A call for Developing Countries! | Teen Ink

A call for Developing Countries!

July 18, 2021
By sanam BRONZE, Rawalpindi, Other
sanam BRONZE, Rawalpindi, Other
2 articles 1 photo 0 comments

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Problems can de dealt with in order to have an ideal happy life!


Homelessness can be regarded as a struggle with living, based on varied socio-economic, mental and political factors. Every country now and then is facing this deep-rooted problem but some of them are experiencing drastic changes. The argument arises is that how those countries called themselves as developed or industrialized while a part of their land is filled with those individuals who are homeless? What kind of advancement is that which make 1% people to accumulate all the wealth while majority of individuals are living on streets? Rhetorically, such queries will be addressed in this blog through exemplification of such areas in United States of America like New York, Sans Francisco and Los Angeles from the times of 1930’s since Great Depression.

 


 
Homelessness is the phenomenon which isn’t appear in a year or two rather, it rampages its roots gradually in passing years. By 2015, it increases somehow in the bay area, tenderloin of sans Francisco due to unemployment, mental health and by other glitches. By the reluctance of government, the homeless community crystallized in particulars areas, as the government allowed encampment all over the city. Cherry on the top is that the district attorney of the area Chess Boudin decriminalized tent camping, drug use, prostitution and public defecation which results in providing a breathing space for prisoners’ release from jails; covering the sidewalks of the city streets. As the crime rates risen, families living in San Francisco relocate themselves, meanwhile about 450 homeless people migrate from other parts of the country to sans Francisco for a living space, drug use and other vicious crimes. Initially, government did not realize the in-take of drugs by people as they interpret it as a medicine for them but it turns out into a wholly drug’s addiction which later on causes a full-scale sales activity. City government spends $1 billion per year on homelessness but it was too late to tackle the situation just by the expenditure of this sums of money. From 1999 to 2014, government took the initiative to construct 61000 affordable housing units but this momentary homelessness spectrum is of no use for the people.

 


 
In 1950’s homelessness sweeps in New York’s mental health policies of excavating patients due to the fact that the local communes were way better in providing medications as compare to institutions, causing more than 80,000 patients to occupy SROS’s, a cheap single-room occupancy in the city area. In between 1980’s to 1990’s due to the tax policies, SRO’s starts to decline as they tried to modify their hostels into expensive residential houses. This leads to a rise in homelessness as a gap between rents and incomes of the poorest household persuade them to live on streets. In 1961, the Vera Institute of Justice enacted the Manhattan Bowery Project, through which vouchers enable homeless people to join shelters but it failed due to the poor management of health as the diseases like tuberculosis begins to spread among people. Many shelters get filled doubled because of the cold weather condition in the city. In south Bronx, ‘’PATH’’ the only intake center for homeless people obliged people to be permitted to live in shelters. Many such shelters in New York places a bureaucratic barrier that wrongfully and unlawfully deny shelter to many needy families.

 


 
On Los Angeles’s famous Skid Row homelessness is drastically swelling because of the greater number of unaffordable lower-class families in the regions of high residential costs. In 1968 city government invest large sums of money to redevelop Bunker Hill’s Victorian boarding houses for the rich but rejects the clearance of slums of skid row, which later results a dumping ground in hospitals and prisons, where slum people are forced to live. In 1980’s the issue hyped up when encampments were found under the freeway overpasses, where people were facing both mental and public service health crises. A large concentration of people in camps and tents exposed to several health risks due to lack of sanitation, throwing used injections and public defecation; leading towards the spread of hepatitis A and HIV among people. Reportedly in 2018, about half of LA’s population suffered homelessness due to substance abuse and mental illness. Around 60,000 people reported to be homeless per day. Also, the city’s policies of releasing prisoners form jail who went upon streets increases the risk for people living there as to overcome crime, police gave an arrest warrant for a minor thing like jaywalking. In 2015, a homeless man named Charley was shot, forced and killed by police Los Angeles Police Department. His case gains the spotlight as being a patient of mental health, he didn’t receive the treatment because of his poor status.

 


 
Conclusively, this issue should be held as a deep concern for the developed countries. The countries like US have to tackle this responsibility by involving all the sectors including mayors of the city, private sectors like civil society, NGOs or business firms, educational institutions and members of ministerial government. Furthermore, city government should advocate private business to donate a sum of money for the redevelopment of rehabilitation centers so that homeless individuals could have access to all the basic needs i.e. medicines, vaccines, sanitizers and counselling or therapy. This will lead helps them to build progressive schemas for having a better future. Secondly, the educational institutions with the assistance of governmental sector should provide fee concessions or at least free education to homeless people for their future social mobility. Thirdly, the decriminalization of drug use should be retorted as these give criminals and drug addicts in trading it in Black market. Fourthly, the ministerial government should assist Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Programs by properly using grants provided by city government in order to provide permanent living to needy families. Also, treasury of the government should invest the money in an area in order to provide more rehabilitation center. Most importantly, the whole country US should overcome the concept of systematic racism so that the distinction among black and whites should be diminished. This will majorly aid to decrease homelessness which occurs due the reason of racism. Additionally, preventive measures should be taken for the regulation of sanitation to reduce the spread of ailments like HIV/AIDs, Hepatitis A and B. For mental health problems, the psychiatrists can bring down their fees so that they can afford to get their mental health assistance.

 
Thus, by the execution of all the above conclusive measures, the issue of homelessness can be reduced; which will eventually be helpful for the country US and for needy people. Primarily, developed countries like US doesn’t have difficulties to maneuver the above course of actions, rather there is a vital need to have centered focus with the involvement of all the city ministries on a primary issue of homelessness.


The author's comments:

So this article purpose is to majorly highlight upon the issue of homelessness increasing rates in america and spread awareness about another picture of american lifestyle where a specific solution is need to be acted upon!


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