...Abstract This research paper looks at some of the loopholes of the various Rental Housing Assistance programs offered by the government to help families that cannot afford to live to pay their rent. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) oversees the three major programs offered by the federal government, i.e. public housing, privately owned subsidized housing and housing choice voucher (section-8). This paper doesn't focus on one of them specifically, but rather on the efficiency of the overall programs. The loopholes and inefficiencies addressed in this paper relate to the eligibility requirement, the lack of coordination across the various programs, their portability, the lack of incentives, and their perception across the indutry. Keywords: HUD, government, Section 8, housing, assistance, rental Are Government Rental Housing Assistance Programs Fulfilling their Social Mandate? Government Rental Housing Assistance has three programs to help low income families with their housing: public housing, privately owned subsidized housing, and housing choice voucher programs, the latter popularly known as Section-8. These programs are the result of a long process that started a hundred and fifty years ago with the Civil Rights Act of 1866. However, while the Civil Rights Act of 1866 established the conceptual foundations for fair housing policies, the country was still left without mechanisms to unable a fair housing market. It is only in the...
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...Concept of Program Reengineering | Modern Public Administration PAD 500 | Professor William Roberts | Torrence J. Bellamy | 2/25/2012 | | The Concept of Program Reengineering The case study of Mayor Schell’s Zero Homeless Family Strategy discusses the homeless problem in Seattle, Washington (King County) and the strategies used to address the problem. Mayor starts his term off with a dramatic pledge that there would be no homeless families with children or any homeless single women on the streets of Seattle by Christmas of that year (some six months from date of pledge). The pledge itself might easily be viewed as a political move to provide a “quick-fix” solution to a very complex and long-standing problem. While Mayor Schell’s policy choices in this matter had some success, they were met with scrutiny and counter proposals by homeless advocacy groups and city financial managers. This paper provides an analysis of the mayor’s policy choices, analysis of the pre-implementation and design strategies, as well as discussion of steps taken to reengineer the program. It also addresses the importance of conducting proper assessments before implementing new programs. The policy choices related to Mayor Schell’s plan to address homelessness include: targeting homeless families with children and single women for “immediate emergency assistance”; focus on creating affordable housing; expanding shelter and/or emergency housing availability; and providing more funding...
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...Federal Government Housing Policy Park University EC301 A crucial role is played by the federal government in supporting the construction of housing financially and offering ownership as well as rental support for households with lower income since the 1930s. In the recent period, numerous programs are being funded by the Congress in order to meet up to the housing requirements for the population that is poor and susceptible. The plans are mainly controlled by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The contemporary housing assistance plans involve the comparatively flexible grants for the state as well as the local governments. This is done so as to assist the homeless people, build up reasonably priced housing and offer support to the first-time buyers. This was also done to encourage community development as well as more planned, direct support programs that would assist in providing low-priced apartments and even rental vouchers to the deprived families, managed through quasi-public, local public and the private intermediaries (McCarty & Et. Al., “Overview of Federal Housing Assistance Programs and Policy”). The main objective of the paper is to analyze the housing policies adopted by the federal government related to the mortgage and funding system. With this concern, the discussion of the paper will intend to identify the strategies implemented by the federal government persuade lenders and low-income borrowers in dealing with highly...
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...Social Welfare Policy Paper: Public Assistance Jennifer Shellhammer University of New England Abstract This paper will discuss a Social Welfare Policy, specifically, public assistance. I have created an overview and provided a concise description of welfare and public assistance, along what social problems it attempts to address. Additionally, it will provide the historical background of public assistance and the economic and political forces which have influenced its development. Furthermore, it will explain the functions of public assistance that people observe and expect, while also addressing what functions are not recognized. Lastly, the paper will provide arguments made for and against public assistance, and what has been said by politicians, and other experts. Concluding, I have also expressed my own perspective on this issue and what changes I would propose to its current state. Social Welfare Policy: Public Assistance The term “welfare” generally refers to programs established by the federal government to assist individuals who are unemployed and poor. Assistance is provided to the poor through several types of programs, which range anywhere from food stamps, Medicare, Medicaid, unemployment, to temporary cash assistance and several forms of housing assistance. These programs were created to prompt effort and attention on specific problem areas and to prevent the deterioration of necessary and essential conditions for individuals and families to successfully...
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...Picture This: A Snapshot of Homelessness David Mello HCA430: Special Populations Instructor: Monica Vargas May 2, 2015 Picture This A Snapshot of Homelessness Imagine if you will, for one moment, a reflection of your daily life. For most, it began like any other day; you awoke from your warm and comfortable bed, showered, chose your outfit for the day, ate breakfast, and then went to work or school. As the day came to end, after earning a solid days wage, you went home to a nice warm dinner ready on the table, a bed with fresh linens awaited your tired and heavy eyes, and for the rest of the evening and into the night you slept on a pillow of dreams. This is in essence the American dream is it not? To have the basic needs that to some may come as a surprise, many Americans do not have. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, “In January 2014, there were 578,424 people experiencing homelessness on any given night in the United States” (National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2015). Many people would be in agreement that the above noted agenda is fairly normal; shelter, food, clothing, education, and family are all blessings and amenities that we take for granted but nonetheless are things that every individual deserves to have. Unfortunately, these are things that many people must suffer without. Scholarly research that spans over the course of two decades has continually and firmly established the emergence and persistence of indigent and homeless...
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...University of Phoenix CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY: I certify that the attached paper, which was produced for the class identified above, is my original work and has not previously been submitted by me or by anyone else for any class. I further declare that I have cited all sources from which I used language, ideas and information, whether quoted verbatim or paraphrased, and that any and all assistance of any kind, which I received while producing this paper, has been acknowledged in the References section. This paper includes no trademarked material, logos, or images from the Internet, which I do not have written permission to include. I further agree that my name typed on the line below is intended to have, and shall have the same validity as my handwritten signature. Student's signature (name typed here is equivalent to a signature): Christopher Holland Introduction The purpose of this paper is to explore the homeless population in the United States while thinking critically. The research for this paper shall detail the history of homeless from its first noticeable conception. The paper will examine the time line of homelessness stating contributing factors as well as detailing the homeless struggle. This paper shall research the nature of the social problems or issues experienced by homeless people meanwhile showing the stereotyping and discrimination of homeless people. This paper will explore the different demographic groups along with common clinical issues...
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...Improve housing finance access for poor – study May 28, 2015 9:15 pm by VOLTAIRE PALAÑA REPORTER * * * A POLICY paper by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) is calling for the creation of a more favorable environment for housing finance in the country, as well as the adoption of appropriate policies and mechanisms to correct housing market dysfunctions. One of the underlying issues with housing policies in the Philippines, for instance, is the traditional perception that a housing finance system is based primarily on the provision of government subsidies, resulting in a highly-segmented and unsustainable program that does not benefit those who deserve it most. PIDS senior research fellow Dr. Marife Ballesteros noted in her latest study on urban housing subsidies that, despite policy changes through the years, the public sector housing program still does not address the problems on scale. Ballesteros explained that subsidies for housing programs, whether through upfront grants, government direct funding, low interest mortgages, tax exemptions or underpriced risk insurance, could have been put into more efficient use by the government. “Overall, direct subsidy to the low-income housing sector has been limited,” said Ballesteros, adding that in an effort to reduce losses from financial transactions, government has further restricted financing to the low-income sector through lower exposure of funders and the higher loan ceilings on socialized...
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...people are well-off. (Baum, 21-24)What is homelessness? According to the definition stated by Stewart B. McKinney, for purposes of the 1987 McKinney Homeless Assistance Act, “a homeless person (homelessness) is one who lacks a fixed permanent nighttime residence, or whose nighttime residence is a temporary shelter, welfare hotel, or any public or private place not designed as sleeping accommodations for human beings.” (Baum, 8) A rather deceptive definition when one considers the fact that homelessness is not a natural state, but one created and maintained by political agendas.Our government is not doing all that it can to combat our nation’s homelessness.In 1987, the McKinney Homeless Assistance Act was put into law. (Burger, 68-83) However, our government has moved away from the need to address the causes of homelessness. Instead our government has focused on the individual responsibility of those who become homeless, blaming their misfortune as their own fault. (Baum, 5-9) It is this belief that has helped to increase the homelessness of our nation, and it is this belief that will continue to do so if our government does not take a closer and more realistic look at the causes behind homelessness in our nation. Unless our government commits to ending homelessness through public education, policy advocacy, and technical assistance, homelessness will become a national disaster for the United States. Right now our government is not doing all it can towards putting into place the necessary...
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...510: Introduction to Public Policy Dr. Phillip Neely Strayer University April 22, 2014 One thing is common across any walk of life shelter is a necessity that cannot be avoided or neglected. Housing is not always affordable to every citizen, but that should not stop people from having a place to lay their head at night. In this assignment two state policies proposals will be discussed and they are Assistant Rental Housing and Housing for seniors and disabled workers. Within discussing what these organizations consist of there will also be discussion of the historical perspective of the policies and the reason they were enacted. Next, an analysis of the social, economic, and political environments of when the policies were passed. Also, the interest groups that are for and against the policies. Lastly, the change that the policies have affected within different communities around the country. Some people are able to afford extravagant housing but for people who can no longer work or cannot manage to pay for of their bills these policies help change their lives. Assistance for housing began under a new deal act, which was the U.S. Housing Act of 1937. Under this Act people who had lost their homes under different circumstances were able to receive housing. Also, under many acts that would follow the original act many different programs were put in place to help such as Housing and Community and Development Act, Section 8 Housing, and the Fair Housing Amendments Act. The...
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...1.1. INTRODUCTION Housing finance or mortgage is the pledging of a property to a lender as a security for a mortgage loan which not only enables access to homeownership but also to meet basic needs – a means of economic empowerment. The mortgage market in Ghana, since it is inextricably linked to a country’s economic development by strengthening financial institutions, promoting social stability and improving people’s lives, should have by now seen enormous growth, culminating in affordable houses for Ghanaians. This, however, is not the case as of now. Government role in the management of the nation’s economy in general and mortgage lending in particular has been analyzed and debated many times and undoubtedly it will continue. There is a...
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...------------------------------------------------- Shelter THE RIGHT TO SHELTER AND THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENTS IN SATISFYING THAT RIGHT * The right to adequate housing applies to everyone. Furthermore, individuals, as well as families, are entitled to adequate housing regardless of age, economic status, and group or other affiliation or status, and enjoyment of this right must not be subject to any form of discrimination. * The right to shelter is clearly supported by international law. International recognition of the right to shelter was initially given in the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). Article 25 of the Declaration states that “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and his family including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services”. * The UN CROC Article 27 (3) states that the government must provide material assistance and support programs where necessary, particularly with regard to nutrition, clothing and housing. * Article 11 of the U.N. International Covenant on Economic, Social, Cultural Rights (1966) states, “The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to an adequate standard of living for himself and his family, including adequate food, clothing and housing, and to the continuous improvement of living conditions. The States Parties will take appropriate steps to ensure the realization of this right, recognizing to...
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...people experiencing homelessness are people just like us. They desire financial stability and a secure home, but have confronted difficult circumstances without sufficient resources to overcome the situation and remain housed. Unfortunately, that is the reality of homelessness today. Typically, families become homeless as a result of some unforeseen financial crisis - a medical emergency, a car accident, a death in the family - that prevents them from being able to hold on to housing. Most homeless families are able to bounce back from homelessness quickly, with relatively little public assistance. Usually, homeless families require rent assistance, housing placement services, job assistance, and other short-term, one-time services before being able to return to independence and stability. In the case study, "Mayor Schell's Zero Homeless Family Pledge", Norton discusses the challenges facing a policy manager in a large city (Seattle) government agency who is expected to implement a bold new policy to reduce homelessness that may exceed the local government's capacity to address the issue. In the case, the mayor of Seattle pledges in June that there will be no homeless families with children or homeless women by Christmas. The manager in the case, Alan Painter, shares the mayor's commitment and enthusiasm for reducing homelessness in the city, but has many concerns about the feasibility of the mayor's pledge. Painter knows the current...
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...to the Americans due to the rising homelessness. This led to a burst in the studies and the rising stories related to the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of July 1987. In this act, there was an interference allowed of the federal government into this policy of homelessness, which had created many issues. For many years after that, this issue of homelessness remained on the top of the line in the political issues face by the Californian government. Basically the non-profit organizations focused on improving the life quality of the people in the city, especially those who did not have a place to spend their nights. It is a fact that there should be some very efficient approach to eliminate this homelessness problem, the Californian government has taken some steps and brought in a modest change in their policies to attack this homelessness problem very obviously. Their main change in the policy was to provide housing to the poor and the needy people (Hombs, Mary Ellen, and Mitch Snyder, 1982). Despite this action which the government took, there had been a consensus in the year 1980 which reflected the fact that the homelessness in US and in California have been substantially increasing in the year. Social scientists (Jencks, 1994), after conducting a huge survey, came to a conclusion that the ability to afford housing had less influence in the homelessness than the mental illness resulting from the increase in the use of drugs. Discussion O’Flaherty (1996) has been...
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...Assignment 3 The Concept of Program Reengineering Based on the Case Study: Mayor Schell’s Zero Homeless Family Strategy PAD500 Modern Public Administration By – Ambika Jammula Introduction On June 2nd, 1998, Mayor Paul Schell spoke to the press about the needs of homeless families, women and children. He asked for the City Council’s support in providing “immediate emergency assistance to homeless families and single women, a critical step in providing lasting housing solutions for these families and individuals.” He noted that “the problem continues to grow and we absolutely must find better ways to help people find and keep housing.” He closed his remarks with a firm pledge that there will be no homeless families with children or homeless single women on the streets of Seattle by Christmas 1998. His pledge made headlines in both Seattle papers the next day. Alan Painter, Director of the Community Services Division of the Department of Housing and Human Services, listened attentively to the new Mayor’s remarks. Painter has dedicated his professional career to serving the needs of homeless people. He was proud and excited to hear Schell’s passion and commitment to addressing homelessness in Seattle. At the same time, he viewed the pledge with some trepidation. Counting the number of homeless people on the street at any given time is notoriously tricky, influenced by many factors. Further, he wondered how this pledge would dovetail with City priorities and plans for...
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...I. Introduction Youth who grow up in disadvantaged neighborhoods fare substantially worse than those who grow up with more affluent neighbors on a wide variety of health and socioeconomic outcomes. A fundamental question in the design of appropriate education, health, and social policies for low income families and communities is the extent to which these correlations reflect the causal impacts of neighborhoods as opposed to family and individual attributes that are not directly affected by the residential environment. This paper uses data from a randomized housing mobility experiment to estimate the causal effects on teenage youth of moving out of high-poverty neighborhoods. There are a variety of theoretical views about the potential effects of neighborhoods on youth.1 One school of thought argues that disadvantaged neighbors and neighborhoods have adverse causal effects on adolescent development through exposure to violence and poor peer influences, absence of appropriate adult role models, and lack of school, community, and health care resources. Indeed, teenage youth are often seen as the age group most susceptible to the adverse influences of disadvantaged neighborhoods (Ellen and Turner, 1997). An alternative view is that neighborhoods have only limited effects on youth outcomes since a wide variety of peers and role models are available in all neighborhoods, and even those in the poorest areas can find peers who stay out of trouble....
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