Homelessness within LA County

 

                                   Social Issue: Homelessness in Los Angeles County

Homelessness in my community is important to me because I feel like there is so much my community and I can do to help lower the number of homeless individuals in LA county. It hurts me to know that someone freezes on those streets every night. 

Homelessness is important to my community because we want a healthy and safe environment for all, not just those who can afford it.

Others who agree with me: Priscilla, Jackie, Victoria, Noe, and Yolanda.

How we are directly affected: We are being put at a health risk as HBC is spreading amongst many homeless individuals; many police officers who work in the affected areas have close contact and run a high risk of bringing it home to their own families. 

The first civic engagement definition I came across is from youth.gov. They define civic engagement as working to make a difference in one's community to develop skills, knowledge, and values about the issue to improve the community's quality of life. 

My second definition of civic engagement is from the American psychological association. They define civic engagement as individuals' actions both personally and collectively addressing and identifying public concerns.

My personal definition of civic engagement is coming together as a community to resolve policy and community issues. 

How I got to my definition: I am also enrolled in a public policy class for Criminal Justice and have noticed that public policy also affects how we deal with social issues, especially with homelessness. The 5 steps used to create a policy are also how communities should address social issues. 

Homelessness.org states that homelessness impacts everyone differently and compares the general population to those who are homeless. It is reported that only 6% can find employment while 70% percent of the general pop finds employment. In mental health illness, it is reported that 72% of homeless individuals have mental health issues, and only 30% of the general population reports to have mental health issues. When looking at the category of long term physical health issues, it is reported that 56% of the homeless population experiences anything in this category while only 29% of the general population experiences long term health care issues. Lastly, looking at the use of drugs, it is seen that 26% of homeless individuals use drugs compared tot he 8% of the general population. 

The website also describes how this affects individuals, communities, and tax-payers. 

Caringworksin.org explains that homelessness affects all, not just the homeless individual. They explain what the cost of homelessness is and what other options are. They then show that it can happen to anyone, and it names many big stars. Lastly, it shows a program of how to help those who are homeless and how the program works. This program is accredited. 

This social issue matters to me personally because I have several friends who were homeless when they were at the young adult age. In a way, it hits home on how these individuals are dealt with. Many of these individuals are just not treated fairly or given a full chance at life, and when they fail and end up on the streets, it affects the way the world sees them, and the image of that will never fade.  I chose this issue because it hits home and because it's something I have tried to build a community and building for. Unfortunately, so many are lost in their own ways that it gets tough to help them.

Many of my peers and community members refused to give an image of them now and have sent me their own photo as they were not sure who would see their photo. 

Jackie: "Yes. It’s more of an expense because we are spending more tax dollars on keeping them healthy and alive in the facilities when they aren’t using those facilities. Why not have those expenses go to our poor schools?"

Priscilla: "Yes, homelessness affects my community and me because it can lead to more home property crimes."

Victoria: "It does affect me; I am not okay with my picture being up, but here is a quote: I believe that homelessness affects my community because the resources are affected, and then we don’t know where the money is going."

Noe: "Yes, I believe that it is unhealthy for myself, my family, and my community. Especially when there is a spike of HBC going around amongst them."