Essay Sample on Homelessness and Poverty

Homelessness and poverty have been and are still some of the most significant challenges facing the American population. For instance, according to the Housing and Urban Development's Annual Point-in-Time (PIT) count conducted nationwide in 2018 to survey homeless people, approximately 552,830 individuals experience homelessness every night. The figure is equal to about 17 out of every 10000 individuals in the United States. Similarly, according to the 2011 current population report of the United States Census Bureau, approximately 46.2 million Americans (15%) live in poverty. The two aspects are interrelated, and most families experiencing homelessness and poverty face a lot of challenges in their daily lives. The paper, therefore, seeks to discuss some of the difficulties which homeless people and poverty-stricken families face, especially at this moment of the COVID-19 pandemic, and also highlight some of the measures which should be taken by the government to minimize poverty and homelessness.

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Firstly, homelessness and poverty enhance the spread of disease in case of an outbreak. Homeless and poor people do not have the appropriate shelters, and in case they do, the shelters are always of low standards and prone to congestion. Moreover, the emergency shelters in which homeless people live do not offer a proper setting to fight a disease outbreak (Bayer, 2020). For instance, the global pandemic COVID-19 is hardly hitting the homeless population in America, especially those in San Francisco and Boston (Markovich, 2020).

Next, homeless children who come from low-income families face a lot of educational challenges. They often live in tiny houses that do not allow for any studying space. For instance, eight-year-old Mariana Aceves has to do her homework on a bed, which she shares with her mother because the house in which they live is tiny and cannot allow for any reading space. Also, a significant number of homeless and impoverished children do not have computers. This makes it difficult for about 1.5 million schoolchildren across the United States to take their classes online while at home, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic (Markovich, 2020).

Finally, homelessness and poverty lead to a lack of privacy. Homeless and poor people often live in tiny houses, which are usually shared by other families (The Coronavirus Crisis, 2020). For instance, the sixteen-year-old Capelle Belij, who lives with his parents at a shelter in Seattle (The Coronavirus Crisis, 2020). They live in a room divided only by curtains, and they share it with two other families.

To reduce the problem of homelessness and poverty and their effects in the United States, some measures and actions should get taken. First, the government should set aside emergency funding. The funds can get used to look for alternative but better shelters for the poor and homeless population and also help in funding their rental expenses (Markovich, 2020). Moreover, the funds can also be helpful in times of global pandemics such as COVID-19 because it enables the government to identify and fund better isolation and self-quarantine centers for the homeless and impoverished population hence significantly minimizing the spread of the pandemic (Markovich, 2020).

The government should also provide affordable housing to the homeless and the poor. The move will increase the number of affordable housing units across the country hence reducing the problem of homelessness and poverty. To achieve affordable housing, the federal government can put in place Low-Income Housing Tax Credits for the developers to enable them to develop entirely accessible housing faculties. Also, the government can put in place inclusionary zoning policies to create more affordable housing units which priced below the market rent.

Lastly, the government needs to enact policies that prohibit evictions as well as foreclosures. Such policies will ensure that individuals who rent or own homes do not lose them through evictions during difficult economic times, such as the COVID-19 pandemic (Markovich, 2020). Proper measures must, however, be put in place to ensure that the tenants are responsible for paying their rent arrears immediately; the economic situation becomes better (Markovich, 2020).

In summary, it is explicit from the above discussion that homelessness and poverty are significant challenges among the American population. Homelessness and poverty can have severe adverse effects on society, especially during this time of global COVID-19 pandemic. It is, therefore, essential for the government and other relevant agencies to put in place and implement appropriate measures and actions which can assist in minimizing homelessness and poverty among people.

Works Cited

Bayer, I (2020). Homelessness and Housing in America have been a Tinderbox waiting to catch fire for Generations. https://www.realchangenews.org/2020/04/29/homelessness-and-housing-america-has-been-tinderbox-waiting-catch-fire-generations

Markovich, M (2020). Study prompts CDC to urge COVID-19 Tests for those in Homeless Shelters. https://komonews.com/news/coronavirus/study-prompts-cdc-to-urge-covid-19-tests-for-those-in-homeless-shelters

The Coronavirus Crisis. (2020). Homeless Families Face High Hurdles Home-Schooling Their Kids. https://www.npr.org/2020/04/22/840276403/homeless-families-face-high-hurdles-homeschooling-their-kids