Tackling Homelessness: Strategies to Reduce Unsheltered Americans

Abstract

Date: February 20, 2023 To: Hector C Lora, Passaic NJ Cc: From: RE: Proposal to decrease homelessness in the United States. The homeless population continues to increase in the United States, making it a public health issue for decades. As of December 2022, the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Department performed a comprehensive Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) in two years and found that nearly 600,000 United States citizens are experiencing homelessness every night, and the number increased rapidly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Homeless people include people of every gender, race, or ethnic group. The current policy on homelessness is still under exploration, and more reforms are taking place periodically. Through an evidence-based approach, the federal government has identified homelessness as harming urban, suburban, and rural communities. The policies enacted by the federal government face the adversity of a housing shortage and rising rent. Some of the current policies include: (1) federal funding for homelessness programs, in which HUD awards Homeless Assistance Grants to communities that offer homeless services at a local level. (2) Federal spending on Affordable housing through programs such as Tenant-Based Rental Assistance, project-based rental Assistance, Public Housing Operating Funds, and Public Housing Capital Grants (3) Enact relevant legislation through Congress by weighing bills that address homelessness. The Biden-Harris administration issued a Federal Strategic Plan to End Homelessness, which included a concrete plan to reduce homelessness by 25% by 2025. The goal is to help disadvantaged and marginalized communities, especially people of color from unsheltered homelessness. This is through programs unveiled by The White House, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), and the House America Initiative. Policymakers are working to solve the problem. The young homeless population is often a concern for policymakers and decision-makers due to their developmental needs and the fact that they represent the future generation. Being homeless is risky, and risk is tied to gender, race, and ethnicity. HUD 2022 statistics show that of 10,00 males, 22 are homeless, compared to 13 women and girls. Gender disparity is an eminent factor in homelessness, and statistics show that 70 percent of the homeless population is male. Race influences homelessness in America, and marginalized and disadvantaged groups become targets for homelessness. People of color are primarily prime targets due to incarceration, higher unemployment rates, low incomes, and a lack of access to health care services. More than 30,000 American youth under 25 are unsheltered, and HUD discovered that 13,000 are unsheltered. Disability, injury, and illness contribute significantly to homelessness in the United States. These shortcomings deny them the opportunity to work and earn a living, especially when they lack a strong support network. Stringent relationships with family, partners and other relationships trigger homelessness due to limited support and resources. The rate of violence and sexual abuse among the homeless population in America today is worse than one can imagine. Research by the National Resource Center shows...