The National Problem of Homelessness
According to a 2019 Los Angeles Times poll, 95% of voters called homelessness a severe problem in the city, more than any other issue. L.A. County officials reported that in 2019 there were over 39,000 homeless in the city. Homelessness is a problem in many areas, and its effects on the community include family violence and addiction, social isolation, behavior problems, inconsistent education, and lack of health care. Homelessness must be addressed nationally instead of globally because different governments have different laws, and there is no singular answer to the problem. The solutions to the issue of homelessness are specific in each community, and looking for a universal solution is a wasted effort. Instead, this crisis must be solved through community outreach and a clear understanding of the problem and its different effects on specific areas and cultures. While homelessness was already rising before Covid, the uncertainty and chaos exacerbated the problem. Covid has led to many people losing their homes and living on the streets due to a loss of jobs and a steady income eading to the inability to support themselves. During this time, the national government stepped in to provide some relief, but it was too late for some, and they ended up on the streets. Globally, the financial aspects of dealing with this problem would be too significant for any government or society to manage.
Globalism is an operation or idea of treating foreign policies from an international or global point of view. Although homelessness could be addressed globally, it would be tough for all the countries to cooperate and reach an outcome that everyone could agree on. Adding Covid to the equation, it would be impossible to meet, do research, and figure out a solution. As with Covid, no country is managing it the same way, proving that this needs to be addressed nationally. An example of a globalist policy to help end homelessness through covid times would be the “Housing and Social Protection for all to End Homelessness… which gathers high-level technical experts, as well as representatives of Governments, to discuss the new urgency of addressing homelessness within the context of a COVID-19 new normal, as well as the opportunities arising from the collaborations established throughout the response phase.” (“World Homelessness Day 2020 | DISD.” United Nations). The issue is too significant, and each country does not have the same viewpoints on how severe the problem is for it to be managed globally.
Homelessness must be looked at nationally because even though people experience it worldwide, homelessness is experienced differently across the globe. Setting laws and policies would be impossible because each country views the idea of civilization differently. An example of this is Mexico, where fifty percent of the population lives in poverty and twelve percent of the population’s housing has dirt floors. In the United States, we would not accept people living on dirt floors even though that is considered a home in Mexico. These different viewpoints showcase why the issue needs to be addressed locally. Nationally means representing a state or part of society as a whole instead of internationally or from a global standpoint. Different states and the national government have different mandates about Covid, making it even more essential to work nationally to accomplish a solution. Working under different guidelines on a city level with Covid makes it easier to alleviate homelessness and provide a solution that city leaders and citizens can agree on. This is where homelessness as a whole is easier to solve. For instance, what if we divided all of the different homeless communities and worked within their society to help solve this problem. In that case, I believe it would be easier to work out and help lower the numbers. Homelessness is different within each society or community, so it is crucial to work nationally. Organizations that work to help homelessness can offer more efficient support, leading to quicker results. Florida’s rules of covid were less strict than California’s. For example, the CDC advised shelters to decrease their capacity by 50% so residents could practice social distancing” (Understanding LA’s Homelessness Issues.), while Florida had no mandates. Another example of Los Angeles being different is the issue of crime. Los Angeles has a higher crime rate than Concord, the capital of New Hampshire. In recent studies, crime was consistently higher in groups who had been homeless than groups who had been housed, and crime rates fell after obtaining housing. This example clarifies that there are other factors involved than just clearing the streets. Each community has different issues to deal with. Homelessness is a national problem and should also be solved through city councils or state governments.
All in all, homelessness has to be solved from a national standpoint and not from a global point of view. Globally it would be too hard to solve, and cooperation between all the countries would be time-consuming and not practical. War and finances are probably the only two issues that can be worked through globally, and even then, there is no complete agreement. We need to solve it nationally and through each community and society for it to be solved. Homelessness is so different in each culture and community because of the various problems within each city or state. Comparing the United States to other countries, “more than 500,000 homeless were found across the U.S. during just one night, compared to the U.K. ‘s 2017 count of 4,751. Changes in the definition of homelessness and flawed methodologies suggest that the actual number for the U.S. could be anywhere from 2.5 to 10.2 times greater” (Andrea Gibbons Researcher in Sustainable Housing and Urban Studies). This leads the U.S. to treat homelessness entirely differently. Solutions in the United States need to be quicker and more potent to invoke any change. An example of help making a change of this would be the COVID-19 Relief: American Rescue Plan Act.
“On March 11, the President signed into law the $1.9 trillion American Rescue
Plan Act (ARPA), which will provide significant relief to struggling families,
workers, farmers, governments, and industries. ARPA included important
low-income housing and homelessness provisions — most notably $5 billion in
new funding specifically to reduce homelessness, more than $21.5 billion to
replenish the emergency rental assistance fund and $5 billion in emergency
housing vouchers.”
(Covid-19 Relief: American Rescue Plan Act.).
With the United Kingdom not having as big a problem with people living on the streets as the United States, spending 1.9 trillion dollars on homelessness for them would seem unnecessary. Homelessness has been a massive problem in our country and needs to be addressed to live healthier, happier, and more prosperous lives. Our rates are way higher in our country than in any other country, so it needs to be addressed nationally compared to globally. Homelessness must be solved through community outreach because they are aware of the specific issues that the people they are trying to help need. If this were looked at globally, the international laws and organizations would not have much effect due to the individual rules and ideas specific to their society.
Bibliography:
“World Homelessness Day 2020 | DISD.” United Nations, United Nations, https://www.un.org/development/desa/dspd/world-homelessness-day-2020.html.
“Understanding LA’s Homelessness Issues.” LAist, 24 Sept. 2021, https://laist.com/news/housing-homelessness/understanding-homelessness-city-los-angeles.
Andrea Gibbons Researcher in Sustainable Housing and Urban Studies. “Homelessness: How Other Countries Can Avoid a US-Style Crisis.” The Conversation, 13 Oct. 2021, https://theconversation.com/homelessness-how-other-countries-can-avoid-a-us-style-crisis-106010.
“Covid-19 Relief: American Rescue Plan Act.” National Alliance to End Homelessness, 18 Aug. 2021, https://endhomelessness.org/legislation/covid-10-relief-american-rescue-plan-act/.
