Social Programs : Who Pays?
“Your violin has only two strings,” I say. “You’re missing the other two.”
It is here that the unlikely friendship begins between Mr. Lopez and Mr. Ayers. We hope you are enjoying The Soloist. We also trust that your previous discussions exploring the topics of joblessness, homelessness, and mental illness will continue and that your research will become more defined leading into the Town Hall Meeting on April 1st.
The Town Hall Meeting will allow you to discuss these and other related issues with your peers and MSU faulty and community members. Additionally, The Soloist’s inspiring story has been selected for the 2009 Freshman Summer Reading, and Steve Lopez will be MSU’s Fall 2009 Convocation speaker. Furthermore, the story of Nathaniel Ayers and Steve Lopez will be released as a movie on April 24th. To meet Mr. Lopez and Nathaniel Ayers, click the link below:
Speaking of the Veteran homeless, there is a program in Dallas and Bonham, Texas that uses different tactics to help these homeless individuals get back on their feet. It is called Compensated Work Therapy or CWT. The program is paid for and organized by the Department of Veteran Affairs. The first step in the program is to give homeless veterans vocational training to prepare for the work force while earning an income. The second is the giving of housing to the people enrolled in the program. This is to give the homeless a stable base to regain their independence and a place where they can call home. This program also provides the essential necessities needed for living. This program can be compared to the program in The Soloist where the homeless individuals follow strict guidelines for recovery. This seems to be the best course of action for many chronically homeless individuals. I believe they need the structure of a program like this to help them get back to normal living.
Another program to help homeless individuals is the Supportive Housing Program. This programs main goal is to achieve residential stability while the individual makes decisions that he or she feels as right. The program, like the CWT, increases the skill level of the homeless while obtaining greater self-determination. This is supposed to help these homeless individuals make decisions that positively affect their lives. Each case is based on the individual and is formed around the person making his or her decisions on their own. Each homeless person gets a caseworker to follow him or her as they move through the program. This is an example of the passive course of action to help the homeless. Lopez mentions this program in The Soloist. This type of program seems to be the least effective on Nathaniel as he is too stubborn to want to help himself. He is happy where he is. I think this may be true for many chronically homeless individuals.
Most people think of homelessness as alcoholics, drug addicts, prostitutes, and people who are generally looked down upon by society, much like the description of Skid Row in The Soloist. “A Vietnam or World War II amputee can fall out of his wheelchair in the middle of the street, a filthy colostomy bag next to him, and people will walk by as if he isn’t there. An insane man walks naked through the rubble and few people take notice. Heroin addicts pump needles into their arms without a glance toward the Central District police headquarters” (Lopez 123). These people do make up a portion of the homeless population, whether it is due to the expense of their addictions or it is because they cannot hold a job. Prostitution is generally seen among the homeless because it is due to the fact that they need a form of income and they get it through prostitution. Despite what many people think about these people, there are many who may want to kick the habit or live a more productive and valuable life. However, for these people rehabilitation can be very expensive and therefore is not an option. Thankfully there are programs like Freedom Ranch Maui Incorporated. This place is “for those at risk, afflicted with alcoholism, addictions, and other life-controlling problems, including homelessness, abuse, and imprisonment” (Freedom Ranch Maui Incorporated). This is wonderful for those who want the help and want the place to go; however, it is not available everywhere. Freedom Ranch Maui is only in one city in Ohio, but would be beneficial everywhere there is a homeless problem. That goes for many programs. If there were only more of them and more variety of types then maybe there would be less people in the streets and more people housed and seeking improvement in their lives.
Although there are already some settlement housing such as Lamp, already in affect, more housing and funding is needed to meet the demands of the growing homeless epidemic, and appropriate help needs to be instated to care for the homeless.
Housing is necessary for helping the homeless begin their road to recovery, but how is it being funded? Most funding for homeless housing comes from the government. According to the National Student Campaign Against Hunger & Homelessness (NSCAHH), government funds to address these problems are down (Homelessness). The NSCAHH learned that by enacting safety nets such as affordable housing and nutritious food assistance, they can successfully help bring millions out of poverty; conversely, severe cuts to social programs will increase hunger and homelessness (Homelessness). Despite learning these facts, the government continues to make cuts in social programs such as homeless shelters. When funds for social programs were cut, people started turning to churches and charitable organizations. In 2004 Survey of Hunger and homelessness in America, coordinated by the NSCAHH, showed increasing demand for homeless shelter and an increase in the length residence were staying (Homelessness). This study showed increase in all areas of the country including rural and urban settings. “There’s a lot I can’t do for Nathaniel. I can’t cure him. I can’t make him see a doctor. I can’t take him home to Cleveland or get him into an orchestra. But now that he’s a character in the life of the city, a man people have come to care about, maybe there’s a service in reminding people what we do with those among us who are too sick to care for themselves (Lopez 124). What Mr. Lopez could do, and what other citizens can do as well, is help reduce homelessness by aiding in affordable housing and proper care for homeless people.
stephanie.vischer Reply:
March 4th, 2009 at 6:55 pm
@bryce.shows
Blog Responce to Bryce
I know that people could do more for the homeless community but aren’t we already paying for the housing and the programs? Most of the working class pays their taxes and some of that money goes programs for the homeless.
There are many other ways to support the housing projects for the homeless. A fourteen year old boy named Michael Munds is already contributing to the homeless but setting up fund raisers. He sets up bowlathons and gives the money back to the homeless community. He also helps homeless children learn how to read (Schwinn 1). Helping out the homeless community does not stop there either. George W. Bush set up the “Samaritan Initiative” and he supports the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. The Samaritan Initiative “is centered on redirecting resources at HUD toward further development of permanent supportive housing through the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act” (NAMI). The Bush Administration supports funding for mental health, homeless people with substance abuse and helping the chronically homeless lead stable lives (NAMI). People are trying to stop homelessness but it all needs time.
Getting rid of homelessness means having a stable economy where there is job availability and affordable housing. The people of the United States can only do so much for the homeless right now. Some are doing more than others but at least someone is doing something. More people that can get involved should but with the economy as it is, many people are just trying to get by themselves. Asking people to help out as much as they can is the only thing that others can do right now. Homelessness cannot be completely cured with the money that people do not have right. Waiting for the economy to stabilize is the only thing people can do right now before funding can take full effect.
john.scrantom Reply:
March 10th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
@stephanie.vischer,
Jack Scrantom
Blog Response
US 101
Homelessness is a problem in America that could be compared to a plague. The economy is not as prominent as far as the rest of the world is concerned and that is a fact. The slowly decreasing value of the dollar has put pressure on most lower to middle class families. It is true that many people can hardly afford to provide for their families. This is the reason why if there was to be a large movement to begin ending homelessness it has to start with the 1 to 3 percent of Americans that control 95 percent of the wealth. It may seem absurd to the people that are in this category however as a reality check: “ you are a part of this country too.” It is a fact that the people that have the capability to influence the funding of social programs involving the homeless are also the ones who do the least about it.
This is a very controversial subject in the extremely wealthy community. I feel that if the Congress could pass a tax on the people in the range of income that qualifies them as the upper class, and donate even part of that money to the homelessness problem we would have a good start at beginning the long road to solving the homelessness problem. Obviously this would cause tremendous issues regarding the upper class however in my opinion for someone to not be able to buy some pricy amenity as a compromise to the tax that would help the homeless is one that most Americans would probably be willing to make if they possessed that much money.
What the entire issue comes down to is funding. Scientists devote their careers to examining social problems like homelessness and with the right funding, the possibilities for social progress are limitless. The only problem restricting this kind of progress is the funding for such an enormous project. The upper class are the only Americans wealthy enough, with the state of the economy, to be taxed in order to fix the epidemic of homelessness. If the middle class could afford to be taxed in this manner for the homelessness issue I would be all for it. However with 1.5 million American’s projected to possibly lose their homes in 2009 it is just not possible. This leaves the upper class the only Americans that can afford the tax and the ones that will be least affected by it.
Nathaniel went from a great school, to being homeless. His life is incredible to all of us who read about it. I feel Nathaniel was content with being homeless. He had a routine that he stuck by, and got through each day. With only two strings on a broken violin, he would play it all day long not caring what everyone else thought of him. I think he just needed a friend like Steve to help him be alive again. Steve Lopez explains “he’s angry about billions are spent in Iraq while bomb-rattled vets live like animals” (Lopez 71). There are about 20-25% of adult’s homeless who are mentally ill and only 5-7% of the mentally ill homeless need to be institutionalized. The entire homeless population does not fit one description although, they do have shared needs. These needs include affordable housing, adequate income and health care, some need psychological help and drug treatment. Most of all they need the help of those around them who are stable and fortunate enough to help (Facts and Statistics). Nathaniel is no longer homeless, because of his friend Steve, and it’s good to have a friend like him.
@erica.bader1
Dear Erica,
I agree with you when you say that there are many homeless individuals who may want to kick the habit of drug and alcohol abuse and prostitution, or live a more productive and valuable life, but what about those individuals that have a hard time making those choices for themselves, such as the mentally ill homeless? I also agree that more programs that help the homeless such as Freedom Ranch Maui Incorporated or Lamp would help, but mentally ill individuals pose a challenge, and starting more programs will take a lot of money and time from several individuals.
I am not saying that this issue should not be a priority, because it should be, but what I am saying is funding for more programs can be hard to come by, especially with today’s economy. Many people are already struggling with their own finances right now, that paying extra money to build a new homeless center, or several, is just not in their budget. I feel that once the economy gets back on it’s feet, Americans can start helping the homeless get back on theirs. The first step in helping these individuals would be to create more places like Lamp and Freedom Ranch Maui Incorporated where there are more homeless individuals, like larger cities.
Helping the homeless does not mean building more shelters and hoping these individuals will walk in and start their new lives. Someone needs to aid them in getting into such places. Because many homeless individuals are abusing drugs and alcohol, and are also mentally ill, they need someone to help them, like Mr. Lopez had done in “The Soloist”. Providing case workers to help these individuals could be the answer. Nathaniel may have never even thought about getting off the streets, even if it were only for a few nights a week, without the help of Mr. Lopez. The time and effort put forth by Mr. Lopez to help a single homeless individual was astonishing; imagine trying to help several homeless. There need to be more case workers in order to get more homeless off the streets and into care. As soon as Americans can resolve their own debt, they can start helping others with their problems. I am sure there are plenty of homeless people that want to improve their lifestyles and living conditions on their own, but there are more that need someone to help them figure that out.
The issue of homelessness has been growing each and every day. Certain measures need to be taken to help limit the problem. By creating more help centers like Lamp and Freedom Ranch Maui Incorporated, and providing more case workers to aid individuals, the growing problem can start to shrink. Before the homeless problem can start to shrink, non-homeless Americans need to first take care of their own debt. If everyone can work together to help our nation with its financial issues, we can then start helping individuals who haven’t had the chance to live the “American Dream”, the homeless.
@erica.bader1
Erica, you have a great point that if we were to have more types of programs for homeless people then there would be less homeless in the streets. However, as a country, the United States is in an economic standstill. And being in an economic standstill makes it hard to help others when we cannot even help ourselves. The job availability for our country is hopeless; some of the biggest companies are either going bankrupt or on the verge of shutting down. And what used to be affordable housing is making people who were doing good, now homeless. By the reduce amount of jobs and billons of people in our country, it has become almost impossible to make a decent living. By trying to influence people to fund no-profit organizations for homeless people with addictions is becoming almost impossible.
Also, is prostitution really a form of homelessness? Even though prostitutes stand on street corners and offer themselves to people for money does not mean they are homeless. But it is an interesting thing to think about, because a person would think since they are earning money then they must have somewhere to live. Most homeless people that I have seen or heard of beg for money, but there are homeless that drink the money they earn away. But most prostitutes portrayed by some kind of media show them living somewhere; it would be very interesting to find the statics of prostitutes that are actually homeless and not just doing it for a job. The United States can only do so much for the homeless. And with our economic standstill it makes it hard to support the homeless and ourselves as well.
Response to Erica Bader
I generally agree with your first statement about how most people think about the homeless as being those who are the outcasts of society. However I do believe this is a changing view due to the condition of our economy and how parents and guardians are loosing their jobs left and right. It is from those stories that the crisis of homelessness is starting to be seen through a different perspective.
You talked about the freedom Ranch Maui Incorporated; I was wondering where they got the money from in order to help the homeless? I ponder this because there are many costs when it comes to rehabilitation, not only for the drugs or other treatments methods but also for people to provide the counseling and guidance. I would’ve liked to know more details about the ranch because I find it very intriguing.
In this post you also mentioned how everything would in a way be better if there were more homes that the homeless could go to or programs they could be enrolled in. Yes, I do wish this could be a possibility but then again where is the money going to come from? Who is going to be the ones to run the programs and what training are they supposed to have?
Overall I believe you state very valid and emotional claims, which is very enticing to the reader such as myself. The only criticism I really have for you is about the whole money issue. You touched on many topics in such a limited amount of space which was tied together very well.