Finding Community Solutions from Common Ground: A New Model to End Homelessness

Introduction

The problem of inadequate quality of affordable housing continues to be a problem throughout the world. The issue is contributed by the increase in the population and moving of people from their rural homes to cities. Moving to the cities in search of employment is stimulated by the fact that most economical activities in countries take place within the cities and major towns. Due to this, the population in the city has dramatically increased, and providing people with quality housing and healthcare facilities has become a problem. The essay explores the case presenting a solution to homelessness with the focus on New York.

Gaining Familiarity and Recognizing the Symptoms

In 1990, New York was among the world cities with the greatest number of people who were homeless. The factors contributing to the high number of homeless individuals are the lack of employment and a wide gap between the rich and the poor.

The Times Square in New York is the best illustration of how this city has a high rate of homelessness. Realizing how homelessness became a problem not only to the administration but also to the people who were homeless, Common Ground was founded in 1990 with the intention of dealing with homelessness. This organization mainly targeted those who were homeless and street families. To achieve this, the organization created apartments and incorporated a variety of facilities that enabled the organization to achieve its goals.

The characteristics showing that there is a problem with housing include the street families who are visible around the city. Additionally, tolerating the operation of houses that violate the house code is another symptom. This is evident from the fact that the shutdown of these ramshackle houses will result in the increase of homelessness in the city.

Identifying Goals

The main aim is to provide affordable housing for the homeless. Due to this, there is a need to come up with strategies that will ensure that the housing provided is of high quality and affordable to the targeted population. The other goal is to rehabilitate the homeless families that are already used to be homeless and not willing to leave the street lives for new homes. This is essential so as to ensure that street families benefit from the provision of affordable houses. The other goal is to ensure the safety of people in their homes.

Counseling sessions will also be incorporated within the program of providing affordable housing. These counseling sessions will offer services to the tenants. The main aim of the counseling session is to teach the people living in the houses on how to live positively. Additionally, the counseling session will also be offered to the people having drug addiction, since this is one of the common characteristics of the people who are homeless. A healthcare facility will also be opened within the premises with the aim of providing instant medical attention if necessary.

Conducting the Analysis

From the current case, it is evident that the high rate of homelessness in New York has compelled the authorities to be reluctant in shutting down the buildings that are in violation of the housing codes. The authorities are afraid of shutting them down because it is likely to result in increase in the number of homeless people in the city. Consequently, even houses where crack vials, trash, or mildew were found are allowed to operate, thus, risking the lives of people living in them and the ones living within the surrounding. Most of the buildings get into the obsolete state after operating during a few years because of poor management. The poor management and design of houses is, thus, one of the problems contributing to the high rate of homelessness. An appropriate well-planned design will be achieved by accurately utilizing the space available for construction.

Making the Diagnosis

To examine the state of homelessness in the city, observation needs to be used. With the help of observation, one can determine a location with the high rate of homelessness. Basing on the observation made, head counting can be used to ascertain the extent to which homelessness is a problem in a specific area. Interviews and questionnaires are also important, especially when finding out the factors that restrain the homeless from the access to quality houses.

Doing the Action Planning

The first approach is obtaining the resources to be used for making the houses available at affordable prices. Funding can be obtained from various organizations that are interested in dealing with environmental issues. The advertisement is conducted so as to appeal for the interested parties to make their contribution to the project. Funding can also be obtained by approaching the government for housing loans that have subsidies to encourage the construction of houses so as to reduce the level of homelessness in the city.

The new staff is also identified, and different duties are allocated to them. The purpose of allocating duties is to get the right person to perform the task within their competence. Some of the activities of the organization can be achieved through subcontracting, when the company pays for services provided on its behalf. Some of the activities that can be subcontracted include healthcare facilities and services, counseling-related services, and security services.

Summary

Due to the rise in population, housing has become a major problem in the society. Many people are not capable of accessing affordable housing facilities due to poverty and high house rents. The main aim of the project is to offer affordable housing for the homeless individuals and to create a society that is free from homelessness.

To ensure that houses are available for the large population present in the city, it is important to adequately utilize the construction spaces that are available through the proper management during and after construction. To start the project, financial assistance is solicited from the interested parties. The qualified personnel and locations for constructions are also identified before the actual program begins.

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