Housing SHOULD be a human right!

During my first Humanities class, during freshman year. We learned about the sustainable development goals set by the united nations. We focused on goal one, no poverty. Goal two, zero hunger. Goal three, quality education. We took a trip to the Lincoln Park Community Shelter to learn about the effects of the limited resources in our neighborhood. We then cooked them lunch to show gratitude and thanks for allowing us to enter into the community that they have formed. My end unit project is focusing on ending extreme poverty and whether adequate shelter, health care, and free primary and secondary school should be a human right.

Each year, the homeless costs the government almost $50,000 per person, according to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. That is more spent per person than some people below the poverty line make. People should not have to endure a life of poverty. They should have the human right to adequate shelter, health care, and free primary and secondary schooling.

People who have to endure a life of extreme poverty, end up suffering from hunger and medical issues because of adequate shelter and resources. Many people living in extreme poverty do not have access to health care. This means hospital and emergency room visits go unpaid and fall on the shoulders of the government and taxpayers in that area. In the end, each person living in extreme poverty costs the government $50,000 a year in medical bills and other fees, according to the HUD<Cooper, CBS News>. This need falls on almost every level of Maslow's hierarchy of needs<McLeod, Simply Psychology>. Many people living in extreme poverty will not have many basic needs like food, water, and safety. When you have a hard time affording the basic needs, your psychological needs are affected as well. You can barely sustain yourself at times, so friends and intimate relationships may be hard. Without achieving any of the other levels, it may be very hard for anyone to achieve self-actualization.

Woitunski, Matthew. "Homeless Veteran on the Streets of Boston, MA."

2008, Web. 

In Salt Lake City, Utah, they were able to cut back their homeless population by 91% according to NPR <McEvers, NPR>. Ten years ago, when the efforts first started, there were nearly 2,000 homeless people Salt Lake City, Utah. By implementing a model known as Housing First, Salt Lake City, Utah has reduced that number from nearly 2,000 people in 2005 to fewer than 200 living in chronic homelessness. < Hartvigsen, utah.gov.>“Joe Ortega has been living at Grace Mary Manor for six months. He has a 1,000-piece puzzle laid out in his room. ’It's my new addiction,’ says Ortega. This is just one example of how providing housing to chronically homeless people can change the entire way they once lived. Ortega went from having an addiction on drugs to now being able to find a job and a new hobby within puzzles. This shows that providing housing for those in need actually betters our community and the overall health of that person.

Laughlin, Michael. "Homes for Homeless Campaign."

 2014, Web.

To end extreme poverty, the government and other organizations need to take action. Giving apartments to chronically homeless people who've been on the streets for years before they've received treatment for addiction or mental illness may not sound like a bright idea. But that's what's happening all across America <Cooper, CBS News> in an effort to try and targets those who've been homeless the longest and are believed to be at greatest risk of dying, especially during the very cold and hot weather and provide them with permanent housing. This movement is called 100,000 Homes Campaign <Community Solutions>; they have so far managed to get 80,000 chronically homeless people off the streets. The local government and various non-profit groups do the work, but the money comes mostly from federal programs and private donors. There is also sources that say that this method saves taxpayers money and federal money in the long run.

DJANSEZIAN, KEVORK. "Chronic homelessness." 

2013, Web.

I believe that access to adequate shelter should be a human right. Many people who are chronically homeless suffer from addiction and medical issues because of the lack of resources. It is proven by many other organizations here in the USA that there is a path to ending chronic homelessness. Once the effort to implement this human right is taken, the quality of life for those who were once suffering in extreme poverty is now active citizens in the community. With a better quality of life, and more access to resources.


Sources Cited:

"100,000 Homes: Housing the Homeless Saves Money?" CBS News. Ed. Anderson Cooper. CBS Interactive, 9 Feb. 2014. Web.

"Ending Chronic Homelessness Among People with Disabilities." Homelessness Statistics by State | United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH). United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), 14 Sept. 2018. Web. 25 Sept. 2018.

Hartvigsen, Alex, Karen Quackenbush, Patrick Frost, Brett Coulam, Michelle Smith, Ashley Tolman, and Tamera Kohler. "Comprehensive Report on Homelessness." Jobs.utah.gov. Department of Workforce Services, Oct. 2015. Web.

McEvers, Kelly. "Utah Reduced Chronic Homelessness By 91 Percent; Here's How." NPR. NPR, 10 Dec. 2015. Web. 25 Sept. 2018.

McLeod, Saul. "Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs." Simply Psychology. Simply Psychology, 2018. Web.

"We Stand for Solutions." Homelessness Is a Solvable Problem | Community Solutions. N.p., n.d. Web.