Module 8 ((RUBRIC)) Peer Evaluation: Analyzing and Evaluating Social Policies
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WENDYSMSW513IntegratingKnowledgeofSocialPoliciesonHomelessness.pptx
Homeless Families with minor children in America
MSW 513
Module 7
Wendy Fisher
April 17, 2022 Chamberlain
University
At Risk Families
paying more than
50% of their income
toward housing total 6,902,060
(statistic from 2016, Endhomelessness.org 2022)
Homeless individuals defined:
An individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence: [or]
An individual who has a primary nighttime residence that is—
-a supervised or publicly operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations (including welfare hotels, congregate shelters, and transitional housing for the mentally ill)
-an institution that provides a temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized;
-a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.” (Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act, enacted in July 1987, U.S. Congress, House, 1987)
“Families with minor children
are the fastest growing
homeless population.”
and those
“headed by women
are predominant throughout
the country.”
(National Academies Press 1988)
Crime and health Risks
“On the average, a homeless person is assaulted and robbed once every six weeks.”
“Up to 40% of the nation’s homeless population may be infected with the hepatitis A virus. It’s very necessary for those patients to receive care, but too often, the homeless are turned away because of a lack of health services available at a shelter. And most of the time, they have no place else to go.” (Young 2003)
Risks for children’s academic status
Homeless children had
lower levels of
Reading and Math
in third through eighth grades.
(Cutuli 2013)
Homeless children
do not adapt as well
to change
and are not equipped
to handle pressures of school.
They have “less stability and fewer opportunities to navigate challenges.”
(Cutuli 2013)
“An estimated 4,609,826 people in poor households were living “doubled up” with family and friends….This is 30% greater than in 2007.”
(American Community Survey, 2016)
For Homeless mothers …
being young, pregnant or having a newborn, and previously used a shelter were the most important predictors of homelessness.
(Brinegar 2000)
Women are more vulnerable to homelessness because of intersectionality. Homeless mothers are not capable of meeting the needs of children, and themselves, without support.
H.R.4496 Ending Homelessness Act of 2021
The best legislative solution for long term outcomes.
Representative Maxine Waters, (D-CA-43)
This bill funded by grants provides housing choices to homeless individuals and families. It prohibits the use of criminal history, renter's source of income or veteran status in determining eligibility. It reauthorizes grants and makes permanent the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. (GovTrack.us. 2022)
HR 1706 Emergency Homelessness Assistance Act of 2021
The least effective long term legislative solution, but it is a great solution for housing emergencies.
Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-7)
This bill funded by grants, provides funding for individuals that qualify, including at-risk veterans and individuals who are homeless or attempting to flee domestic violence or other dangerous situations. (GovTrack.us. 2022)
Policy Analysis the CDC (2016) policy framework to analyze different aspects of these two policies. They are both funded by federal Grants.
| Table 2. Policy Analysis Table | ||||
| Criteria | Public Health Impact | Feasibility | Economic and Budgetary Impact | |
| Scoring Definitions | Low: small reach, effect size, and impact on disparate populations Medium: small reach with large effect size or large reach with small effect size High: large reach, effect size, and impact on disparate populations | Low: No/small likelihood of being enacted Medium: Moderate likelihood of being enacted High: High likelihood of being enacted | Less favorable: High costs to implement Favorable: Moderate costs to implement More favorable: Low costs to implement | Less favorable: costs are high relative to benefits Favorable: costs are moderate relative to benefits (benefits justify costs) More favorable: costs are low relative to benefits |
| Policy 1 ___HR4496 | Low X Medium High Concerns about the amount or quality of data? (Yes / No) | Low Medium X High Concerns about the amount or quality of data? (Yes / No) | Budget Less favorable X Favorable More favorable Concerns about the amount or quality of data? (Yes / No) | Economic Less favorable X Favorable More favorable Concerns about the amount or quality of data? (Yes / No) |
| Policy 2 _HR 1706____ | Low Medium X High Concerns about the amount or quality of data? (Yes / No) | Low X Medium High Concerns about the amount or quality of data? (Yes / No) | Less favorable X Favorable More favorable Concerns about the amount or quality of data? (Yes / No) | Less favorable X Favorable More favorable Concerns about the amount or quality of data? (Yes / No) |
| Policy 3 ____________ | Low Medium High Concerns about the amount or quality of data? (Yes / No) | Low Medium High Concerns about the amount or quality of data? (Yes / No) | Less favorable Favorable More favorable Concerns about the amount or quality of data? (Yes / No) | Less favorable Favorable More favorable Concerns about the amount or quality of data? (Yes / No) |
CDC Policy Analysis
HR 4496
Medium- I chose medium because it will have a relatively small reach but large effect size for the people who receive and benefit from it.
High- This bill is a reasonable answer to some of our homelessness issues. It has a high likelihood of being enacted because of the need for homeless and veterans’ options and combining agency supports. It is backed by 69 Democrat representatives.
Favorable- I would think moderate costs to implement, however it doesn't have CBO listed yet.
Favorable- This policy benefits families, but much more is needed.
HR- 1706
Medium – I chose medium because it will have a small reach with large effect size and impact on desperate populations.
Medium- This bill is reasonable answer to emergency housing for a small number of cases. It has a moderate likelihood of being enacted because of the need for homeless and veterans’ options as well as domestic violence options. There are four Democrat co-sponsor representatives.
Favorable- - This bill will create moderate costs to implement.
Favorable- This policy assists people at great risk and emergency situations.
Homeless Policy needs reform. It is in the interest of stakeholders of real estate, civic leaders of cities and towns for homeless policies to exist. Opposers of homeless policies and support are often members of the Republican Party or others who feel no obligation to the poor.
Policy Deficiency
“As many as 715,238 homeless students fall into a bureaucratic gap between HUD and ED.….between 41 percent and 91 percent of the homeless students identified by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) are not considered homeless by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In other words, the severity of their living situation allows them to receive extra support from school, but it does not allow them to receive shelter from HUD.”
SERVICE GAPS
Food insufficiency. 68% of individuals reported going an entire day without eating.
Behavioral and medical insufficiency. Lacking 24-hr availability and accommodations. This results in high emergency room usage for non-emergency issues.
Insufficient services for specific populations (LGBTQ). Some lack awareness of services. Others feel providers do not treat them with respect. They are unwilling to accept unwanted labels, perceived mistreatment and restrictive rules in exchange for services. (Barile 2019)
Proposed new Policy
My proposed policy is Tiny Supportive Housing. I would propose housing units for every homeless person or family. I would suggest one room apartments, tiny shed homes or metal container homes. Many tiny homes would fit on one acre of real estate or one large building.
It would be managed by the local government. This would be funded by reallocating federal, homeless grants. The tenants would be kept to a standard above drug abuse and sex offense. It is vital that they have supportive services such as security, laundry, groceries and transportation within walking distance. They must be held accountable for maintenance of their homes and surrounding areas. Accountability policy is backed by research to show that previously homeless tenants can be responsible to maintain their supportive home environment.
(Levitt 2012)
Maintenance is the priority because neighborhoods will oppose this idea. They fear crime, stigma and poor sanitation. Many conservatives claim the homeless are seeking a handout, and there isn’t enough money to spare for housing the poor. This view ignores the reality of present costs to taxpayers. Limits to this proposal also include funding, real estate and maintenance for some areas.
The benefits of this proposal are that money is already being spent, and can be reallocated from maintaining the problem, to maintaining the solution. Research shows similar models can heal homelessness for many of America’s Poverty Population. (Levitt 2012)
A potential gap is that the seriously mental ill, sex offenders and substance abusers will not be fit for this program. They will still need homeless shelters. We will still have refugees and immigrants, but we can quickly move them to tiny supportive housing.
My proposal is applicable, feasible and filled with integrity. A home is a human right.
Tenants in supportive housing
have shown
“characteristics of
self-sufficiency,
resilience,
resourcefulness,
and independence.
They likely developed these qualities
to survive on the streets.
“They’re accustomed to taking care of
themselves. They’re survivors.”
(Levitt 2012)
Social media
Facebook and Twitter bring awareness through blogs, posts, memes and articles through the National Alliance to End Homelessness (2022).
“Community-building and dialogue messages achieved more public engagement - likes and comments – than did information sharing.
Social media messages to bolster stakeholder engagement.”
(An 2019)
For a social media campaign recommendation, I would advertise for more frequent, smaller steps to help support the target population. I am recommending this because I would like more opportunities to give small donations. I would suggest charity campaigns such as “round to the nearest dollar” to help individuals easily donate a charitable contribution to the local homeless shelter (when purchasing your favorite fast food). These programs add up to large sums for target populations. This money could be well spent for families in need.
Conclusion
The United States has growing numbers of homeless families on the streets. The bottom line in America is access, according to Weisenfeld (1999), “Housing problems are exacerbated by the inaccessibility of the housing (and rental) markets.” Policies must be enacted to help people access affordable housing in ways that have not been thought of in the past. Lawmakers must use research and evidence to heal this social ill. The two federal policies cited are steps in the right direction for families experiencing homelessness. HB 4496 is progress toward a long-term solution for homelessness, and HB 1706 is an essential policy enacted for emergency situations. Both policies represent positive direction for families in need of assistance. When families function well, and have their needs met, American society benefits.
References
An. (2019). Attention Strategies for Nonprofit Advocacy on Social Media: Results from a National Study of Homelessness Nonprofits in the United States. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
Barile, Pruitt, A. S., & Parker, J. L. (2020). Identifying and understanding gaps in services for adults experiencing homelessness. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 30(3), 262–277. https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.2440
Bringer. (2000). Emergency shelter location and homeless family displacement in the Phoenix area. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
Cutuli, Desjardins, C. D., Herbers, J. E., Long, J. D., Heistad, D., Chan, C.-K., Hinz, E., & Masten, A. S. (2013). Academic Achievement Trajectories of Homeless and Highly Mobile Students: Resilience in the Context of Chronic and Acute Risk. Child Development, 84(3), 841–857. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12013
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office of the Associate Director for Policy and Strategy (2018). The CDC Policy Process. https://www.cdc.gov/policy/polaris/training/policy-cdc-policy-process.html
H.R.1706 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): Emergency Homelessness Assistance Act of 2021. (2021, March 9). https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/1706
Legislative Search Results. (2022, March 31). https://www.congress.gov/search
H.R.4496 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): Ending Homelessness Act of 2021. (2021, July 16). https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4496
Levitt, Jost, J. J., Mergl, K. A., Hannigan, A., DeGenova, J., & Chung, S. Y. (2012). Impact of Chronically Street Homeless Tenants in Congregate Supportive Housing. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 82(3), 413–420. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-0025.2012.01164.x
Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Health Care for Homeless People. Homelessness, Health, and Human Needs. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 1988. 1, Who Are the Homeless? Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK218239/
National Alliance to End Homelessness. 2022: 1518 K Street NW, 2nd Floor, Washington (DC) 20005
Wiesenfeld, & Panza, R. (1999). Environmental hazards and home loss: The social construction of becoming homeless. Community, Work & Family, 2(1), 51–65. https://doi.org/10.1080/13668809908414249
Young. (2003). Clinicians, students fill health services gap for Houston’s homeless. American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, 60(4), 326, 328–328. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajhp/60.4.326
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