Introduction
Rising unemployment rates due to the epidemic have left many Americans unable to support their families. Some have been out of work for an extended time without compensation. As a result, many working-age Americans have little option but to seek unemployment benefits to keep their families fed (Biscontini, 2019). According to CNN and NBC, 6.6 million people in the United States have already applied for unemployment benefits this year. That figure was only anticipated to climb as we deal with this epidemic. Homelessness is only one of the problems that might arise because of unemployment. Living in a shelter or any public area not designed for human habitation is one definition of homelessness. Squatting is another kind of homelessness.
The Housing Act of 1937, generally known as Section 8, will be the subject of this policy research. Since the unemployment rate is growing and is likely to climb more as businesses close temporarily, I decided to focus on this social issue and legislation (Campbell & Victor, 2018). Some Americans have had to live with a family who might be homeless. To avoid the elements, some families are going to emergency shelters. This contemporary societal issue was my inspiration for selecting legislative actor legislation that would be useful in the future.
Policy Exploration
In 1937, President Roosevelt enacted the Housing Act, popularly known as section 8. Section 8 is a government-funded program that helps low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled afford decent living places. HUD, or the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, is in charge of dispersing funds for this initiative (Smith, 2018). With Section 8, low-income families may find subsidized housing that meets their financial needs. Be aware that Section 8 housing assistance does not cover the cost of a home.
The government will pay for the remaining 70% of the rent, while the renters will only be responsible for 30%. Tenants are responsible for paying all utilities since Section 8 does not cover this cost. The Great Depression of the 1930s is the historical context for Section 8. Some people lost their homes because they could not afford to keep up with their mortgage payments after losing their employment. People lost their homes to foreclosure, housing costs rose, and some banks closed. It was when congress enacted the United States Housing Act of 1937.
The purpose of the funding was to help low-income households acquire and renovate decent homes. The United States Housing Act was the first law passed at the federal level to assist low-income families in securing decent places to live. Alterations were made to the United States Housing Act in 1961. The Section 23 Leased Housing Program was established by law (Smith, 2018). Tenants under Section 23 were required to have a low income and get government assistance, although they may reside wherever. Federal assistance recipients might rent from their local housing authority, paying a part and the government the rest. Congress made other changes in 1974 to enable renters to dwell in any apartment building that received government subsidies. Section 8 renters follow the same steps. Except for illegally using Section 8, they may be refused. If the renter fails to pay 30% of the rent on time, they may be evicted.
Policy Analysis
The Housing Act of 1937’s goal is to alleviate the housing costs of low-income households. Section 8 has been a worthwhile effort. It ensures that families will never be poor and have enough money to provide for their basic needs. Through Section 8, families are also allowed to settle into safe communities. (Weiss-Gal & Gal, 2020). Initially, participants in this program could only reside in a limited number of designated apartment complexes. However, as the program expanded over time, participants eventually were allowed to choose housing anyplace that accepted government rent subsidies. Now families can have more space and numerous options to decide what is best for them and their families as long as the landlord accepts federal funds.
Homelessness is reduced via Section 8 since recipients are not responsible for all of their housing costs. Roughly 2 million Americans now make use of the vouchers. A home may now be purchased with assistance from the housing voucher program or Section 8 funding. The mental health of recipients may also be improved by Section 8 assistance (Weiss-Gal & Gal, 2020). Having a family to support on a salary of 30% to 80% below the area median may be stressful and depressing for anyone’s mental health. With the housing voucher program, you only have to worry about 30% of your monthly rent since the government pays the other 70%.
Section 811 shelters for disabled non-elderly persons since 1991. They needed to be self-sufficient. The 1959 housing legislation established the program. This program housed low-income seniors. BIA Financial Assistance and Social Services was another program. It is a government-financed program that supports American Indians and Alaskan Natives members. This program grants monetary assistance to aid with food, clothes, housing, and utilities (Pawar, 2019). Like other federally supported programs, you must cooperate with your social worker to build a strategy. Those who receive monetary assistance from The Bureau of Indian Affairs must engage with and construct an individual self-sufficiency plan.
The intended use of the aid is to help the beneficiary find gainful work. A social worker will re-evaluate your eligibility every three to six months or if there is a significant life change. If the beneficiary voluntarily stops working, for whatever reason, they will not get financial support for at least 60 days and no more than 90 days. Additionally, there is a program called Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness. This nationally sponsored initiative provides services to homeless people with mental conditions (Pawar, 2019). PATH funds supplementary homeless aid programs run by local, public, and non-profit groups. You or a loved one must be mentally ill or homeless or at risk of homelessness. Another program is Help for Families in Need of Temporary Help. TANF was made to help a parent or guardian who is pregnant or in charge of a child under 19, has a very low or low income, works for low wages, is unemployed, or is about to lose their job. Transitional Living follows. This programme offers people under two years of permanent and safe housing.
The program focuses on preparing young people for successful adulthood in terms of self-sufficiency, health, and contribution to society. Homeless adolescents may also benefit from TLP’s support since it can assist them in acquiring fundamental skills and opening doors to educational prospects. All emotional and physical requirements are taken care of in this program. There are programs for teenagers and young adults who are parents or who get pregnant between the ages of 16 and 22 (Dixon & Zimmerman, 2022). The budgeting process in the United States establishes the government’s spending limits and the distribution of funds. The federal budget is the engine that propels fiscal policy and sets the parameters for how big and broad the federal government will be, all of which impact the economy. Funding for community development, social services, public health, and law enforcement are all examples of broad goals that may be supported by block grants, which are distributed to state and local governments and allow for more discretion in spending than category awards.
Policy Evaluation
When examining The Housing Act of 1937, popularly known as Section 8, you should also consider how it impacts those who do not directly benefit. Some landlords do not want to rent to renters who use it because tenants may leave their homes for any reason and leave a mess for the landlord to clean up since they will still get their voucher for their next housing choice. In contrast to non-Section eight renters, they risk losing their security deposit if they do not leave the property in pristine condition (Ritter, 2019). It is one of the reasons why tenants are more cautious about renting to Section 8 recipients. When attempting to evict a Section 8 recipient, the landlord must file a petition for possession with the local magistrate’s court. If the landlord prevails, the tenant will receive nothing. It also affects social workers because, as advocates, social workers must sometimes advocate for their clients. Let us pretend you are a social worker helping out this tenant and just learned that they are being evicted.
In the end, they moved to a different place. Then, I know someone who lives in a place back home called Lake Monticello. They started taking Section 8 a while ago, but it was only sometimes like that, and I can see that many people were leaving before they let Section 8 tenants live there (Ritter,2019). When this was put into law, I do not believe anybody considered how it would affect neighbourhoods and property owners. People who qualify for Section 8 may live wherever, as long as their landlord takes government cash. They will be able to discover a fantastic area to raise a family and a secure place to live.
The paper explains that social work has been more dedicated to implementing self-determination than social justice, beginning with the assumption that these two aims frame social work practice. This essay suggests that dedication to policy practice is necessary to realize the social justice objective (McDonough, 2018). Legislative lobbying, change through litigation, social action, and social policy analysis are among the policy practice strategies discovered via a literature assessment. The methods are dissected for their unique qualities, social work functions, and prospective efficacy.
References
Biscontini, T. (2019). Section 8 (housing). Salem Press Encyclopedia.
Campbell, A. L., & Victor, G. M. (2018). Redressing Landlord Overreach in Cases Involving Low-Income Section 8 Tenants. Michigan Bar Journal, 97(3), 26–29.
Dixon, Z., Collins, M., & Zimmerman, T. (2022). Addressing race, ethnicity, and poverty in policy assignments: Students’ opportunities and constraints. Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 31(6), 370–381.
Figueira-McDonough, J. (2018). Toward a gender-integrated knowledge in social work. The Role of Gender in Practice Knowledge (pp. 3-40). Routledge.
Hadley, R., & Hatch, S. (2018). Social welfare and the failure of the state: Centralised social services and participatory alternatives. Routledge
Hermans, K., Dyb, E., Knutagard, M., Novak-Zezula, S., & Trummer, U. (2020). Migration and homelessness: measuring the intersections. European Journal of Homelessness, 14(3), 13-34.
Pawar, M. (2019). Social work and social policy practice: Imperatives for political engagement. The International Journal of Community and Social Development, 1(1), 15–27.
Ritter, J. (2019). Social work policy practice.
Smith, S. E. (2018, September 3). Tenants With Section 8 Face Widespread Housing Discrimination. Retrieved Nove, ber 13, 2020, from https://truthout.org/articles/tenants-with-section-8-face-widespread-housing-discrimination/
Weiss-Gal, I., & Gal, J. (2020). Explaining the policy practice of community social workers. Journal of Social Work, 20(2), 216-233.
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