Homelessness in Washington DC: Rising Despite Nationwide Progress - Essay Sample

Introduction

Several main cities in the United States have reported progress in the act of housing the homeless in the past years due to the decrease in the number of homelessness nationwide. But this progress has not yet been experienced in the past in the nation's capital, where homelessness has been increasing by about 45% in the past eight years. (Jarvie & Ahrens, 2019) The number of homeless people in the Washington District has grown by almost 13% in previous years, and the figures have worsened for family homelessness. That has reportedly been the case, but a breakthrough has been experienced. The recent survey of Washington district shows a seven percent decrease in the overall digits of the homeless in the Metropolitan area.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

The 2019 survey showed that there was a total of 9,794 homeless individuals, this being the lowest number since 2001 when the region began the collection of data. This being the first time the number has fallen to less than 10,000. (Jarvie & Ahrens, 2019). This implies that 686 fewer individuals are living in the streets as compared to 2018. Between 2015 and 2019, the District experienced an 11% decrease in homelessness across Washington, D.C.

Washington has a law of the right to shelter during the winter, therefore, any time the weather is focused on reaching about 32 degrees and below, the city has a responsibility to offer temporary emergency housing to its people. This plays a significant role in facilitating homelessness as the district has legal obligations to meet the shelter needs of families and children; thus, a large number can access the homeless system. The housing instability has contributed to the alarming rate of homelessness in Washington District due to the fact of not investing in affordable housing across the U. S, therefore, the high number of families and individuals in unstable conditions. The high cost of housing is the leading cause of homelessness. There is a recent increase in the number of people living in the streets up and down to the west coast, where the strong economy has led to the rise in rents.

Methods of Reducing Homelessness

The departments of Housing and Urban Development and that of Veteran Affairs have been on the forefront to curb homelessness by reducing the alarming number of war veterans who have been homeless since 2015.By ensuring financial vouchers and permanent housing resources. Between 2015 and 2019, the District experienced an unexpected drop on homelessness around Washington. (Fruit, & Williams, 2019). They credited the decrease in new policies put in place to focus on homeless families that granted admission to increased social service options and shelter all year. The updated procedure enhanced the accommodations to accommodate the high number of refuge pursuers during the winter while maintaining the same competence.

Nearly a year ago, The mayor of Washington D.C proposed the closure of the homeless shelter in D.C General Hospital to deconcentrate the homeless and hence provided accommodations in all the eight wards located in the city as this would have enhanced individual ties of the homeless to their societies, therefore, improving better utilization of resources. (Fruit, & Williams, 2019).

Challenges Faced by the Homeless

According to a recent investigation, at least 117 homeless people died in Washington in 2019. The unofficial tally of the number of deaths maintained by the advocacy is that the name was lower, but no matter the death rate recorded stretched five years high in the previous year. The homeless in the Washington District is aging, and this brings about new health challenges that are attributed to the death rates. (Wallace et al.,2019) Therefore, finding a permanent solution to housing the homeless is tasking many support organizations' resources.

Individuals are biased against the homeless People tend to fear the homeless as they associate them as criminals, drug addicts, and dangerous, but this tends to be the opposite. A review undertaken by the Washington Post found that the facilities that offer shelter and other housing accommodations are rarely associated with crimes as the homeless are most likely victims of criminal activities. (Wallace et al.,2019) Individuals who are taught to hate the homeless blame their homelessness on lack of ambition while stating their actual presence in the District is terrible for any business undertakings and a town's pride.

Conclusion

In my view, homelessness can be brought to an end by involving all the stakeholders that are; private citizens, city officials, and business shareholders. By coordinating ideas, views, and policies that should be adopted to ensure and provide permanent housing, which can be achieved by funding them with a sustainable source of revenue. Also encouraging private citizens to invest their funds by building multiple housing. Therefore, enhancing affordable housing thus reducing homelessness in Washington D.C.

Reference

Fruit, B., & Williams, H. (2019). From Here to There: An Occupational Screening Tool for Transitioning Soldiers. https://commons.und.edu/ot-grad/41

Jarvie, G., & Ahrens, S. (2019). Sport, Homelessness, and Capability: Voices from the Street. Quest, 71(2), 239-251. https://doi.org/10.1080/00336297.2018.1552160

Wallace, B., Pauly, B., Perkin, K., & Cross, G. (2019). Where's the Housing? Housing and Income Outcomes of a Transitional Program to End Homelessness. Journal of Poverty, 23(2), 161-178. https://doi.org/10.1080/10875549.2018.1549185