The topic selected addresses housing assistance to low income households by the federal government. The federal government provided assistance through the housing choice voucher (HCV) program, public housing, project-based rental assistance, grants and tax expenditures. Funds range from $18 billion dollars for housing vouchers to 7 billion dollars for tax expenditures for the low-income housing tax credit. The three main programs assists almost five million households or close to 10 million people. However, these programs and funds only are utilized by only one quarter of the population who are eligible to receive these services. Annual household income for the participants of these programs were less than $14,000 per year which places …show more content…
The first option includes altering the household compositions of the assisted household. This includes reducing the number of HCV’s by ten percent which would result in a savings of $18 billion dollars or increasing the number of HCV’s by ten percent which would cost 18 billion dollars. Reducing the number of HCVs could allow for money saved by the government but this could severely harm the individuals who are already experiencing many hardships and who are unable to afford housing without support from the government. This option also includes requiring individuals who are not elderly or disabled to participate in a self-sufficiency program to assist them in leaving assisted housing;, this would increase the budget by ten billion dollars, but has the potential to have positive long term effects in helping the individuals gain skills that will allow for them to decrease their dependence on governmental assistance.. The second option discusses the modification of the residents’ monthly contribution to their rent by either increasing in by 5 percent or reducing it by 5 percent. Therefore, tenants would pay thirty-five percent of their gross income instead of 30 percent and this could save over 22 billion dollars over a ten year period. However, if monthly contributions were reduced to 25 percent, the cost would rise by 22
There is a large population of low-income individuals who are aged, handicapped, or otherwise in the low-income group of individuals who need assistance in obtaining appropriate housing and who, without the benefits of Section 8 subsidized housing would be homeless or living in inhumane conditions and many of these children and the elderly. Section 8 subsidized housing is a HUD program that assists
Affordability simply means that the wages for low-income families have stayed the same, but the cost of living especially rent has risen very high. Government programs, though helpful, have not kept up with demand. These programs define burdened as paying 30% or more for housing, yet 80% of poor households spend more than 50% of their wages on their rents. There are currently two government programs that assist in housing: The Housing Choice Voucher program, which covers 70% of the housing bills, and Public Housing programs, which serve about 2 million people. Yet there is a significant and overwhelming need that has not been met by these programs. Some critics blame this on lack of funding. There is a
Since alternative policy options, our criteria and weighing are projected, it is possible for us to analyze alternatives against criteria.
Many professionals recognize the benefits of assistive animals for people with physical disabilities. This includes seeing-eye dogs that are trained to alert owners to environmental hazards. Some policies may be hard to change, but are required if needed. One well known policy
This is another thing affecting the homelessness in our country. The support that the Federal government would give to the low-income families has fallen tremendously. Without this support large numbers of people suffer and wind up without a home. There are housing assistance programs but the demand for the housing exceedingly outweighs the supply. There isn’t enough housing assistance to help everyone in need. The numbers are shocking “only about one-third of poor renters’ households receive a housing subsidy from the federal, state, or a local government” (Why Are People Homelss?). Since there are too many people seeking this aid from the government people are placed on long waiting lists until someone opens up and they can be helped. Due to these long waiting lists where people can wait up to 35 months they have no other choice but to stay in shelters or some other poor housing
A commonly problem faced by the government, business owners and homeowners alike is the homelessness of low-income families, disabled people and seniors that inhabit public housing. These housing projects provide affordable housing through federal funds. The people who instituted it visions and intensions have evolved.
This measure will finance the construction of supportive and affordable housing for homeless people in the City of Los Angeles. Permanent supportive housing is a type of housing that has supportive on-site services like case management and physical and mental health care programs (“Yes On HHH Help House the Homeless”, n.d.). According to Rog et al. (2014) permanent supportive housing is a proven intervention that has reduced homelessness, increased housing tenure, and decreased emergency room visits. Permanent Supportive Housing is effective, recent research show that homeless people that are involved in this program remained housed. In addition, in 2015, within the Los Angeles Continuum of Care, 96% of formerly homeless people living in permanent supportive housing
The policy does not go as far to allocate funds to pay for a Medicaid beneficiary’s room and board, as some states have hoped for.5 Nevertheless, the policy is a step in the right direction in providing for the general welfare of the public, a goal of the government as outlined in the Constitution. Evidence suggests that providing housing and opportunity for successful integration into the community, provides opportunity for better health status. It is in the government’s best interest to address social determinants of health not only to improve health status of the population, but also to reduce health care costs by eliminating preventable health crises and inappropriate use of emergency room services. The government must continue to take the steps in recognizing housing as health
For the past fifty years the shift from meeting the housing needs of the poor through government projects-based housing to a more individual approach, has been slowly implemented. Housing vouchers now enable underprivileged populations to move from high-poverty, segregated neighborhoods to more un-segregated, low-poverty neighborhoods. Low-poverty neighborhoods have less crime, better opportunities for employment, and more diverse schooling options. Some housing advocates however, contend that housing assistance is unnecessary and is an income subsidy that should be combined with other social safety nets (Clark, W. 2008).
While homelessness is viewed as people that are drug addicts or bums, there are other barriers that prevent the homeless population from getting housed. Many have no resources to allow them to obtain or maintain housing, let alone their basic needs. Being homeless takes a significant toll on people’s lives overall as well as their ability to feel safe and secure.
Homelessness is a growing social problem that society should increase the more awareness to the theses vulnerable population through policies that might help to address the problem. Affordable housing policy is the key factor that could be able to control the problem of homelessness. There are 564,708 homeless people in the U.S. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development report (2015) estimated that 69% homeless people were staying in the shelter, and 31% were unsheltered. There are many homeless individuals and families seeking for the place for spending a night, but however there are more homeless people than homeless shelters. Therefore, they choose to live under bridges, in cars, or in abandoned buildings.
Homelessness is a growing problem in today’s society. Because of the economic crises, many people are losing his or her jobs because company’s had to cut back on expenses, as well as companies that have closed down completely. Furthermore because of the economic crises many mental institutions are forced to close the doors because of lack of funds. People who once had a safe healthy place to call home are being forced into homelessness and are lacking the health care needed to ensure a happy healthy life. Something has to be done to assist homeless people in finding housing and healthcare they so desperately need. Although it is not possible to solve the homeless
Homelessness is a widespread epidemic throughout the United States. This epidemic doesn’t limit itself to the stereotypes such as race, religion, or financial status. According to Sweets (2011), “there are more than 3.5 million homeless Americans each year within the United States”. Many of these individuals are victims of life-altering events. Homelessness is a solvable problem with the right resources, programs, and funding in place. Some effective ways to address the problem of homelessness are to create affordable housing programs, provide excellent quality health care along with rehabilitation and job training.
Growing up my mom always felt the need to give those who suffer from homelessness or even addiction a place to live or work. It wasn't an out of the blue, "oh I found someone on the street, they're moving in with us", but more that she supplied them with a job, then got to know their personality a little more. It was definitely a hit or miss most of the time, but every once in a while, we got a new roommate in out home. In all, I believe we had about 4 people throughout a span of 3 years come and live with us. I've seen those actually beat their addiction and move out, all the way to, those who are still addicted, leave, and steal items from our home. It wasn't always the easiest sight growing up, but I knew it was always for the better of society and bettering the individuals that lived with us.
Public housing was conceived to provide affordable housing for families, the aging population or persons with disabilities who have encountered obstacles to housing due to their financial status. Since public housing is restricted to people who are identified as low-income, strict guidelines have been adopted to establish eligibility. For example, a person or families gross annual income is assessed to ascertain if they qualify. Additionally, an applicants references, criminal, and credit history may be investigated in order to identify if they are a suitable candidate.