Problems Facing Dasani's Family - Essay Sample

Dasani, at her very young age of 11, is living in a life of poverty. Her drug-addicted parents have led her family to live in impoverished conditions due to poor financial planning. The economic hardships facing her family has left her exposed to violence and drug abuse. The state implementation of policies has affected the poor citizens in varying magnitudes. Mayor Bloomberg acted New York’s strategies to improve independence while decreasing the number of homeless families has involved in Dasani’s family (Elliot, 2013). Short-term rent assistance while limiting low-income families from accessing public housing has hindered low-income families and worsened their situation. The implementation of the strategies caused low-income families, including Dasani’s, to move to homeless shelters after the culmination of the rent assistance policy. The situation further exposed Dasani to various risks that may have been avoided if the mayor had continued the public housing policy. The implementation of the policy led low-income families into destitute situations instead of solving homelessness.

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Low-income families face multiple issues, both internal and external, which prevent their development. Lack of enough food is a common issue facing Dasani’s family. The family lived in impoverished conditions in the homeless shelters that did not provide enough amenities. The food served was most of the time expired. The food served at the shelter’s hall was not enough; this led to fighting in the halls. The shelter did not provide enough restrooms; this is observed when Dasani’s family used a bucket for a toilet at night (Elliot, 2013). The violence experienced at home was a major internal factor to Dasani. The uncles fighting after they had visited their grandmother affected her. The destitute living exposed Dasani’s family to insects, rodents, and asbestos in the shelters. Further adding to her problem was the drug problem. Her parents were highly addicted to drugs; this created financial difficulties since finances intended for food was used to buy drugs.

She was changing neighborhoods caused by gentrification, where the wealthy were acquiring property in her community. The acquisitions caused increased property value forcing the low-income families into homeless shelters. The redevelopment of the region led to Dasani’s experience with racism in her neighborhood. Dasani faced judgment that she would steal from them. The interaction with strangers has made her untrusting. The feeling is caused by constant interactions with social workers and government agencies to break her family because of her drug-addicted parents. The changing of communities led to her changing schools. She had to cope with the changing of schools. The schools she attended had limited resources compared to the average public school. The interactions have led to her protecting herself, displaying the feisty demeanor. At school, Dasani depicts herself as a tough, muscular girl continually being involved in physical disputes. Dasani’s family and her teachers understood that her race was considered the minority group. The external factors due to her race that put her at a disadvantage.

Short-term rent assistance while limiting low-income families from accessing public housing has hindered low-income families and worsened their situation. Most poor children face these internal and external challenges. However, Dasani endured through the struggles. She was able to perform in her school as her teacher acted as her mentor. Her indulgence in physical field activities and dancing helped her cope with the situations at schools. She was able to help her family by taking care of her siblings. Such efforts further exposed Dasani to various risks that may have been avoided if the mayor had continued the public housing policy. Dasani pushed through the situation in the neighborhood, shelter, and school.

Reference

Elliot, A. (2013, December 9). Girl in the shadows: Dasani’s homeless life. The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/projects/2013/invisible-child/index.html#/?chapt=0