Homeless Assistance :: essays research papers fc

a. Issue: Should the homeless assistance program in Sacramento be reformed to give more money to the homeless while allowing them to apply to the program more than once? b. Facts: Currently in Sacramento, the homeless can apply for homeless assistance only once in their lifetime except for certain extenuating situations. The current program is a success. The amount of people in the program living below the poverty line has fallen 21% in the last seven years. Since 2000, the amount of families applying for the program has dropped 69%. Experts claim the fall in numbers comes from the fact that people can't apply more than once. In 1996, the homeless were allowed to apply for assistance more than once in their lifetime, but this was changed as the experts thought there were too many abuses. Now the only time one can get assistance more than once is if the family finds itself homeless again because of domestic violence, the sudden inhabitability of their home, or certain physical or mental illnesses. While these exceptions are good and cover a good deal, they don't get most of the homeless. The program also comes with certain snags. One of these is that the rent o f the housing the assistance goes to must be less than 80% of the maximum amount CalWORKS gives for a family of the same size. The amount of money families have to pay after the assistance to keep the housing usually comes out to about 2/3 of the salary. With the rising housing prices, analysts predict that it is going to be increasingly harder for the homeless to get housing, first time or not. c. Arguments: This issue pretty much breaks down into two sides. Those who wish to change the system (the homeless and their advocates) versus those who defend the status quo (the government). The government's side is simple. This program is a success right now and many people are getting out of poverty. The state also recognizes that California is in a massive debt. Funding for the program, while possible, is not fiscally responsible. As for not allowing the homeless to apply for assistance multiple times, the government holds that there were too many abuses. I could not find any numbers as to how many abuses there have been. Apparently the number was rather high. In the government's eyes, this program is a success and doesn't need to be tampered with.