African Americans

A social policy that I believe may affect my future position as a human service worker is the homelessness problem. With the state that the economy is in now, many people have lost their homes or are in danger of losing them. For this reason, there are an increasing number of families without a permanent residency. The population of homeless people may become a greater problem in the future; therefore, affordable housing is a very important issue that should be addressed with urgency. To address the needs of this target population, funds could be used toward building more houses or apartments to assist low-income families.

I could advocate for my client population by doing research to find out how many families in the surrounding counties are being affected by this problem, and I would gather data that would explain what change led up to the crisis. For families that are still in their homes, there may be services already available to help them stay in it. For the individuals who are homeless, I will complete my research and report my findings to co-workers and clients in hopes of gaining there support for this social policy.

One organization that may address this problem is Habitat for Humanity. This is a nonprofit Christian housing ministry that helps with the poverty and homelessness problem by helping people who are in need with descent housing. Families are selected based on their needs, ability to pay, and willingness to partner in the program to assist with building their home and others. This organization believes that the poor need capital, not charity, and co-workers instead of case workers.

Another program that assists with housing is a government agency that provides eligible families rental and utility assistance. It is called CADA Section 8 Housing. Individuals who find available housing may apply for assistance to help lower their monthly rent and utility bill. However, if the recipient’s income increases, so will their rent....