Running head: SOCIAL WORKERS FOR HUMAN SERVICES

Future Social Workers for Human Services

Esther Corral
University of Texas at El Paso

SOCIAL WORKERS FOR HUMAN SERVICES

Abstract
In the past there have been many complaints about the homeless of El Paso begging on street
corners. However, they are not given an alternative as to where they could go for shelter or food.
This literature review observes other results that can be done by policy makers and the Mayor of
this city to find the solution to end homelessness in El Paso, Texas: using abandoned buildings or
empty homes owned by the city. Homeless people who are left wandering the streets cause a
concern for the peoples community. If they should become ill with something contagious this
could pose a health problem to the general public. How should they prevent uncleanliness if they
dont have access to the most basic needs like bathing, or washing their laundry? Who will allow
them to do this for themselves? The Mayor, city officials, and social workers are capable of
making an impact by receiving funds from the government to help their city and help the
homeless of their city. The homeless of El Paso and those of many other cities need a place to go
to in transition to a place of their own.

SOCIAL WORKERS FOR HUMAN SERVICES

Future Social Workers for Human Services
Review of Literature
Social Workers are required to complete one of the following: a Bachelors or Masters or
Doctoral degree, along with supervised fieldwork to be considered professionals. This provides
the social worker the experience necessary to work with individuals that may need assistance in
attaining a better quality of life. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) explains
that social workers are to take action when they are impassioned about a subject they are
qualified to commit themselves to. They should also help in the prevention of discrimination
and/or exploitation of any person. With the Mayors help, I would like to see that the homeless
people are offered a place to live so that they may transition to a place of their own, instead of
just asking them to leave the street corners where they might be begging for food or work, with
no other place to go.
It is my civic duty to get involved and for this reason I want to work with the Mayor and
other public servants in finding shelter for the homeless. We could do this by using homes or
abandoned buildings owned by the city. Research has shown that in working together they have
the power to make changes for these individuals to have equal access to resources. This literature
review reveals how the homeless have been neglected and more needs to be done for them by
responding to these four questions:
1

Should the Mayor, use vacant homes or abandoned buildings owned by the city to help the

homeless?
Will the government, offer more assistance to those shelters that want to help the

3
4

homeless; dont they know homelessness causes health risks?

What types of programs are there to help homeless families stay together?
Who can help the community build on those homeless shelters that are already helping the
homeless?
A home address is an essential necessity to ask for government assistance and seek jobs.

Using abandoned buildings or homes to house the homeless will give them the chance to seek
out these opportunities and thus reduce the homeless population.

SOCIAL WORKERS FOR HUMAN SERVICES

Should the Mayor Use vacant homes or abandoned buildings owned by the city to help
the homeless?
There are many abandoned buildings in which businesses have closed, and some of the
homeless people have found a way to get into them. However, this poses a danger to them and
the community because they will start a fire in the building to keep warm in the winter. The fire
may get out of control when they fall asleep and end up burning down the whole building or
neighboring buildings. So, let me ask whats better to set it up for the homeless or burning it
down hurting them and others?
The federal government offers assistance to city officials and its mayor to receive funds
to use abandoned buildings for the homeless, as stated in an article written by Erickson (2012)
where she explained that under the Title V program (part of the McKinney-Vento Homeless
Assistance Act) the federal government allows nonprofit organizations to use abandoned
buildings specifically for the homeless. However, privately owned homes that are foreclosed are
owned by the banks that do not want to pay property taxes and prefer to bulldoze the homes and
then donate the land to the city.
Amanda Erickson provided an idea to help the homeless here in this city, and offers
further information that although the city has the authority to take over properties in tax
foreclosure, it prefers to hand it over to private developers because they dont want the
responsibility of restoring or selling the property themselves (para 9) This gives the community a
good indication that the Mayor could and should use abandoned homes or buildings owned by
the city instead of having them razed. And in the case where companies have had their building
bulldozed this would give the city an opportunity to rebuild a place for the homeless. There are
shelters that offer help to the homeless and should not be left without being recognized, however
these shelters need further assistance financially, to offer more assistance to the homeless who
come in with ailments, and to make repairs of their shelters, and to increase their space.
Reasons to use abandoned buildings and empty homes owned by the city
These abandoned buildings become an eye sore to the public due to deterioration and will
attract vagrants to live in and urinate and defecate in the property. Thus attracting rodents, and

SOCIAL WORKERS FOR HUMAN SERVICES

cockroaches that can spread disease, and the odor coming from these buildings will be an
unpleasing scent to passersby. They can also become a danger to the vagrants when they stumble
across another vagrant who may become violent. When homes are left empty here again they can
attract unpleasant factors the difference is that they are within the communitys neighborhoods.
Will the government offer more assistance to those shelters that want to help the homeless;
dont they know homelessness causes health risks?
Empty buildings and homes are also used by drug addicts to stay in and leave syringes
throughout the building causing a danger to anyone entering the building. The buildings are also
rat infested and unclean causing a health risk to the vagrants in them like skin infections, or
intestinal problems. This has been said to have a rate increase to public health care because they
are unable to pay for their medical expenses.
Martin Donohoe MD, FACP (2004) identified an important issue in his article Homelessness in
the United States by stating,
The availability of domestic violence shelter beds in the United States is poor; up to 70%
to 80% of women, and 80% of children, are turned away on any given night in major
cities.[17] Shelters are woefully underfunded; some do not allow children. Average length
of stay at a US shelter is 14 days; most allow a 30-day maximum stay.[17]Ironically,
women fleeing domestic violence are often not counted in studies of homelessness, since
they are considered to have a home (albeit unlivable) or are staying temporarily in
shelters. (para. 7)
This statement woefully underfunded; some do not allow children is a subject that
needs more research to answer why these shelters are underfunded or why children are turned
away. Some of these articles give testimony of what is going on in our cities like this article in
AlterNet written by Rosenfeld (2016) who explained the negative effects that homeless people
have on the community and he stated Ive witnessed what Cooper saw and more: men openly
defecating; mentally ill people claiming the same stretch of sidewalk and repeatedly refusing
help; new tent encampments after cops clear the downtown. (para. 3) Here it demonstrates that

SOCIAL WORKERS FOR HUMAN SERVICES

the homeless have nowhere else to go. They were removed from the downtown area and they
went and settled with their tents in another area.
Risk of not helping homelessness
We see that some shelters will not take children; if the children are not accepted this
means that the parent will have to seek another place to stay that will allow them to stay with
their children. It is understandable when children are not allowed, it may be for their protection,
and it could be that they house adults that have had trouble with drug addiction or those who are
violent adults in their shelter. Therefore more shelters that house families should be made
available. The children should be made their first priority, they need sleep, food, clothing and
shelter in order to perform well in school. Without an education the children may grow up unable
to hold down a job and continue the cycle their parents lived.
What types of programs are there to help homeless families stay together?
It is well known that there are shelters that are willing to help women or women with
children and many times the man will have to go to a mens shelter thus separating the family
and making a very difficult situation worse. However, it is also said that some women and
children cannot find shelter. City officials must see the problems this is causing to the children of
homeless families. Ziv (2014) gathered this quote from a report,
Theyre not just losing a house, a shelter. Theyre losing their sense of place, of
community, DeCandia tells Newsweek. Theyre losing the vital connections that they
need to develop. (para. 7)
This sheds light on the fact that more research on the homeless is needed, to find those who are
invisible, for those fathers who are sent away, because they are not able to stay in a womens
shelter. Where do they go if there isnt a mens shelter or if the shelters are full? And what about
the children who no longer have stability and therefore, makes it difficult for them to learn due to
lack of sleep, hunger, and moving from place to place seeking shelter?
Reasons to develop family shelters

SOCIAL WORKERS FOR HUMAN SERVICES

Women and children are not the only ones who may lose a home due to family violence
and end up homeless. Men, who lose their jobs, and all financial means to maintain debt
payments, caused him and his entire family to wind up homeless. This family should not be
separated thus making their situation worse. They are their own support systems who encourage
the desire to seek employment and better their situation. Separation of family could cause
depression, hopelessness, and leaving the family in a worse situation that will prolong their
homelessness.
Who can help the community build on those homeless shelters that are already helping the
homeless?
A living will could be made out leaving their home to help homelessness. Taxes could be
raised to directly help the homeless. The community would inadvertently be helping without
having to get too involved if they dont want to. Vacant buildings have the space and necessities
to house families and help keep them together rather than separating the men from his wife and
children. It is very difficult for a person who has just lost their home their status in society, to
seek help. An article written by Rosenfeld (2016) discussed the issues of homelessness and the
difficulties that the homeless experience when they seek help from government assistance. It also
covered what makes it difficult to remain in shelters, and then makes it difficult for the city to
reduce the homelessness in their cities. Agencies have their own protocols that they follow, but
dont realize the difficulties it gave the person seeking shelter, treating them like common
criminals asking a surmountable of repeated questions and going as far as fingerprinting them
(para.11). They should be treated with dignity and respect, because the fact that they are
homeless does not justify mistreatment.
Reasons to help homeless shelters and build on them
San Francisco is a city that is experiencing a problem with homelessness and it is
important to take notice that this can happen in any city at any given time. San Francisco is a city
that did not expect an explosion of homelessness and is witnessing a trail of tents along
sidewalks becoming a nuisance to the community. This article by Rosenfeld (2016) showed that
many of the homeless prefer to live on the streets rather than seek help from a shelter because of

SOCIAL WORKERS FOR HUMAN SERVICES

the way they are treated. Rosenfeld (2016) gave six unexpected takeaways from the SF
Homeless Projects coverage,
If youre homeless, you may need to be assessed three, four different times, answering
the same questions each time; its unfair, inefficient and not respectful of people were
trying to serve, he said, pledging to change that status quo. Clients have to get into
many different lines to access services, and were going to ask them to get into one line.
(para. 12)
The government has failed to help the homeless, and the community does not want to
deal with them and turns a blind eye to what is happening to them. They walk by the homeless
people who might be sleeping on the sidewalk and dont stop to see if they are okay, or worse
dead. Many of these shelters are turning the homeless away if they dont want to follow their
protocols because they are afraid that they may be drug addicts, or carrying diseases. Plus, they
cant afford to help these people to get the help they need. What will it take for this country to
open its eyes to the horror these poor homeless people are suffering? If not the government then
who will help with the assistance of these people? In this article Nagourney (2016) explained
why the community does not want to deal with the homeless, in saying that, Along with these
visible signs of homelessness come complaints about aggressive panhandling, public urination
and disorderly conduct, as well as a rise in drug dealing and petty crimes. There is a sense out
there that some communities are seeing a new visible homeless problem that they have not seen
in many years, said Dennis P. Culhane, a professor of social policy at the University of
Pennsylvania. (para. 13) This article also gives evidence to the health risks and other problems
the homeless are causing to communities and neighborhoods that were once considered quiet.
How long will it take for the government, and city officials or other entities that could help give
the help necessary for these people?
We have here evidence that the homeless have been homeless for decades and aging. It is
incomprehensible how these people have just been shuffled from one place to another without
giving them an opportunity to stabilize and have a home address to seek help and other
resources. The Government and all city Mayors need to understand that the homeless receiving
shelter for a few days to a month is not substantial amount of time to get their life straight. They

SOCIAL WORKERS FOR HUMAN SERVICES

need to see that many of the homeless are mentally ill and are incapable of taking precautions for
their own life. Nagourney (2016) talked about how the aging homeless live and get their medical
services in saying,
The aging of the homeless population is on display in cities large and small, but perhaps
in no place more than here on Skid Row, a grid of blocks just southeast of the vibrant
economic center of downtown Los Angeles, where many of the nations poor have long
flocked, drawn by a year-round temperate climate and a cluster of missions and clinics.
(para. 14)
It is sad when a part of the town is actually given a name Skid Row this proves how long it has
been there and nothing has been done to change it. People who are homeless claim they would
not want to stay in that area because it becomes very dangerous when the sun goes down.
Who will offer protection even to those who are homeless and not wanting to stay in
shelters for fear of being assaulted? An intervention by the government and city officials need to
be taken to help these people overcome what they are suffering. Donohoe MD, FACP (2004)
gave us detail of what the homeless go through in this statement,
Unique aspects of homelessness that contribute to hard-to-manage medical and
psychiatric illness include enhanced vulnerability to crime and violence; prolonged
standing; excessive outdoor exposure; infectious disease transmission due to
overcrowding; high risk of being robbed of medication; limited access to water for
showers, dental care, and personal hygiene; inability to follow complex treatment and
home care regimens; lack of privacy; and social isolation.[8] Those with language
barriers -- particularly those who lack citizenship and work long hours under dangerous
conditions -- such as homeless migrant and seasonal farm workers, face particular
challenges and are often afraid to access even emergency care.[21,22] (para. 8)
Considering what you have read in these articles would any of you be willing to go
through this kind of ordeal? The argument that there is an insufficient fund to help more shelters
made by city officials is difficult to understand by many of these homeless people. Many of
whom have been on the streets for a very long time. Many of them have aged in the process of

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looking for help and have arrived at none. It is a difficult circumstance to get through feeling like
they are going in circles trying to make it in the streets. As stated in this article written by
Nagourney (2016) Many older homeless people have been on the streets for almost a
generation, analysts say, a legacy of the recessions of the late 1970s and early 1980s, federal
housing cutbacks and an epidemic of crack cocaine. They bring with them a complicated history
that may include a journey from prison to mental health clinic to rehabilitation center and back to
the sidewalks.(para. 4) The homeless have been through one ordeal after another and back to
where they started the streets a never ending cycle. However HUD Exchange (2014) under
Eligible Activities stated that the Emergency Shelter Grants program funds helps for the
conversion of buildings for use as emergency shelters or transitional housing for homeless
individuals and families. (para. 4) this is an opportunity that would give homelessness an edge to
defeat this cycle.
Here the federal government and city official are given further HUD information that
allows them to use funds to provide shelter for the homeless, HUD Exchange (2014) The
Emergency Shelter Grants Program funds renovation, major rehabilitation, or conversion of
buildings for use as emergency shelters or transitional housing for homeless individuals and
families. If Emergency Shelter Grants Program funds are used for moderate rehabilitation of a
building, it must be used as a shelter for 3 years. If Emergency Shelter Grants Program funds are
used for major rehabilitation or conversion project of a building or a shelter, the project must be
used as a shelter for 10 years. The help is available to those cities to give benefit solely for the
homeless.
In conclusion, this literature review has given a substantial amount of research
information to help the government and city officials see the need to help the homelessness in
their own city and communities. To stand up and do more with the questions that were posed in
this research and other questions that came about due to this research:
1. Is it better for abandoned buildings to be destroyed by the homeless people seeking
shelter or for the cities to use them to house the homeless properly?
2. Does the prevention of homelessness and health risks by offering them a place to live
decrease the high cost of health care?

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3. Will the children who are capable of learning and becoming better citizens be a
benefit in the future of this world?
4. Why is it that the government or the cities of any state are not willing to help
financially those who are already willing to serve the homeless?
The homeless do not want to be wandering the streets trying to find a place to sleep where they
will not be robbed or killed. They want security and the right to privacy where they can be alone
to do what they need to do without being harassed. They want to be treated with dignity and
respect just like everyone else. And using old abandoned building or empty homes, remodeling
them as small apartments, and adding offices that give help and resources for the homeless will
further the benefits to each State, city, to their communities, and neighbors by reducing or ending
homelessness.

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References
Donohoe, Martin MD, FACP (July 07, 2004). Homelessness in the United States: History,
Epidemiology, Health Issues, Women, and Public Policy Article Retrieved from
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/481800
Erickson, Amanda (2012). Why Can't We Just Convert Vacant Buildings Into Housing for the
Homeless? From The Atlantic City Lab. Retrieved from
http://www.citylab.com/cityfixer/2012/06/why-its-not-easy-convert-vacant-buildingshousing-homeless/2345/
HUD Exchange (2014). US Department of Housing & Urban Development. Emergency Shelter
Grants Program Requirements Article retrieved from
https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/emergency-shelter-grants/emergency-sheltergrants-program-requirements/
Nagourney, Adam (MAY 31, 2016) Old and on the Street: The Graying of Americas Homeless
The emergence of an older homeless population is creating daunting challenges for social service
agencies and governments already struggling to fight poverty. Article Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/31/us/americas-aging-homeless-old-and-on-thestreet.html?_r=0
Reed, Martena (2014) Homelessness Research in the American Journal of Public Health National
Alliance to End Homelessness Retrieved from
http://www.endhomelessness.org/blog/entry/homelessness-research-in-the-americanjournal-of-public-health#.V4FT1PkrLcs

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Rosenfeld, Steven (2016 July 7) Why Can't Wealthy Cities Fix the Homeless Problem? An
unprecedented media project shows all the obstacles even the richest cities have in
addressing the persistent problem. AlterNet Article retrieved
fromhttp://www.alternet.org/investigations/why-cant-wealthy-cities-fix-homelessproblem
Wihbey, John (2014). Homelessness in the United States: Trends and demographics. Journalist's
Resource Retrieved from http://journalistsresource.org/studies/government/healthcare/homelessness-u-s-trends-demographics
Ziv, Stav (2014 November 17) Child Homelessness In U.S. Reaches Historic High, Report Says.
Article retrieved from http://www.newsweek.com/child-homelessness-us-reacheshistoric-high-report-says-285052