international studies

Pick an important issue in your community. Explain how your local issue is connected to one or more global issues.

I live in California, orange county, irvine.

Provide a written response of no less than 100 words (around one paragraph).

ANSWER

Homelessness in California

Over the last three years, homelessness has increased in California by over 16 percent. With tens of thousands of individuals are living on the streets, this has become a defining issue in California. California’s homelessness crisis has reached catastrophic proportions thus is complex and vast. The issue has demanded an individual level of interventions and systems to house the most vulnerable citizens. People that are facing homelessness are likely to face health issues, trauma, violence, and lengths of homelessness as compared to those staying in shelters. Relatively, unsheltered people tend to engage more frequently in crime, police cases, and emergency health services. Housing the most vulnerable and homeless individuals in California is a humane response to the crisis. This will offer a solution to the chronic housing shortage within California.

Ideally, California major metro areas have had high rates of severe rent burden as compared to the average United States metro area. Experts have stated that the reason for homelessness is questionable policies, leader’s unwillingness, and inability to address the high cost of housing as well as lack of affordable housing. Any effort to address homelessness in California has to start with affordable housing. At the heart of this crisis, there exists various government policies and regulations that have made affordable housing difficult. Homeless individuals tend to suffer from poorer health and have lower life expectancy rates as compared to the general population.

Crime rates have been linked to high levels of homelessness. Over the last two years, criminal activities have consistently been higher in groups that are homeless as compared to those that are housed. For instance, the crime rate among the homeless has skyrocketed in Los Angeles. The crimes in homeless suspects include robbery, rape, and aggravated assault. California has not had enough house. Therefore, the lack of enough and affordable housing has led to people living in the streets and increasing the number of crimes. Therefore, the government needs to plan on how to solve housing issues in California to reduce homelessness.