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State of Homelessness in Swindon 2021: Ways to Fix the Issue
It’s a common sight to see rough sleepers on the streets of Swindon. Over the past few years, the number of individuals sleeping rough has increased significantly. Today, nearly 20 to 30 homeless people are sleeping on the streets at any given time.
About 15% of them are chronically homeless, meaning they haven’t had a permanent home in many years. And often cycle through hospitals, jails, and home shelters in search of a sleeping ground.
The government has tried to tackle this problem at every level. But more and more people continue to sleep in shelters and on the street, especially children.
Below, we've looked at various measures Swindon can adopt to end homelessness. Continue reading to learn more and even figure out to write your homeless essay.
What is Homelessness?
Before diving deeper into the article, let’s first define homelessness. In this context, homelessness is the state of not having an acceptable level of housing provisions.
Five Ways to Fix Homelessness in Swindon
Affordable Housing
Shelters and hostels are useful since they offer beds and roofs to homeless individuals. They come in handy during cold seasons and rainy nights when sleeping outside is dangerous. But they are expensive to operate.
Even though shelters help, they’re just a short-term solution to the problem. According to homelessness essays, the best way to solve the homelessness problem is to introduce affordable housing. Finland had a large population of homeless people in 2008. But after introducing affordable houses, the number of people on the streets reduced significantly.
The government can get individual apartments in Swindon for limited liability housing companies. Then rent them to individuals living in the streets for affordable prices. Also, it can set aside a portion of land and build cheap houses.
Shelters don’t allow to stay for a long time since they will develop a sense of permanency. But if a person has a permanent home. He or she can get a job and stay sober as suggested by several studies. So, the government needs to provide homeless people with access to permanent houses.
Create Career Paths
Affordable homes without jobs are useless. Homeless people need jobs to pay for the houses, or else they will just move back to the streets. Even if they're moving into permanent homes, they still need jobs to meet their daily needs.
Meaningful and sustainable career training and employment will allow people to move out of streets and shelters. The government should design programs that connect people to career paths, even if it’s Swindon council jobs.
Swindon can review federal programs, regulations, and policies to identify regulatory, administrative, and education mechanisms they can use to improve accessibility to work support.
By working with charity groups, the Swindon government can develop and disseminate best practices. As a result, they can help homeless people to enter the workforce.
Also, the government should increase work opportunities and support for armed forces veterans. So, veterans returning from active duty or with disabilities can find employment.
Supports
Individuals experiencing homelessness have several complex and diverse needs. Once they’re secured houses, their needs don’t magically disappear.
- Support interventions have several primary functions, including:
- Offering emotional and physical support, including case management, medical supports, and counseling.
- Helping homeless individuals get education, training, and even employment.
- Aiding with landlord-tenants and housing issues.
- Helping with financial needs, such as rent supplements and ID replacement. Also, they can help them access government help and benefits.
- Enabling engagement with meaningful activities like community connections, recreation activities, and volunteering.
- Assisting homeless individuals to adjust to their new life by teaching them life skills. The life skills include shopping, cooking, budgeting, and housekeeping.
Once homeless people are out of the streets or shelter, they can feel isolated and disengaged. Support organizations can come in handy to help them adjust to their new living situation.
Prevent Homelessness
It's better to prevent a bad thing from happening than to deal with the consequences. The same applies to homelessness.
The Swindon local government should focus on preventing homelessness. They can do this by focusing on housing needs and housing stability. Plus, the risks of homelessness across the many public systems. For years, emergency services such as shelters and soup kitchens have been the primary response to homelessness. Nevertheless, these services only work to meet people’s immediate needs and not to end homelessness.
If truth be told, these services usually trap homeless individuals. It makes it very difficult for them to become safely and securely housed.
Swindon can prevent people from living in the streets by reducing the risk of housing crises. They should address the wide range of policies that contribute to homelessness, including:
- Lack of affordable and safe housing
- Lack of Health and behavioral health centers and resources
- Limited access to education and meaningful employment
- Lack of affordable child care and legal assistance.
By offering targeted assistance, the government can prevent house crises from escalating further. Therefore, resulting in homelessness.
- Target assistance includes:
- Financial help
- Legal help
- Employment services
- Medication and diversion
Conclusion
Preventing homelessness is far more affordable and safer compared to trying to get people out of the streets and shelters.
Everyone has a right to an adequate standard of living. Swindon’s local government should collaborate with the community and local support groups to get homeless individuals out of the street and prevent homelessness.
Keep in mind that anyone can experience homelessness, especially now with the looming threat of the COVID-19.
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