Homelessness In America

Homelessness in America is an issue of concern since it has affected a vast population. Military veterans, children, individuals fleeing domestic violence, mentally ill and families with children constitute the homeless in America. This implies that homelessness is an issue that affects different individuals (Bringle, 2011). Different factors have contributed to homelessness in America, which include political factors, social and medical factors, and economic factors. Economic factors contribute immensely to the situation of homelessness in America; such factors include low incomes, lack of affordable medical care and lack of affordable housing (Hill & Stamey, 1990). Different interventions from the state and private entities have been formulated in an attempt to respond to the issue of homelessness. For instance, different laws and programs have been formulated and implemented in order to provide a solution to the homelessness issue. These programs and laws has made the number of homeless individuals to decline. An increase in the number of such laws and programs will help in mitigating the number of homeless individuals further. Thirty years from now, America’s next generation will view today’s responses to homelessness as just.

There are various responsive programs that tend to alleviate the problem of homelessness in America. One of the programs is the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP). This program assists veterans that experience homelessness in gaining meaningful employment and increasing the efficiency of cooperation across all programs that serve veterans experiencing homelessness (Dreier & Appelbaum, 1991). This program is the only program, which works specifically on issues relating to employment of veterans that experience the problem of homelessness while utilizing a client-focused case management model in connecting veterans with the other social benefits and services (Bringle, 2011). The service providers implement the following grant funded activities: career counseling, job placement, workshops and job training among others. Different case managers work with veterans in ensuring that they access the full spectrum of majority benefits and education opportunities available to the veterans from state, federal and local sources.

This program follows virtue ethics since it considers doing rightful things to the veterans; it concentrates more on the welfare of homeless veterans in obtaining employment, which is considered as one of the ways through which homeless individuals can get income that can assist them in becoming independent in obtaining basic wants, thus helps in mitigating the number of homeless veterans. Besides, this program follows retributive justice since it focuses on providing what homeless individuals deserve. Funds are usually distributed to eligible veterans by the Veterans Employment and Training Services office (McNamara, 2008). This program has led to a reduction in the number of homeless individuals in America through helping homeless veterans to acquire employment; the acquisition of employment by the homeless veterans contributes a lot to the financial strength of the homeless veterans. As a result of the homeless veterans becoming employed, they become capacitated to afford accommodation. Therefore, the HVRP has led to the reduction of the homeless individuals (Dreier & Appelbaum, 1991). The HVRP is a just program since it provides employment services to homeless veterans that deserve assistance. The distribution of education and benefit opportunities is available to all the homeless veterans facing employment issues.

Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) is another program that responds to the problem of homelessness in America. The  FVPSA provides the chief federal funding stream, which is dedicated to the support of urgent shelter and supportive services to victims of family violence, domestic violence, and dating violence. Apart from providing support to these victims, FVPSA also offers support to dependents of these victims. Domestic violence is deemed to create vulnerability to homelessness for children and women having limited economic resources. Amid mothers having children that experience homelessness, above 80% have experienced domestic violence previously. Domestic violence entails the exertion of financial control that leaves victims with few resources and poor credit. Finding affordable, safe housing is an immense obstacle that women who experience domestic violence face. However, with the intervention of FVPSA, domestic violence women with their children are able to have safe and affordable housing. FVPSA support grants to territories, states, domestic violence coalitions and tribes.

Through the state and territorial grants, domestic violence coalition grants, and tribal grants, the FVPSA make it feasible to reach the target groups. The three grants have varied appropriations, which make it effective in distributing resources to the target groups. The target groups of the FVPSA are former and current domestic victims together with their dependents, victims in need of technical assistance, and the entire community that deserve education and awareness regarding domestic violence and the related issues (Quigley et al, 2001). The FVPSA follows virtue ethics and retributive justice since it focuses on the needs of individuals and concentrate on doing the rightful thing rather than doing wrong. Through providing education on awareness of domestic violence and providing support to the domestic violence victims and their dependents is a rightful action, which FVPSA provides. The services provided by the FVPSA are just since it does not concentrate on providing its services to one area or region, but it is diverse. Besides, the target group does not only comprise of the current domestic violence victims, but also provides support to former victims and dependents of domestic violence victims. In addition, the FVPSA is just because it focuses on benefiting the entire community rather than a given region or tribe. One of the consequences of this response is the creation of a well educated community regarding domestic violence and associated issues through the response’s action of creating domestic violence awareness. Another consequence of this response is the mitigation of homeless domestic violence victims and their dependents through the support services that the response provides.

Another response to the homelessness problem is Grants for the Benefit of Homeless Individuals (GBHI) program. This program enables communities to achieve the expansion and strengthening their treatment services for individuals experiencing homelessness and who also have mental illness, substance abuse disorders, or both. This response supports programs such as mental health services, substance abuse treatment, wraparound services, outreach services, staff training, screening services, educational services, job training, and relevant housing services. Affordable, permanent housing that is associated with health, employment, mental health and other supportive services provide consumers with a long term community based housing option. Such housing approach combines housing support and intensive personalized support services to the chronically homeless victims having substance use disorders and mental disorders. The grants provided by this response fund programs, which assist in addressing the complex health requirements of the chronically homeless population. From the inception of this response program, approximately 43,819 individuals have obtained grant-supported services. Thus, reducing the number of homeless individuals. Under this response program, supportive housing has been defined to be a housing which is permanent, affordable and associated with health, employment, mental health and other supportive services, which provide a consumer with a long term community based housing option. This program targets homeless individuals having substance abuse and mental health disorders. The GBHI program follows virtue ethics since it concentrates on the needs of the individuals with chronic homelessness issues with mental and substance abuse disorder.............