The Role of Social Agencies in Skid Row, Los Angeles
Since the emergence of homelessness in Skid Row, efforts of all kinds have been dedicated to the area. Aids range from state-level urban development projects to every-day changes people contribute to the street people. Consequently, the situation of the homeless population is determined by the interactions between the government, its policies, the homeless communities, individuals, and nonprofit social agencies. Among these groups, social agencies stand out as a peculiar entity that are often perceived as a medium that coordinates government and individual efforts; however, more than functioning thus, such organizations also perform distinct roles that are crucial to the sustenance and improvement …show more content…
The former looks to the latter for official identification of the situation and need, whereas legal institutions depend on the social organizations to reach the needy population. In “A Sensible & Cost-Effective Solution: Master Leasing Scattered-Site Rental Units to Provide Emergency Shelter”, a policy brief on a new family housing program, PATH (People Assisting The Homeless) highlighted that homeless families under certain circumstances, such as “active domestic violence or substance abuse, for example, might be better served in a congregate setting with intensive, on-site support services” (2010). In this statement, PATH identifies the role of social programs like its own as being a “congregate setting with intensive, on-site support”. This is an action crucial to effective assistance for the homeless but unfeasible for the legal institution. The abundance of social organizations in Skid Row increases the accessibility and availability of support to the street …show more content…
According to Stacy Rowe and Jennifer Wolch, in their research on social connections in Skid Row, the social network of the homeless splits into categories of “peer” and “homed” (1990, p.190). Peer refers to the people who share common circumstances, which, in this case, are homeless friends, family, spouse, or other members in the community (Rowe& Wolch, 1990, p.190). Homed networks, on the other hand, include connections with the homed society. Social workers and other service providers fall into this category (Rowe& Wolch, 1990, p.190). “For homeless people, these social network relationships, which can occur at variable points in urban space, appear to replace the role of locationally-fixed stations in the daily path in creating time-space continuity and providing material, emotional and logistical support” (Rowe& Wolch, 1990, p.190). Through participation in the lives of homeless people, social organizations serve as a secure institution and source of support that people dwelling in instability can look to. The stability of social organizations makes them an alternative to homed social networks. For instance, in a more practical sense, “the homeless individual's inability to store and accumulate resources or to utilize traditional social networks as means of support makes material resources and
Since the emergence of homelessness in Skid Row, efforts of all kinds have been dedicated to the area. Aids range from state-level urban development projects to every-day changes people contribute to the street people. Consequently, the situation of the homeless population is determined by the interactions between the government, its policies, the homeless communities, individuals, and nonprofit social agencies. Among these groups, social agencies stand out as a peculiar entity that are often perceived as a medium that coordinates government and individual efforts; however, more than functioning thus, such organizations also perform distinct roles that are crucial to the sustenance and improvement …show more content…
The former looks to the latter for official identification of the situation and need, whereas legal institutions depend on the social organizations to reach the needy population. In “A Sensible & Cost-Effective Solution: Master Leasing Scattered-Site Rental Units to Provide Emergency Shelter”, a policy brief on a new family housing program, PATH (People Assisting The Homeless) highlighted that homeless families under certain circumstances, such as “active domestic violence or substance abuse, for example, might be better served in a congregate setting with intensive, on-site support services” (2010). In this statement, PATH identifies the role of social programs like its own as being a “congregate setting with intensive, on-site support”. This is an action crucial to effective assistance for the homeless but unfeasible for the legal institution. The abundance of social organizations in Skid Row increases the accessibility and availability of support to the street …show more content…
According to Stacy Rowe and Jennifer Wolch, in their research on social connections in Skid Row, the social network of the homeless splits into categories of “peer” and “homed” (1990, p.190). Peer refers to the people who share common circumstances, which, in this case, are homeless friends, family, spouse, or other members in the community (Rowe& Wolch, 1990, p.190). Homed networks, on the other hand, include connections with the homed society. Social workers and other service providers fall into this category (Rowe& Wolch, 1990, p.190). “For homeless people, these social network relationships, which can occur at variable points in urban space, appear to replace the role of locationally-fixed stations in the daily path in creating time-space continuity and providing material, emotional and logistical support” (Rowe& Wolch, 1990, p.190). Through participation in the lives of homeless people, social organizations serve as a secure institution and source of support that people dwelling in instability can look to. The stability of social organizations makes them an alternative to homed social networks. For instance, in a more practical sense, “the homeless individual's inability to store and accumulate resources or to utilize traditional social networks as means of support makes material resources and