Among the fundamental human needs in the society apart from food and clothing is shelter, which means every citizen deserves a decent home and a roof over their heads. However, homelessness is an important issue across America with numerous reports of homeless people lacking a home or place of residence and sleeping under on the streets. These are Americans living without hope and exposed to dangerous climates with lousy weather, infectious diseases, and unsafe environments, At the same time, homeless people lack access to fundamental needs such as food and water. This paper describes the ethical solution to dealing with the problem of homelessness in the county. It proposes the provision of affordable houses to low-income earners as the solution to preventing homelessness in the United States.
Most people tend to associate homelessness with failure and laziness, believing the homeless people carry the blame for their failings. This has seen some people suggesting that they get jobs rather than beg for food. However, homeless can be more than a personal weakness as some people may be pushed on the streets due to structural factors that are beyond their control. These structural factors may include a combination of societal and economic factors affecting opportunities for growth. 1 This may consist of unemployment causing lack of adequate income for individuals to get decent homes, as well as poor access to affordable housing.
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The widening gap in housing affordability has been a fundamental cause of homelessness in the country, causing loss of affordable rental housing. This gap has been widening over the years leading to a loss of affordable rental housing. A few decades ago, homelessness was a minor and inconsequential problem in the United States. Today, it has grown into a pressing issue found in many states within America. 2 Housing affordability has also worsened in the country with governments cutting back on the assistance of low-income individuals as well as reducing its investments in building affordable housing.
Limited availability of affordable housing has been a more significant cause of homelessness in the United States. This is brought about by rising costs of living that has seen low-income earners lacking access to means of housing or decent homes. The rising costs of living have seen some families purpose to spend a more significant part of their income on house rent that jeopardizes other basic needs such as food and clothing. 3 For example, a family that depends on full-time employment with a minimum wage will spend half of the salary on rent. This means any loss of jobs for a breadwinner plunges a family into homelessness.
At the same time, low-income earners are at risk of going homeless due to rising house rents in the country. Working under minimum wage may force most families to stay in poor housing conditions due to lacking access to a decent home, which may force others into homelessness. The social and economic factors have increased with the gap between low income and high-income earners in the country. 4 The only way to develop a solution is by considering the underlying causes of a problem. In this case, homelessness is mostly caused by structural factors such as the social and economic difficulties that affect the ability to afford decent housing. In this regard, the government should focus on addressing these structures, with the most effective way involving the provision of affordable housing to all low-income earners in the country.
Since most low-income earners cannot afford to buy or rent homes, the government should set up a policy that ensures they are allowed access to decent homes at affordable prices. This can entail providing private tenancy or social housing. Chronic housing shortages are one of the significant contributors of homelessness in the country, and increasing the supply of affordable rental housing is the critical approach to solving the problem. The government can use the existing social house or building new housing blocks to provide homes for low-income earners.
There seems to be a problem of gross housing undersupply in the country which has contributed to higher rental houses. Low-income earners who make the majority of homeless people are in need for low-rent housing since the expensive housing is considered a liability for their living. A considerable percentage of individuals on the streets are victims of rent evictions after losing their jobs. Some of them might have started with jobs that allowed them to pay for rent, and any loss of job pushed them onto the streets. Lack of affordable housing has contributed mainly to the high prevalence of homelessness in the United States. In this regard, increasing the availability of decent and affordable housing to individuals with low income can help reduce the homelessness
The first solution is, therefore, to deal with unequal housing supply in the country through housing policies. This entails providing permanent housing to all homeless people rather than leaving them. Every thriving community needs enough housing that is affordable and available to all people from young adults to seniors. 5 Providing affordable housing can entail expanding access of individuals to a decent house that can be affordable to low-income earners who are at risk of experiencing homelessness. For example, the government can ensure there is a rent subsidy for low-income earners, or they can develop a policy that sets the rent at affordable levels.
A lack of access to housing fundamentally defines homelessness, and therefore the best solution is to provide affordable housing to those who cannot afford them. The federal, state and local governments can promote the development of an expanded supply of safe and affordable rental houses, which includes housing units that are affordable to low-income earners and which meets their needs. The policy can also entail eliminating administrative barriers to housing as one way of improving access to federally funded housing. Federally funded subsidized housing can help deal with the shortage of housing for low-income earners.
In essence, the shelter is a fundamental human right, and everyone needs access to a decent home to live a stable life. In this regard, providing access to housing is one way of helping individuals get and keep jobs that can take care of other needs. There should be a policy that allows low-income earners access to affordable housing through federal housing assistance programs. 6 These programs enable low-income individuals to rest modest market-rate housing and get an opportunity to adjust with the level of income. These programs are successful in reducing homelessness of a family and ensure they remain stably housed.
Rapid re-housing can be another effective way of ending homelessness in the United States by helping low-income earners obtain housing and stay housed without any preconditions. This solution entails providing more housing that allows individuals with low income and job security to afford rents. 7 Homeless individuals can be helped with this program where they are taken up into permanent houses and allowed to start a new life. The government can help reduce the menace of homelessness when it manages to connect people with a home, giving them a chance to address other challenges such as obtaining employment and living a stable life. This program can be useful for individuals with limited or no income, allowing them an opportunity to regroup their lives.
Public-private partnerships can also be another method of facilitating the provision of affordable housing to low-income earners in the country. There is a need for a massive national commitment between private and public sectors that ensure there is affordable housing for all low-income earners in the country. 8 This can entail the government buying flats from private markets and allocate them to low-income and other vulnerable populations as a starting point to establishing a stable lifestyle.
Another measure can entail providing supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness in the country. The housing solutions can include providing affordable housing and supportive housing for chronically homeless individuals. The solution entails helping an individual to stay housed and live a productive life without limitation. For instance, individuals are allowed to live in the house without restrictions as long as they meet the basic obligations of tenancy. 9 At the same time, the government can consider offering permanent supportive housing for the chronic homeless individuals
The logic behind providing affordable housing to an individual is that it is easier to solve problems with a home to live than when living in the streets. This is the concept of home first and ensuring all homeless people have access to affordable and decent housing. This approach of the house first builds on the method of permanent supportive housing, by focusing on moving the homeless individuals into subsidized housing and linking them to supportive services. Providing shelter to homeless people allows them an opportunity to stabilize their lives and create a meaningful
In conclusion, homelessness in the United States is rarely a choice and therefore cannot be blamed on individual failures. The leading cause of this problem is lack of affordable housing and societal circumstances such as poverty, lack of employment and low-income jobs. The ethical solution for this problem entails providing affordable housing opportunities for a low-income individual in the country, giving them a chance to plan and stabilize their lives under a roof. However, there is no quick fix to the problem, which is why developing a solid base can provide foundations for improving the welfare of homeless people in the country. While this solution costs the government a considerable amount of money, it can also help save a lot more in ending homelessness rather than merely trying to manage it. Investing in the practice of ending homelessness can always improve any country seeking to raise the living standards of its people.
Works Cited
Anderson, Isobel. "Sustainable solutions to homelessness: the Scottish case." European Journal of Homelessness 1 (2007): 163-183.
Cronley, Courtney. "Unraveling the social construction of homelessness." Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment 20, no. 2 (2010): 319-333.
Phillips, Lindsay. "Homelessness: perception of causes and solutions." Journal of Poverty 19, no. 1 (2015): 1-19.
Sommer, Heidi. Homelessness in urban America: A review of the literature . ERIC Clearinghouse, 2001.
1 Courtney Cronley. Unraveling the social construction of homelessness ( Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment , 2010): 319.
2 Heidi Sommer. Homelessness in urban America: A review of the literature (ERIC Clearinghouse, 2001).
3 Sommer. Homelessness in urban America: A review of the literature , 2001
4 Cronley. Unraveling the social construction of homelessness, 2010: 319.
5 Isobel Anderson. Sustainable solutions to homelessness: the Scottish case ( European Journal of Homelessness , 2007): 163
6 Anderson. Sustainable solutions to homelessness: the Scottish case , 2007: 163
7 Phillips, Lindsay. Homelessness: perception of causes and solutions ( Journal of Poverty , 2015): 1-19 .
8 Lindsay. Homelessness: perception of causes and solutions , 2015): 10 .
9 Anderson. Sustainable solutions to homelessness: the Scottish case , 2007: 163
