By alvina23 September 24, 2024 - 6:03pm

Homelessness isn’t a problem that one would associate with a developed nation, but it’s a serious problem in America. With over 653,104 people on the streets, an increase of 12% since 2022, it’s clear that this is an issue that hasn’t been solved yet. Why is that? Is it just a matter of taking from the rich and giving to the poor? Well, it isn’t so simple.

Today, let’s take a look at why homelessness continues to persist, why measures to address it haven’t worked, and what might actually work. Let’s dive in.

Homelessness Has Deep Roots

On the surface, homelessness appears to be a simple issue. You have a segment of society that, for certain reasons, is living on the streets. If you give them a place to live, it would solve the problem.

However, time and time again, we have seen how simply giving the homeless a place to stay and money rarely works.

It fixes their situation for a few weeks or even a few months, but somehow, they end up back on the streets again. This can be puzzling for people who genuinely tried to offer a helping hand. Why, after getting a place to stay, would anyone want to go back to the streets? It seems completely illogical, but it happens more often than you’d think.

One reason that this occurs is that people are creatures of routine, dependency, and lifestyle. You cannot give them a new environment and expect it to instantly change them as a person. Homeless people didn’t end up on the streets for no reason. The factors often involve bad decisions, circumstances, relationships, addictions, and mental illnesses.

If you want to understand how and why the homeless tend to have a relapse in lifestyle, educating yourself is the first step. Social work advanced standing programs are a great option if you already have a bachelors in the field. This leads us to another important theme.

As Cleveland State University notes, pursuing advanced programs teaches you how to approach these issues with sensitivity and tact.

Understanding “The Churn” Cycle

According to Solutions for Change, the homeless suffer from a cycle of victimhood followed by handouts, followed by dependency, which leads back to victimhood. They term this cycle, “The Churn.” Social workers across the country have seen this sort of situation play out over and over again.

Among the different interventions that break this cycle, accountability-based recovery is particularly important. Long-term change requires long-term commitment, and this is where many NGOs fail. Helping the homeless requires a level of commitment from social workers that can be overwhelming.

Speak to the homeless, get them to open up, and you will understand that there’s a lot going on. There are children involved, ex-partners coming in and out of their lives, drugs, and often, violence. In a perfect world, we would have the “right solution” that you can offer these people.

However, the truth is, there’s never a one-size-fits-all remedy. You really have to hunker down and work things out based on their specific situation. Maybe you are starting to see why throwing money at this problem hasn’t given us an instant fix.

The Struggle to Make Rules and Structure Palatable

One aspect that needs to be emphasized is that resources do exist and the homeless are aware of them. There are housing projects in different states, but many homeless people refuse to use them. Why?

Well, look at California’s ‘Housing First’ project. It didn’t work out the way it was supposed to, and many believe it has made the homeless situation worse off than before. You had all these places that the homeless could live in, but it came with a bunch of conditions.

These rules involved restrictions on public intoxication, panhandling, and theft, among others. Many homeless people choose to simply continue living on the streets rather than changing their lifestyles. Rather than focusing on helping these people recognize the purpose of these restrictions, we gave in. What was the result?

The situation has become so bad that homeless programs in California now lose funding if they enforce rules that restrict drug use or require counseling.

To summarize, the ultimate goal of solving homelessness is bringing people back into the fold of society. Many of them live in a sort of parallel world, and it takes a lot more effort and commitment from helpers to bring them back. Solving individual-specific problems and helping the homeless overcome personal issues is the first step.

It certainly isn’t as simple as giving them houses and expecting homelessness to disappear. Until social workers and NGOs embrace this reality, the numbers we’ve seen aren’t going to change all that much.