What can be done???

In order  for many of these plans to become realities, the government needs to give money to these programs.  Payments are needed for the subsidies, the job and health education workshops, the domestic abuse shelters, and the treatments for the mental illnesses.  Also, businesses can sponsor or donate money and help as well.  Businesses may benefit from increased sales due to more visitors to Gainesville, as well as once homeless people that are back on their feet.  Also, volunteer contribution is a major part of the solution.  If they all take action together, then a change will happen.

Mental Illness and Homelessness

"Mental disorders prevent people from carrying out essential aspects of daily life, such as self care, household management and interpersonal relationships.  Homeless people with mental disorders remain homeless for longer periods of time and have less contact with family and friends.  They encounter more barriers to employment, tend to be in poorer physical health, and have more contact with the legal system than homeless people who do not suffer from mental disorders" (Mental Illness and Homelessness).  If they get help before they find themselves on the brink of losing their home, then they will be more able to recover from poverty.  The health department would offer free services such as counseling and treatment to at risk patients as well as other resources to keep their jobs and better manage their money.  This also ties into the need for better housing and recovery services.  

Poverty isn't the only cause!

Other causes include domestic abuse and mental illness.  "About half of all homeless women are fleeing an abusive relationship, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.  When 100 homeless mothers were surveyed in 2003, one quarter said they had been physically abused within the past year"  (Watson).  "When a woman leaves an abusive relationship, she often has nowhere to go.  This is particularly true of women with few resources.  Lack of affordable housing and long waiting lists for assisted housing mean that many women and their children are forced to choose between abusive at home or life on the streets" (Domestic Violence and Homelessness).  By leaving, the woman is walking out on a house she may have helped pay for, or may be unemployed.  Her children need to be fed and so all of them need support.  Because the shelters may be too full, these women and children have no where to go.  The children may resort to abuse as well in the future, or continue the life as a vagabond because that is all they know.  With thee increase in battered women's shelters, these people will have a place to go for support.  They can get psychological help, as well as help to get back on their feet.  As aforementioned, an increase in affordable housing would hasten the process.  With the help of the community, volunteers could help in a shelter.  Since Gainesville has a large university, college students are always open to help and make a difference.  By recruiting volunteers from various organizations such as fraternities, sororities, and clubs, there would be a fair amount of help.  The shelter could be run out of a health department, or possibly its own building.  There could also be a sector in the health department that deals with mental illness.

Poverty: the big problemo

"Homeless and poverty are inextricably linked.  Poor people are frequently unable to pay for housing, food, childcare, healthcare, and education.  Difficult choices must be made when limited resources cover only some of the necessities.  Often it is housing, which absorbs a high proportion of income that must be dropped.  Having a low income means a person is an illness, an accident, or a paycheck away from living on the streets" (Causes of Homelessness).  Poverty is the main cause of homelessness in Alachua County and Gainesville.  "Gainesville does not have a housing shortage but a lack of housing that is affordable for the people who live and work in our community" (GRACE for the Homeless).  It would be difficult to have a contractor build affordable housing because he would not be getting paid very well.  A solution would be to establish a system between families and tenants so they they can hold the housing they already have.  By subsidizing the at risk families monthly to help them make rent, as well as helping them find better jobs, more affordable health care, etc., they can be on their way to maintaining their homes on their own.  "Cost to provide one year of housing, shelter and supportive services to a homeless individual in emergency shelter: $8,700; cost to provide a family of four with a $300 monthly housing subsidy to ensure the family remains in existing housing: $3,600" (GRACE for the Homeless).  Simply finding people better jobs won't work because there isn't an unlimited amount of jobs out there that will pay enough to make the monthly rent.  "In order to afford this rent a person would nee to make at least $11.81 an hour" (GRACE for the Homeless).  It is hard to make this much when you lack proper education or job training skills.  With the subsidizing system, the family can keep their house and get the resources they need to get better jobs without worrying about losing their homes in the meantime.

But why are they like this???

The majority of the homeless are unemployed or have lost jobs and weren't able to find another one.  In addition, many suffer from drug and alcohol addictions that make saving money or breaking the habit almost impossible.  This hinders their ability to find jobs, housing, or the means to help themselves.  Helping out in soup kitchens, donating food and clothing, and providing more beds in the shelters would certainly help the already homeless in Gainesville, but to really tackle the problem, we need to take steps to reduce homelessness before it ever begins.  By offering more affordable housing, helping with mental illness, and educating on domestic abuse, Gainesville's risk population will be able to help themselves before they become desperate and without a home or money.  If we do nothing, the homeless population will continue to grow, and may deter people from choosing Gainesville as a great place to visit or live.

The problem with the homeless in my area

Gainesville is a great place to live.  It has a vibrant college atmosphere, a small yet metropolitan downtown, historic buildings, and a great farmer's market.  Add in 1,000 homeless people, and you have everything Gainesville has to offer.  The homeless have become a large problem in Alachua County.  It is hard for me to walk around downtown alone at night without feeling a little afraid of being approached by a "homie" as my friends and I like to call them.  Some of them hang out on campus, some go through my trash, and others have tried to break into my friend's home.  I do feel  bad for them and the situation they have been forced to suffer in.  However, they have become a nuisance to the residents of Gainesville and it will only get worse if something isn't done to help them get back on their feet. 

Virgin blogger!  I have to publish a paper for a class, so I am doing it via blog.  It is about homelessness in Gainesville (where I go to school) and the problem it has become to the residents.  It talks about solutions bringing together the city to help those in need