User:Nchinny/sandbox

PE org
My PE organization is called Trust Health Center which falls under one of the many Lifelong medical clinics. In my PE, I will be responsible for finding homeless people housing. I will do this by focusing on outreach and contacting shelters, low-income housing opportunities, as well as Section 8 housing companies. I will also be responsible for finding housing opportunities that match each individual's income, family size, necessary accommodations, and age. Sitting down with each individual and helping them fill out the application is also a part of my PE.

Area
Homelessness in the San Francisco Bay Area

This article provides a very detailed account of the growth of Homelessness in the Bay Area, including causes, prevalence, and impact. The most important part of this article is what it does not have which is an Oakland section. I hope to add an Oakland section to this article and information that I learn under it.

Sector
Homelessness

I want to add to a variety of areas within this article. I would like to add to the information about Housing First versus Treatment First mostly. I would also like to pay attention to that debate.

Article Evaluation
Article being used for evaluation: Homelessness in the San Francisco Bay Area

Evaluating content

While reading the historical background section, I noticed that there was no information on how the government system altered homelessness after 2010. The last noted person who had an impact on the homeless situation was Gavin Newsom who covered the years of 2004-2010. A new section could be added that discusses what happened after Newsom.

There is also a section that reads "Prevalence and visibility by city" and it only mentions San Francisco, Richmond and a sentence for Berkeley. Oakland is not mentioned, but it could be added to the list.

There is no mention of legislative efforts nor anti-homeless ordinances within Oakland, and so that could be added to this page as well.

Most things mentioned were relevant to the article topic. Nothing stood out as distracting to me.

Evaluating tone

The article seems fairly neutral. It was mainly fact based, so there was not that much room for bias.

Evaluating sources

The first citation I chose was about People's Park, the Wikipedia article states that "People's Park is currently home to many community members of Berkeley's large homeless population," when the source of this fact was published on March 1992. The citations are not always complete either. Some of the citations do not contain hyperlinks either, so there is nothing to click on to get to a new page--a minor error.

I clicked on another citation which lead me to a website: socketsite.com which does not seem to have any credibility and the page is filled with user comments mainly.

Another citation that I found from stanfordlawreview.org does not support the information that the citation is attached to. There are also citations from guide books, which I do not think we should consider credible.

Talk page

This article is a part of WikiProject California. On the talk page there is discussion about how reliable the sources are, the article title, and an idea to include a defecation section. There is also what looks to be someone's homework assignment there too, which is helpful in that I could listen to their opinion, but does not seem like the right place to do it.

There is no discussion about structural violence nor how race impacts homelessness.

Responding to Peer Review
List out your specific thoughts on what this peer review suggests you could write about and/or expand on.

Area I need to change my tone and use more encyclopedic language which I agree with. I additionally should add more facts to strengthen the statements I am making (I can find these in new scholarly articles). I had not thought about adding pictures, but Kamu's suggestion to do that is a really good idea that I believe will really add to my point.

Sector Again, I have to work on my phrasing. I additionally could add examples here (especially concerning the wealthy and homeless divide).

All in all, I need to find more examples to support my claim and fix my tone.

Area
1. Fight or Fight: Oakland's Homeless and African American Residents Face Uphill Battle Against Pro-Gentrification City Government

This journal discusses gentrification in the city and points out that many people who were homeless became homeless after age 50 which highlights the problem of housing prices in Oakland. This journal is helpful for me because it specifically highlights the homeless crisis within the city of Oakland and how the city is making the problem worse.The main argument of this piece is that even though policy is being created as an attempt to fix the problem of homelessness, in Oakland it is being done in the wrong way. LaGrone notably mentions policies that attempt to promote this idea of a “new” Oakland, but in reality is a gentrified city attempting to rid itself of the large, prominent African American population. Before I work at my PE, it is important to understand where I will be actually working, and what these homeless people face in regards to policy within Oakland. This article provides me with insight into the efforts to “help” the homeless through policy in Oakland. Having this understanding will allow me to empathize more with the people that I will be interacting with and in turn will give me a better chance at connecting with them. In the Wikipedia article I selected, there was no Oakland section before I added it. I hope to include important policy changes in that section as well.

2. The Construction of Poverty and Homelessness in US Cities

This review highlights how those who are homeless are essentially symbols for being impoverished in a public space. They have "visible need." This review encompasses outcomes of a study done on those impoverished within the US. An important point I got from this review is how simple actions of people negatively affect the resilience and humanity of the homeless populations. The homeless are a sensitive population, and I will never fully be able to understand what they are going through. Although, in this review, we are given insight into how many small things in turn affect the homeless in a much larger manner. It is important to understand the many struggles that the homeless face once they leave our office. It is also vital that within Lifelong, we do not promote or enhance any of these experiences that the homeless face before they enter our building. This article offers me a viewpoint into the lives of the homeless that I do not think I could get just by interactions about housing applications. This relates to my Wikipedia article because there is little to no mention about how we, on a daily basis affect the homeless population, even if we may not realize it.

3. Food Insecurity, Chronic Illness, and Gentrification in the San Francisco Bay Area This article focuses on the issue of gentrification, food insecurity, and chronic illness within the Bay Area. This review highlights studies that reveal that the homeless and marginally housed within the Bay Area are more likely to experience psychological problems and participate in risky behavior. It is important to know the impact that I will be having by helping the homeless find housing. Reading about how helping the homeless find access to housing thus improves their overall quality of life shows that there is a purpose in the work that I will be doing in my PE. Additionally, my PE serves as one solution to the many problems that the homeless population faces daily. Having an understanding of the fact that there is more that we can do as an organization, may allow me to have a larger impact beyond the scope of housing. In regards to my Wikipedia article, this review is useful in that it provides me with evidence that being homeless is harmful.

4. Pictures of a Gone City

This article addresses how the tech boom is causing the disparity between the classes to increase. It additionally reveals that the large attempts made by local officials to clear encampments around the Bay Area in hopes to rid cities of the homeless populations fail greatly. The problem is that the root cause of homelessness is based on our “most cherished principles: free markets, massive inequality, and impoverishment of the commonwealth” (104). This problem increases poverty, debt, unemployment, and inability for people to find affordable housing.

5. California program seeks to stop homelessness before it begins 

This article highlights a recent policy addition called Keep Oakland Housed which is a nine million dollar pilot program that seeks to assist those who need financial support to avoid evictions. It additionally the program provides current tenants with case managers that help them apply to programs that would benefit them financially. A few of these programs include lowering phone bills and help with mental health counseling. This program emphasizes how they do more than just giving free money out.

6. City Unsilenced: Urban Resistance and Public Space in the Age of Shrinking

This book reveals how Oakland became appreciated due to Victorian housing, the diversity of the neighborhood, and how close it is to San Francisco. It discusses how affluent white residents joined middle-class Black, Asians and Latinos in the housing market. It also talks about Proposition 13 which promoted uneven development by draining public funds by freezing property taxes which stopped progressive planning. Additionally, restoring Lake Merritt caused land to open up and was sold to private, luxury developers. Jerry Brown, the mayor of Oakland during this time hoped to bring new residents to Oakland, but the core prices were unaffordable to 80% of existing Oakland households thus assisting with gentrification.

Occupy Oakland: people exchange tactical and legal knowledge.

Squats: Land Action reached an agreement with Oakland where the Northern California Community Land Trust would take ownership of the land where squats used to be which thus decommodified the land, and returned it to the commoners rather than the private.

7. Marginalization and the Homeless: A Prescriptive Analysis

This journal discusses how stigma leads to marginalization of the homeless population. I would like to look at how outsiders perpetuate the problem of homelessness through ideals and viewpoints that are generally incorrect. Stigma leads to discrimination and thus behavior that shows a belief in this stigma. It also impacts the fates by making the homeless seem like an "other" which is quite powerful in strengthening power dynamics. Structural forces are obscured by the stigma. They seem insignificant in comparison to the stigma. The distinguishment between one's self as well as the other causes a marginalization to be formed between the freedom to respond to forces threatening security and well-being of the homeless. An example is given about soup kitchens where they supplant fast food restaurants, grocery stores, and home kitchens. Marginalization and homelessness are both institutional in this way and turn people into vulnerable victims.

Sector

 * 1) How to House the Homeless

This book lists different approaches to housing the homeless. It lists strategies such as the Housing First Program, Treatment Compliance First, and more. I plan on focusing primarily on the Housing First (HF) model which provides immediate housing and support services. Ellen speaks about the positives of the Housing First program as well as how it has affected the plan by The National Alliance to End Homelessness to end homelessness. She also details other proposed solutions to homelessness. The Housing First program does not require people who participate to undergo tests that question sobriety or psychiatric problems. This is a key point to a large debate about this program, despite the helpful services it provides. Beyond filling out applications with the clients and looking for housing resources, a large basis of solving this issue of homelessness is created through policy. My PE is a center for homeless people to find resources, and having this understanding of the Housing First program allows me to better understand my purpose. My PE organization serves as a bridge between housing and the homeless. Essentially, my organization is doing a similar task to that of The Housing First program, and learning about it’s drawbacks, or positives, will allow me to have a better understanding of the effect that I am making.

2. Housing First: Where is the Evidence?

This review documents evidence taken from multiple studies done in New York to reveal that Housing First is effective in reducing homelessness. Housing First - Where is the evidence? explores the scientific evidence of the effectiveness of the Housing First approach. This report explains the results of a study done in New York City which suggest that the Housing First model is indeed effective, with over 50% retention. Many antagonists of the Housing First model believe that it is firstly most important to make sure that the people that enter these programs are treated before, although this article suggests that treatment first, is not always necessary. This research article is helpful for a greater understanding of my PE because it explores ideas about the pitfalls of offering the homeless population housing before something like treatment for an addiction. It also highlights what ideas some people may have about this approach, which I believe are necessary for me to understand in order to have a comprehensive view on the tasks I will be doing at Trust Health Center. Similar to How to House the Homeless, this article is valuable for me to get a good understanding of the debate of Housing First versus Treatment First, so I can properly add to the section in the Wikipedia article that discusses the debate.

3. Federal homelessness policy: A robust political economy approach

This article is about the Housing First service model, but highlights its flaws. The federal homeless policy, in this article, is viewed as having the faults of resource misallocation, promotes the Samaritan's dilemma, and invites rent seeking. The Samaritan's dilemma is the conflict between using charity to improve one's situation and becoming reliant on it. Rent seeking is corrupt in that it manipulates an economic environment to make money instead of creating new wealth. Lucas points out the failure of the “evidence-based” Housing First policy by highlighting how the reliance on a federally funded program has many flaws, and he believes that the research done on it is highly limited. Again, similar to the first two articles, it is important to know the pitfalls of offering government funded housing to the homeless. I believe an important question that Lucas would ask is: Is what you are doing in your PE actually good? This review is useful in that I get another perspective on offering housing as a resource to the homeless, and the negatives that may come out of it. It is important to get a holistic interpretation of the idea of offering homeless housing as a solution to the problem.

4. Helping America's Homeless: Emergency Shelter or Affordable Housing 

Burt et al. delves into how the increasing social divide is pushing poverty levels. People are thus left without housing due to lack of ability to pay. The book addresses issues in young homeless clients as well as the parenting status of homeless clients that end up causing people to become homeless in the first place. This information is helpful for my understanding of what caused people to be homeless beyond the other factors discussed in the previous readings (ie. money, the rising cost of living). It is important that when I am talking to the homeless, that I am sensitive and knowledgeable that people who usually come in seeking help have likely had a rough upbringing. I can add more information to my WikiR article about the causes of homelessness that are not due to money.

5. Where harm reduction meets housing first: Exploring alcohol's role in a project-based housing first setting

The housing first program is unique in that is non abstinence-based, immediate and hopes to provide permanent housing for chronically homeless people. These people oftentimes have issues with substance abuse and psychiatric disorders. This article explores the role of alcohol for people who participate in the housing first project. They suggested that it is important to find out everyone's motivations of alcohol usage. (AKA community, self medication) They found that traditional abstinence based programs are not desirable for this population. This alcohol dependence affects their views of themselves as well as the community's perceptions of these people.

There is also a scattered site housing first approach which is specifically for homeless populations with psychiatric disorder. They are given the choice to have individual housing units within a larger community with access to assertive community treatment model. This has shown increased housing retention and lower costs.

Studies about the effectiveness of project based housing first in helping outcomes for those chronically homeless with alcohol problems have housing stability. This program provides residents with individual units in a single housing project. They can also have on-site case management and other services. They additionally found that these programs reduce alcohol use and alcohol related problems.

The article mentions that without these programs within housing first, it would be more accessible and feasible for homeless people who are unable to stop.

There are even managed alcohol plans, where they serve alcohol to you in small increments. They stress autonomy over the programs own harm reduction goals.

Note: Someone always has alcohol

But they still found that they had a better chance at reducing their drinking once they joined the housing first program.

6. Housing First, Consumer Choice, and Harm Reduction for Homeless Individuals With a Dual Diagnosis

In this article, it supports the Housing First model in comparison to the Continuum of Care program. The Continuum of Care model makes people overcome certain obstacles, some of which they are unwilling to overcome. Many who are homeless consider housing as an immediate need, but by making it that they do not have access unless they complete treatment, this program becomes incompatible with their priorities. Additionally, it makes it hard for people who cannot overcome these barriers to have access to housing. It reveals information about how people who went through Housing First without the Continuum of Care, still succeeded in staying in their homes.

7. Substance Use Outcomes Among Homeless Clients with Serious Mental Illness: Comparing Housing First with Treatment First Programs 

This research article showed evidence that Housing First clients are less likely to use or abuse substances in comparison to Treatment First clients. This exemplifies the fact that people who may be mentally ill can still lead stable lives in the community after periods of homelessness. It is notable that even though Housing First clients were not required to not use substances to retain their housing, they still did a better job at retaining their housing. Without such strict rules and restrictions, providers can engage with the clients and individually address their problems. The journal highlighted how the "take it or leave it" or the "all or nothing" approach makes recovery seem linear which is not the case. The conclusion reached was having the security of a place to live allows them to have this motivation to stop their substance use. It additionally shows that they can have a choice which is important.

Area
There is a great divide between the homeless population and the government systems who have the power to change what is at hand. The homeless crisis is trying to be fixed through policy, although some believe this is not the correct strategy to solving the problem of homelessness. Through my research, I have found that many citizens of Oakland, including politicians are unaware of the effect policy can have on the homeless. They tend to brush the homeless to the side and there is a general idea that this problem is almost unfixable. Additionally, I want to look into the tech boom and how that has attributed to the social divide between the homeless and the rich. There is a negative connotation to the homeless population that they put themselves there, and thus, many are unwilling to help. In my two-pronged approach, I hope to also look into how populations view the homeless and how that further affects their treatment.

Sector
An approach that I want to highlight is the Housing First policy. There are different viewpoints on this issue where some believe that the issue is larger than the homeless not having access to housing while others believe that is the first step needed to be taken in order to proceed in the right direction. People find that homeless are very susceptible to drug and alcohol usage in order to cope with their problems. This idea, though, is amplified in the eyes of the public.The Housing First program provides specialized approaches to harm reduction in regards to psychiatric conditions and alcohol abuse. These programs have shown to be effective in increasing retention of those within the housing first program. Funding is short and homeless issues usually reside at the ends of the list of problems to be addressed. It is difficult to provide housing when the area that one is living in is in such high demand, therefore, driving housing prices up and leaving people homeless. There are also other factors that play into causing homelessness such as substance abuse or the situation that one grew up in.

Drafting
''' AREA Gentrification in the San Francisco Bay Area is of increasing concern, a research and action initiative of UC Berkeley in collaboration with researchers at UCLA and Portland State University has produced The Urban Displacement Project to "[examine] the relationships between investment, neighborhood change, gentrification and displacement." This study indicates rising levels of segregation in relation to increasing income inequality in the SF Bay Area. A mapping tool has been also been developed through the project to track displacement and gentrification in the San Francisco Bay Area ( http://www.urbandisplacement.org/map/sf ).'''

With the emergence of a "new" Oakland, the African American population has decreased significantly from 2000 to 2010. During this period, there has been a push to kick out the homeless from government-funded housing which has further caused many landlords to halt renting to Section 8 tenants. According to a report done in 2015, 41% of homeless individuals who were surveyed in Oakland became homeless after age 50 which is likely due to rising housing prices and loss of safety nets.

 AREA NEW PARAGRAPH UNDER: Prevalence and visibility

The homeless are a visual reminder for the Bay Area of the increasing struggles of the homeless with impoverishment due to the high cost of living. They particularly occupy common public spaces frequented by the middle and upper classes.

Homelessness has additional negative consequences within the Bay Area such as risky sex, depression, use of emergency room visits as a way to get housed, and health problems.  AREA  San Francisco's homeless youth experience high rates of psychiatric disorders and substance use and have been know to use the following substances: cannabis, cocaine, narcotics (heroine and methadone) and stimulants (methamphetamine and amphetamine).

''' AREA The ongoing gentrification in the SF Bay area is deepening structural divisions. The rapid economic growth of the tech industry in San Francisco and nearby Silicon Valley has created hundreds of thousands of new jobs.'''

The underlying causes of homelessness are rooted in our most cherished principles: free markets, massive inequality, and impoverishment of the commonwealth.

AREA Oakland
'''In 2016, the Oakland City Council declared a shelter crisis. Although, no action was taken beyond this declaration to address the problem.'''

Programs such as Keep Oakland Housed help the homeless by providing current tenants with case managers that help them apply to programs that would benefit them financially. These programs include lowering phone bill costs and providing mental health counseling.

** Policy** Restoration of Lake Merritt, a significant landmark in Oakland has affected the lives of many who are homeless and reside there. Though politicians thought that the renovation of Oakland by restoring Lake Merritt would help the city, creating more space for homes, in fact, 80% of existing Oakland households were unable to afford the prices of these new luxury buildings. The effect was a clear strengthening of gentrification of that area.

 AREA "Most people on the streets are living with some sort of 'structural trauma,' meaning they have lost their job, can't afford housing, been evicted by a landlord. The structural trauma causes deeply personal effects that can lead to living on the street that triggers drug use."

Stigma impacts the fates of the homeless by making them to be an "other" which in turn strengthens power dynamics. Structural forces are then obscured by the stigma.

_____________________________________________

''' SECTOR In the US, the government asked many major cities to come up with a ten-year plan to end homelessness. One of the results of this was a "Housing first" solution'''

The Housing First program offers homeless people access to housing without having to undergo tests for sobriety and drug usage. Weekly staff visits as well as a normal lease agreement are also a part of the program. Consumers have to pay 30 percent of their income every month as rent.

 SECTOR But there are many complications of this kind of program which must be dealt with to make such an initiative work successfully in the middle to long term

The Housing First program seems to benefit the homeless in every aspect except for substance abuse, for which the program offers little accountability. An emerging consensus is that the Housing First program still gives clients a higher chance at retaining their housing once they get it. A few critical voices argue that it misuses resources and does more harm than good; they suggest that it encourages rent seeking and that there is not yet enough evidence-based research on the effects of this program on the homeless population.

 SECTOR Also, as real estate prices and neighborhood pressure increased to move these people out of their areas, the SROs diminished in number, putting most of their residents in the streets.

The Bay Area is booming with economically successful people who end up driving up the price of housing and increases the divide between the people who need the housing and the new houses being built.

SECTOR '''It asks cities to come up with a plan to end chronic homelessness. In this direction, there is the belief that if homeless people are given independent housing to start, with some proper social supports, then there would be no need for emergency homeless shelters, which it considers a good outcome. However this is a controversial position.'''

There is evidence that the Housing First program works more efficiently than Treatment First programs. Studies show that having the stability of housing through the Housing First program will encourage the homeless to focus on other struggles they are facing, such as substance abuse. Meanwhile, Treatment First programs promote an "all or nothing" approach which require clients to participate in programs applicable to their struggles as a condition for housing assistance.