Homelessness
Name:
Institution:
Homelessness
Introduction
Similar to other geological zones of the world, homelessness in the American society is a major social problem that has instigated other complexities such as drug abuse and trafficking, sexual harassment and increase in sexually transmitted infections, and insecurity. For this reason, various organizations have commenced related programs with the intent of suppressing this problem. Despite the different strategies and schemes incorporated in these institutions, they have a common mission of catering for the basic needs to the unsheltered population as the main approach of dealing with this social menace and other related issues. For this reason, this paper aims at identifying and analyzing two organizations striving to deal with homelessness through various programs at the local and national levels. Moreover, the use of certain valid theories and concepts will be useful in the evaluation process.
National Coalition for the Homeless
One of these institutions is the National Coalition for the Homeless. It comprises of religious leaders, community workers, advocates, activists, and beneficiaries from shelters as a way of dealing with some of the root causes of homelessness in the United States as well as offering interim and long-term solutions to the affected individuals. This includes providing necessities such as shelter, food, clothing, and healthcare to the homeless population as well as those in shelters (Kyle, 2005). Additionally, it campaigns for the protection of the civil liberties of the population living on the streets.
This is in line with such concepts as the psychological and religious dimensions. These ideologies indicate that some of the causes and effects of this social problem include emotional stress and lack of religious guidance and hope in life. Moreover, based on the social concept, the problem of homelessness is because of the social disintegrations in the modern world. For example, statistics indicate that a significant number of teenagers end up on the streets in their quest for an environment that is free of the sexual, verbal, or physical assault experienced in their original homes. Likewise, the ideology on urbanization indicates that the increased costs of living in metropolitan areas is also one of the causes of homelessness in America and other developed or developing nations(Kyle, 2005). These theoretical concepts explain why the National Coalition for the Homeless integrates service providers from various facets in their daily operations. They seek to provide a holistic solution to this nationalized menace.
Coalition on Homelessness
This organization caters for the less privileged individuals in San Francisco. It seeks the services of civil activists and providers of necessities such as foodstuffs, healthcare, clothes, and shelter. With its main goal being to end homelessness and other elements caused by poverty in the region, it has resulted in the formulation of various policies and programs that cater for the civil liberties of the homeless population. This includes the Community Housing Partnership, which offers affordable shelters to previously dispossessed people. Its operations are in line with the ideology of constructivism, which argues that such social problems are an outcome of our daily activities and mindsets (Kyle, 2005). For example, the issue of homelessness has worsened because the general population and administrative institutions do not strive to understand the menace from various perspectives.
Another relevant
theoretical framework is the structural concept that relates homelessness
especially among teenagers to the disintegration of the typical modern family
unit and other important institutions in the American community. Likewise, the
concept of identity is somewhat responsible for this problem and the subsequent
efforts of Coalition on Homelessness to end the menace. Disregarding the civil
liberties of the less privileged in the society may result in an identity
crisis since the affected people do not fit in the social setting and prefer to
live on the streets. Moreover, the theory of stratification is ideal in
analyzing this social problem since it associates the concept of social
classification to poverty and the resultant homelessness (Kyle, 2005). These
theories explain why this organization seeks to promote the civil rights of the
poor people in the community as well as catering for their basic needs.
References
Kyle, K. (2005). Contextualizing homelessness: Critical theory, homelessness, and federal policy addressing the homeless. New York: Routledge.