Should Homelessness be Tackled Globally, Nationally or Locally?

Homelessness is a state whereby an individual lacks secure, safe, and suitable housing. When individuals visualise homelessness, often an image of an old man begging on the street wearing raggedy clothing comes to mind. However, what is less commonly visualised is the broad range of people that are left homeless due to multiple reasons. There are three main categories of homelessness. People can be categorized as homeless if they are:

• Living on the streets. This is referred to as primary homelessness.
• Moving between temporary shelters, such as friends’ and family’s homes, and emergency housing. This is referred to as Secondary Homelessness.
• Living in private boarding houses without a bathroom or a place to call home. This is referred to as Tertiary Homelessness.

Homelessness is an issue that exists in every country around the globe. Around 2% of the world’s population is homeless. Two percent may not seem like very much, but it equates to roughly 154 million people living on the streets, in makeshift shelters, in refugee camps, and in other transitionary and frequently dangerous situations.

There are a number of ways one can become homeless however the end result is always the same. That result is the person sleeping in an unstable and often unsafe environment. It is an issue that a percentage of people in every country face so it can therefore be labelled and tackled as a global issue. However, the severity of homelessness and percentage of homeless people in each country varies greatly. This is where it could be argued that the issue of homelessness could be more of a national level matter. By addressing homelessness on a local level, homeless individuals may receive more specific attention and help that they require. My thought process is that if homelessness is addressed globally this may lead to more resources and assistance in regards to solving the problem. However I would need to do more research into services and resources that are currently being spent on combating homelessness in an attempt to solve what the best way to address the problem may be. One thing that is certain is that there is a need to establish a robust approach to preventing and ending homelessness. There is chance that this could be a cross-sector approach whereby the solutions to homelessness cut across federal, state, and local jurisdictions.