
Schwartz, A. F. (2014). Housing policy in the United States. London, UK: Routledge.
The National Center on Family Homelessness. (2014). America’s youngest outcasts: A report card on child homelessness. Web.
Toro, P. A. (2007). Toward an international understanding of homelessness. Journal of Social Issues, 63(3), 461-481.
Toro, P. A., Tompsett, C. J., Lombardo, S., Philippot, P., Nachtergael, H., Galand, B.,… & MacKay, L. (2007). Homelessness in Europe and the United States: A comparison of prevalence and public opinion. Journal of Social Issues, 63(3), 505-524.
Whalen, R. C. (2008). The subprime crisis: Cause, effect and consequences. Journal of Affordable Housing & Community Development Law, 2(1), 219-235.