Social Services and Homeless Families

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Social Services and Homeless Families

Working in the homeless service field I have witnessed many families that are trying to make a living for themselves, but do not have the resources or the skills to live independently. As a housing specialist I have assisted many families by encouraging them and teaching them skills to maintain permanent housing. Although my profession consists of obtaining permanent housing many families have different factors or hurdles they have to overcome. Most of these families have experienced traumatic events such as domestic violence or drug use within the household. These families are sometimes trapped in their own mind set of fear and anger which can sometime hinder progress. The question is what the real issue at hand that one of the largest successful cities in the world has the highest homeless rates since the Great Depression. I have read two articles that have to do with the NYC homeless family population and action towards the homeless crisis that takes place in NYC. According to the New York Times that speaks about a girl that has lived in the family shelter for three years and her experiences in the shelter that is deemed unsafe and unfit for children.
The lack of resources and affordable housing has always been the main issue for the revolving doors in the shelter system. Homelessness in New York City is predominantly higher than outer states. According to the Department of Homeless Services, New York City homeless rate is higher than other states due to the lack of affordable housing by 53%. The lack of affordable housing has caused many families evictions. Many families are working minimum wage jobs and the fear of losing empl...

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...amily entering the shelter again.
Social Services will allow that extra support that a family may need to face issues head on. Without social services these families would have been without proper services. Social services and counselors allows homeless families a second chance at life. Social services provide this second chance for families in our communities to function in today's society. The reason for social workers is to give individuals hope and show the individual that they are capable of overcoming the most difficult events in their lives and still be productive to society.

Works Cited

. http://www.nyc.gov/html/dhs/html/about/about.shtml. N.p.. Web. 9 Jan 2014.

. http://www.coalitionforthehomeless.org/pages/basic-facts. N.p.. Web. 9 Jan 2014.

Farley, William. Introduction to Social Work. 12th. New York: Prentice Hall PTR, 2011. 130-150. Print.

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