Shelters for the homeless exist to provide temporary housing to those in need, but many who are homeless may not want to take advantage of this assistance because in his or her eyes this is a sign of weakness. New Life Evangelistic Center, the Saint Louis, Missouri based organization, is an excellent example of a local shelter doing everything it can to help fight homelessness at a local and national level. According to the New Live Evangelistic Center’s website, they provide: over 150,000 meals and sandwiches, and more than 65,000 nights of emergency overnight shelter every year. We provide 80,000 social service contacts — helping individuals and families throughout mid-America with clothing and food through our free stores, fans, blankets,
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Obviously, if a person is homeless because he or she cannot afford housing, then being able to afford healthcare is out of the question. As discussed earlier, the cost of healthcare and prescription drugs continue to rise every year. Without the ability to afford basic medical care homeless individuals are at a higher risk of getting sick or contracting other diseases that could be life threatening. Ranging from declining property values to increased taxes, the financial impact homelessness has on a community can be devastating. According to the Criminalizing Crisis: The Criminalization of Homeless in U.S. Cities report by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, a study done by Buncombe County in North Carolina, “37 chronically homeless individuals . . . were arrested 1,271 times over three-years, resulting in a total jail cost of $278,000” (40). Court costs, meals, salary of police officers, all play a part in this overall cost, and will ultimately result in the raise in taxes. This is also another good example of how laws exist that hinder the homeless. Many of the arrests could be related to people sleeping in parks after closing, or loitering in public places because they have nowhere to go. As ridiculous as that sounds this is the reality that exists …show more content…
There is no easy answer to that question, and it will could take years to develop a viable plan to end the blight of homelessness. However, Utah took a stab at ending chronic homelessness back in 2003, and by 2014 had reduced chronic homelessness by seventy-two percent. How did Utah accomplish such an amazing feat? The answer is simple – give homes to the homeless. Utah realized that homelessness was a tragedy that had to be addressed, and decided it was time to do something about it. In their Comprehensive Report on Homelessness: State of Utah 2015, the Utah Department of Workforce Services found that, “At any given time, according to the 2015 PIT, about 5.9 percent of Utahns experiencing homelessness are considered to be chronically homeless” (11). Utah’s examination of the annual cost related to homelessness found that, “People experiencing chronic homelessness cost the public between $30,000 and $50,000 per person per year through their repeated use of emergency rooms, hospitals, jails, psychiatric centers, detox, and other crisis services…” (11). All this data made it clear that something had to be done. An article by Terrence McCoy that appeared in the Washington Post points out, “In 2005, Utah had nearly 1,932 chronically homeless. By 2014, that number had dropped 72 percent to 539.” Utah’s solution appears to work as the numbers speak for themselves. Dropping seventy-two percent in nine
Obviously, if a person is homeless because he or she cannot afford housing, then being able to afford healthcare is out of the question. As discussed earlier, the cost of healthcare and prescription drugs continue to rise every year. Without the ability to afford basic medical care homeless individuals are at a higher risk of getting sick or contracting other diseases that could be life threatening. Ranging from declining property values to increased taxes, the financial impact homelessness has on a community can be devastating. According to the Criminalizing Crisis: The Criminalization of Homeless in U.S. Cities report by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, a study done by Buncombe County in North Carolina, “37 chronically homeless individuals . . . were arrested 1,271 times over three-years, resulting in a total jail cost of $278,000” (40). Court costs, meals, salary of police officers, all play a part in this overall cost, and will ultimately result in the raise in taxes. This is also another good example of how laws exist that hinder the homeless. Many of the arrests could be related to people sleeping in parks after closing, or loitering in public places because they have nowhere to go. As ridiculous as that sounds this is the reality that exists …show more content…
There is no easy answer to that question, and it will could take years to develop a viable plan to end the blight of homelessness. However, Utah took a stab at ending chronic homelessness back in 2003, and by 2014 had reduced chronic homelessness by seventy-two percent. How did Utah accomplish such an amazing feat? The answer is simple – give homes to the homeless. Utah realized that homelessness was a tragedy that had to be addressed, and decided it was time to do something about it. In their Comprehensive Report on Homelessness: State of Utah 2015, the Utah Department of Workforce Services found that, “At any given time, according to the 2015 PIT, about 5.9 percent of Utahns experiencing homelessness are considered to be chronically homeless” (11). Utah’s examination of the annual cost related to homelessness found that, “People experiencing chronic homelessness cost the public between $30,000 and $50,000 per person per year through their repeated use of emergency rooms, hospitals, jails, psychiatric centers, detox, and other crisis services…” (11). All this data made it clear that something had to be done. An article by Terrence McCoy that appeared in the Washington Post points out, “In 2005, Utah had nearly 1,932 chronically homeless. By 2014, that number had dropped 72 percent to 539.” Utah’s solution appears to work as the numbers speak for themselves. Dropping seventy-two percent in nine