Introduction
The issue concerning homelessness is one that requires immediate attention with long term solution since it improves the livelihood of people. Three thousand eight hundred thirty-nine homeless people in Miami-Dade County cost the county $44,678,282.00 annually to provide for their basic needs (Ullman, 2017). The results from a 2016 NHIP report on homelessness in Florida found that funding for 2,881 vouchers for permanent housing unites across the continuums of Florida would require $34.2 million annually to ensure case management, project administration, and development of rental subsidies. As unsheltered homelessness decreases, street homelessness in Miami-Dade County should be maintained at a downward trend as well. Through affordable housing, this is likely to ensure a proper balance between the two as well as promoting a long-term solution to street homelessness and unsheltered homelessness (Ullman, 2017). A decrease in homelessness would mean that individuals would have better standards of living, equally leading to the growth of other aspects of the community, such as healthcare.
According to a 2019 census study, the trends indicate that more individuals encountering homelessness are likely to move off the street of Miami (Homeless Trust, 2019). This will be the case if the homeless individuals are given access to accessible and affordable housing as it fundamental to sustainability. While the population of sheltered homeless people in Miami-Dade County increased by 5% from 2018-2019, the street homeless in the community only decreased by 2% as per the data collected by Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust (Homeless Trust, 2019). Previously, programs have been developed to address homelessness; however, since they have only been short term, minimal success has been realized. Most of the solutions to homelessness have been delivered in a general approach, which should not be the case. In consideration of the causes of homelessness, it manifests through cultural, language, social, and economic differences between individuals both in Miami-Dade County and other communities worldwide. When short-terms solutions are developed to address homelessness, various issues could be left unaddressed, prompting for higher homeless chances. As such, it is outright that short-term solutions could only address homelessness in minimal cases since there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
In 2016, Miami-Dade County 447 individuals were chronically homeless, 1963 sheltered emergency, 110 sheltered chronically homeless, 982 unsheltered homes, and 337 unsheltered chronically homes (Ullman, 2017). According to Homeless Trust (2019), approximately 3,839 people in Miami-Dade County are homeless Even though the homeless population has been on a decreasing trend, it is essential to note that some of the significant constraints minimal homeless people could be attributed to issues such as unemployment and poverty, immigration, mental or health conditions, substance abuse, relationship breakdowns, lack of affordable housing, abusive homes, among others.
Today, compared to other continuums in Florida, the homelessness in Miami-Dade County is at a low record. However, the primary issue surrounding homelessness needs a long-term solution to ensure that the problem is tackled to deliver real change with a positive impact on the social, economic, cultural, and other community elements. Eradicating homelessness will ultimately increase the number of tax-paying citizens, and the resultant increase in GDP would benefit everyone in the county (Montgomery, 2019). Through the "Home Giveaway Program Initiative (Home GAP)," it would ensure housing affordability. Home GAP would deliver significant inroads by providing permanent housing options and a specific focus on the unsheltered individuals. By far, affordable housing is an essential issue to administer long-lasting and real change (Montgomery, 2019).
Theoretical Framework
Long term solutions, which are those that last for more than five years, are appropriate for the homeless problem in Miami-Dade County (Montgomery, 2019). As Homeless Trust (2019) considers the "Point-in-Time," count, it credits an aggressive action to focus on long-term solutions that will ensure that homelessness can be addressed not only in Miami-Dade County but in other locations as well. Although the homeless population could be considered relatively low, an analysis by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty outlines that the actual community facing homelessness might be between two to ten times higher than the point in time estimates. With a view on the adopted budget by the Homeless Trust as per the 2017-18 Fiscal year approved budget, there is sufficient funding to address the issue of homelessness in Miami-Dade County (Homeless Trust, 2019). However, the failure to spend all the money has been a trend in most of the previous budget cycles, where the trust did not spend approximately $23 million (Homeless Trust, 2019). To address such issues, it is critical to consider a long-term solution aimed at maintaining affordable housing since it is likely to deliver a notable decline in street homelessness (Montgomery, 2019).
Homelessness can be investigated through the concepts of social structure, social interaction, deviation, culture, and socialization as well. As the study is aimed at addressing the issue of homelessness and considering the long-term solution, then homelessness can be considered as social status (Tsai et al., 2017). Here, homelessness in Miami-Dade County can be linked to poverty, stratification, and social exclusion and could also help understand the mobility of homelessness. Although all theories of social conflict, structural functionalism, exchange, and symbolic interactionism can be applied in the study of homelessness, the theory of conflict and functionalism would be useful as they consider the paradigm of social fact (Shaw & Choi, 2019). With the focus of developing a long-term solution, Miami-Dade County ought to address the social conflict paradigm associated with the cost of housing.
Nonetheless, there is a theoretical 10-year program known as the Home Giveaway Program Initiative that could be set up by the County officials to help end the problem of homelessness (Montgomery, 2019). The Home GAP Initiative is designed to provide affordable housing for the unsheltered and street homelessness in Miami-Dade County (Montgomery, 2019). The Home Giveaway Program Initiative is a social project involving community members and various stakeholders that want to affect change (Montgomery, 2019). Within the Home GAP Initiative, the homeless individuals have to undergo a unique program to certify their worthiness, sobriety, and develop a sense of responsibility through different tests. Also, through the participation of the 10-year educational program, a social worker will ensure that the individual acquires the necessary help to ensure that homelessness is addressed permanently.
Research Question
The issue of homelessness has delivered significant concerns as it remains an issue in Miami-Dade County and abroad. Often, this has been an issue due to the lack of proper assistive programs to help the unsheltered and street populations. According to Gregerson (2013), the different practices to eradicate homelessness have been countered by various issues. They are equally resulting in other problems such as elevated poverty levels, insecurity, among other social and economic constraints. In as much as short-term solutions have been attempted, homelessness remains a significant issue in Miami-Dade County. Thus, the research question will seek to evaluate the effectiveness of long-term solutions over short-term solutions to homelessness.
Research Question: Are long-term solutions to homelessness better than short-term solutions?
Methodology
In the question of the effectiveness of long-term solutions over short-term solutions to eradicate homelessness, the factors influencing homelessness to play a significant role. In the case of Miami-Dade County, most of them are economically and socially associated, creating a need for a substantial initiative to address the problem completely. Short-term solutions are those that take less than five years, while long term solutions such as the Home Giveaway Program Initiative take a minimum of 10 years (Montgomery, 2019). Even though the solution takes such a long time, this is continuous that not only looks at limiting the causes of homelessness but develop different initiatives that ensure that the homeless individuals are supported since they are fragile to other issues such as mental and health problems.
Through the use of short-term solutions to address the issue of homelessness, the primary focus is mounted on the reduction of the number of homeless individuals. Often, when the emphasis is placed on cutting down the population of homeless populations, it is likely that some of the most critical elements could be ignored. Meanwhile, long term solutions promote the empowerment of homeless individuals to solve the social conflict. Within the long-term solutions, such as the Home GAP initiative, it not only focuses on expanding affordable housing but has been linked to other aspects. Whereas short term solutions do not break the cycle of homelessness as long-term solutions do (Montgomery, 2019), the long-term solution delivers significant developments as its initiatives integrate health care, strengthen the crisis response system, foster education, build career paths, and reduce criminal justice involvement. Through such a solution, these are likely to warrant a permanent solution to homelessness since the homeless individuals in Miami-Dade can socially integrate with other aspects of the community.
Type of Research
This research will consider both quantitative and qualitative data associated with homelessness in Miami-Dade County and abroad. Within the quantitative analysis, it will involve collecting data through surveys and questionnaires to evaluate the number of homeless individuals, the expenditure of the government as it deals with eradicating homelessness, and the various benefits of long-term Home GAP Initiative. Correspondingly, qualitative research will identify abstract concepts by comparing similar initiatives as the Home GAP Initiative in other nations such as the Journey to Social Inclusion in Australia.
Respondents Questionnaire
- How does homelessness affect the county of Miami-Dade?
- What solutions are available for homelessness?
- What are the main reasons for homelessness?
- Can social policies be implemented to avoid such cases?
