Question

Question: In a minimum of 800 words, Choose one social justice issue from the following lists: Access to Health care, Homelessness, Immigration Reforms, Incarceration/Prison Reforms, Income Inequality, Racism/Segregation and Life Issues (ie abortion, cloning, physician assisted suicide et), on which to reflect in writing your major, Social Justice Issue Paper on how you, as a servant leader, can/could appropriately respond in light of your learning of the concepts we have understood as a servant leader. Within the paper, you will provide an overview of your assigned issue as well as some potential strategies for confronting it so as to work towards a more just society. Your paper should include four general categories: Describe the Issue, Servant Leadership Response and Toxic Charity Integration Implications

Answer 1

                                       Homelessness 

Homelessness is defined as living in housing that is below the minimum standard or lacks secure tenure.People who are homeless are most often unable to acquire and maintain regular, safe, secure and adequate housing due to an unsteady or lack of income.People can be categorized as homeless if they are: living on the streets (primary homelessness); moving between temporary shelters, including houses of friends, family and emergency accommodation (secondary homelessness); living in private boarding houses without a private bathroom or security of tenure (tertiary homelessness). Homelessness remains an important policy problem: on any given night in 2016, around 550,000 people experienced homelessness. This corresponds to about 0.06% of the total population in the country; 1 in 1,670 Americans is homeless.But, as we can see, there is a downward trend. In the nine year period – which includes the economic crisis – the number of homeless in the US fell by almost 100,000 people.

Communities facing housing shortages, increasing rents and lack of affordable housing report the growing presence of people experiencing homelessness.  It is no longer necessary to go into the deep recesses of the night, in the wrong neighborhood or under the freeway bridge to find unhoused people.  People who are unhoused walk among the greater community, carts in tow, and remind us by their presence alone that they exist.  The homelessness issue presents servant leaders with a unique opportunity to respond.Non-profit, faith based, and government organizations have, as part of their mission, support and aid to those experiencing homelessness. 

Servant leaders address the need for institutional change in these institutions.  While homelessness is arguably a result of a lack of affordable housing, at its core, the solution is a matter of the heart.  The institutions and programs available to rid this societal shortcoming must be motivated to garner the resources to solve the issue.

 A number of churches were doing  things to try to help the homeless.“Toxic Charity” not really helping, feedings, handouts at parks. Completely uncoordinated, not talking with each other, Complaints to city hall and the issue reaching a high point. City challenged the churches and invited them to be part of the solution.Formation of “The Churches Consortium” with a representative at the City’s task force on Homelessness.  

Other strategies showing evidence of effectiveness for preventing homelessness include: Programs that help stabilize households by providing food support, such as food stamps and programs for free school breakfast and lunch.Programs seeking to increase the supply of affordable housing in America, such as the Housing Trust Fund
Benefits advocacy, which helps people find public and entitlement benefits such as Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), veterans’ benefits, food stamps, childcare assistance, Medicaid, and low-income energy assistance.
Discharge planning for people released from institutional care (e.g., hospitals, psychiatric care, substance abuse treatment centers, foster care, military service, jail, prison).
Case management that focuses on determining clients’ needs for housing assistance, helping them find and get housing, and securing other resources needed to maintain housing stability (e.g., health insurance, childcare services, medical treatment, psychological services, food, clothing).