Government Approach Homelessness

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Homelessness is a prevalent issue in American society, which is affecting many individuals and has caused conflict with government relations in deciding how to manage the homeless populations. Homelessness is a complex issue, related to many social, personal, and structural factors. With acknowledgement of all the factors correlating with homelessness, I consider the government system to have the largest influence on the homeless.The Housing First approach is the best way to get homeless citizens off of the streets and should be further funded by the Government. It places homeless citizens into a home where they can be treated, monitored, and become better equipped to start a life for themselves. What makes homelessness such a complex issue…show more content…
As described in depth by Jeivis, “ ‘Housing First’ approach, which puts homeless individuals into housing first, then treats their ailments, and permanent-supportive housing, which couples housing with counseling and access to meds. The initiatives are rapidly moving the mentally ill off the streets and saving the country tens of millions of dollars each year in homeless costs.” (Jervis) With the amount of money that this program is saving the country, why is the government not taking this organization into greater importance? Some might argue that when it comes to the conflict between the homeless and the government, our sympathies should lie with the government, and understanding how much it stresses the economy to put funds into law enforcement, hospitals, and shelters. Yet, by funding programs like the Housing First Approach, the government is saving millions of dollars on homeless costs, and saving many homeless citizen’s lives. This program has been beneficial for many other people as well, “Besides getting more mentally ill homeless off the street, the system has freed up police officers from spending hours escorting a homeless person to an emergency room and kept the homeless out of jails. Over the past four years, the system has saved the city and county an average of $10 million a year in emergency room and jail visits, according to the Center for Health Care Services” (Jervis) With facts that prove how beneficial the Housing First Approach has been for people and has saved the government from overspending, it should be taken more seriously in

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