The Long Hot Summer
By now, the heat of the summer has worn its welcome out, and most people are looking for some form of respite. The heat waves that have swept across the United States have been incredibly brutal. Temperatures hovering in the high nineties and hundreds have left everybody seeking refuge in cooler locations, wherever they may be.
I, for one, am sick of the heat already and am already looking forward to the first frost. Hyperthermia is no more welcome than hypothermia and is just as severe. For those who are unaware of their existence, there are cooling centers throughout the District to give respite to people from the heat. When temperatures soar well above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, heat related disorders can easily result, and that’s not a laughing matter, nor are the fatalities that have occurred.
For the homeless, far fewer long-term options for respite exist than for the rest of the population. Those persons who are in shelters are given some minimal level of comfort, thanks to the terms of the Homeless Services Reform Act that require temperature control. Those persons who are not fortunate enough to be in a shelter must suffer the terror of the elements, whatever they may be, with the mosquitoes and all else that go with them. Those persons remain at high risk for heat-related health conditions and diseases.
There is only one real solution to the problem, and that is to house the homeless in long-term, affordable housing. That solution remains the answer, despite any argument to the contrary. Providing affordable housing to low-income persons continues to be a major problem in most urban areas, certainly in the DC metropolitan area, and as long as affordable housing remains unavailable, homelessness will continue to exist and with it, all the problems that accompany it.
The solution is not new. It has been discussed many times before. The problem is in its implementation. Voucher programs have been one suggested solution, but then arises the problem of finding property owners who are willing to accept vouchers as a means of payment. As I have seen myself, often rental subsidies that are awarded are good only for properties in neighborhoods with a high crime rate. Such subsidies are not real solutions at all; they may give the appearance of getting homeless persons off the streets, but they only create more problems in the end when those persons almost inevitably become crime victims in their transplanted surroundings.
As I have said, there is nothing new in anything that I am saying. The problem is old, and the solution is not new, either. The question is why the problem continues to exist and nothing gets done about it. The problem is not going away on its own. Just as I am tired of the oppressive heat, I am also tired of the way that the homeless problem is not being addressed and not being resolved successfully by the government. It will take intervention on the government level to solve the problem; that much remains clear. How long will it take until something finally gets done?
I, for one, am sick of the heat already and am already looking forward to the first frost. Hyperthermia is no more welcome than hypothermia and is just as severe. For those who are unaware of their existence, there are cooling centers throughout the District to give respite to people from the heat. When temperatures soar well above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, heat related disorders can easily result, and that’s not a laughing matter, nor are the fatalities that have occurred.
For the homeless, far fewer long-term options for respite exist than for the rest of the population. Those persons who are in shelters are given some minimal level of comfort, thanks to the terms of the Homeless Services Reform Act that require temperature control. Those persons who are not fortunate enough to be in a shelter must suffer the terror of the elements, whatever they may be, with the mosquitoes and all else that go with them. Those persons remain at high risk for heat-related health conditions and diseases.
There is only one real solution to the problem, and that is to house the homeless in long-term, affordable housing. That solution remains the answer, despite any argument to the contrary. Providing affordable housing to low-income persons continues to be a major problem in most urban areas, certainly in the DC metropolitan area, and as long as affordable housing remains unavailable, homelessness will continue to exist and with it, all the problems that accompany it.
The solution is not new. It has been discussed many times before. The problem is in its implementation. Voucher programs have been one suggested solution, but then arises the problem of finding property owners who are willing to accept vouchers as a means of payment. As I have seen myself, often rental subsidies that are awarded are good only for properties in neighborhoods with a high crime rate. Such subsidies are not real solutions at all; they may give the appearance of getting homeless persons off the streets, but they only create more problems in the end when those persons almost inevitably become crime victims in their transplanted surroundings.
As I have said, there is nothing new in anything that I am saying. The problem is old, and the solution is not new, either. The question is why the problem continues to exist and nothing gets done about it. The problem is not going away on its own. Just as I am tired of the oppressive heat, I am also tired of the way that the homeless problem is not being addressed and not being resolved successfully by the government. It will take intervention on the government level to solve the problem; that much remains clear. How long will it take until something finally gets done?
posted by MasterWriter at 1:02 p.m.
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