The Programs to Deal with Homelessness Should Be Seen and...

An article in The Oregonian called â€Å"Sell Bonds to Help the Homeless: Guest opinion† written by Jane M. O’Brien, she while working with the homeless in Portland, Oregon notices a growing problem. Talking about her education and background I find her to be enlightening and agree with many of her statistical facts about the reasons for homelessness but I disagree on her plan to sell bonds to alleviate the problem. I think that the programs offered currently are effective as long as we change the mindset for these services. The programs need to be seen and treated as a stepping stone for the future and not a hand out for the day. In today’s economics it is hard to balance work, family and the bills to maintain a mundane lifestyle. There is a†¦show more content†¦She also gave me papers on where to go for any need that I had which included a state funded phone number which she described as like a concierge for the homeless. I could call it with any need food, laundry, or a place to sleep and the person on the end of the line would tell me where to go and when the services were being offered. Once I was able to establish a routine and most of my basic needs were met I began to look for work. I quickly found a job and after my first week of training I was able to work 35 plus hours a week making eleven dollars an hour. I reported my job to my caseworker and told her how I was saving to rent a place she told me of a domestic violence grant the state of Oregon provided to help get women and children into a safe place. The grant would pay for the needed amount for deposits and the first monthâ€℠¢s rent, up to $1200, providing that I showed that I could continue to maintain paying the rent after I receive the grant. All of the same and similar services are already offered to everyone who is homeless. In the event of addiction or mental illness these people have the health insurance through the state. The insurance gives them the ability to get clean and receive counseling and medicine. In the event they get into trouble with the law they should be required to get clean and or receive mental health treatment. Then they can clearly see how far there life has fallen and how to readjust it to what they really do want in life.Show MoreRelatedDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 Pages 2002, 1998 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America. This publication is protected by Copyright, and permission should be obtained from the publish er prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. To obtain permission(s) to use material