According to the recent research by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the number of homeless individuals across the country has grown to over 600,000; however, a worrying trend associated with the increase in homelessness is their involvement in crime (Saul, 2013). An absolute count of the homeless is challenging to arrive at, since some of the homeless people live in cars, abandoned buildings, caves, under bridges, on the banks of rivers, and on steam grates. The number of homeless individuals in the U.S. has rapidly increased over the past several years. In some localities, such as New York, as of April 2013, the number had hit a notch high of 50,000 people (Saul, 2013). According to Leavitt (2007), about 24 million jobs, that is, one fifth of all employment opportunities in the US, cannot sustain families of four members above the poverty line.
The involvement of homeless individuals in violent crimes and drug trafficking is becoming increasingly widespread in suburban areas and large cities, as well as, small towns in the US. Contemporary gangs, due to homelessness, have become a widespread threat to communities throughout the nation. Once considered largely an urban phenomenon, homeless individuals have increasingly emerged in smaller communities, presenting a challenge that adversely strains local resources.
This policy paper is intended to generate a greater awareness in the field of justice among courts, defenders, prosecutors, advocates, law enforcement, the homeless and social service providers about the resources available at the United States Department of Health and Human Services in terms of serving those who risk being homelessness, and the law enforcement agencies in the US in terms of dealing with homeless individuals involved in crime.
[...] The services coupled with this policy help individuals and families in the network of community based programs that can empower them to return to self-reliance. The supportive services granted by the Federal government through the Supportive Housing Policy are those considered as basic needs to assist people in self-sufficiency. A transitional housing is a form of the temporary accommodation, which usually does not exceed 24 months (Michelle, 2013). This provision is also coupled with the free access to food and other supportive services. [...]
[...] The logic is the communal commitment to end the chronic homelessness and related gangs at the lowest level of the society within a set time frame. This policy discourages the overreliance on the central government's strategies and programs towards a decent housing and elimination of local gangs. It is based on the essence of having respect and love for neighbors. The other element of this policy is community policing. Community policing is a highly effective approach of curbing gang related activities or crimes. [...]
[...] Subsidized loans also resulted in overbuilding, which was not the agenda of the policy. Therefore, communities and local agencies should develop policies and strategies to address their specific local gang problems by analyzing the nature of gangs affecting their neighborhood. Agencies must recognize that the way they picture homeless families will, to a greater extent, solve the gang problem in the neighborhood (U. S. Department of Justice, 2012). A Collaborative and Community-Wide Action Policy A collaborative and community-wide action policy would be more effective than the outlined policies above. [...]
[...] Eradicate crimes committed by homeless individuals and the related gangs in the United States Introduction According to the recent research by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development the number of homeless individuals across the country has grown to over 600,000; however, a worrying trend associated with the increase in homelessness is their involvement in crime (Saul, 2013). An absolute count of the homeless is challenging to arrive at, since some of the homeless people live in cars, abandoned buildings, caves, under bridges, on the banks of rivers, and on steam grates. [...]
[...] Taking part in criminal activity is the primary means that homeless individuals use to acquire the resources required for basic survival. Chamard (2010) reports that on any given night, there are about 636,000 homeless americans; these homeless populations are the primary target of this policy. The main eligibility requirement for the target population beiing affected by this policy is the lack of a regular dwelling and unabililty to obtain and maintain an adequate, secure and safe housing for both daytime and night-time residence. [...]
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