Homelessness In California Essay

California has been experiencing a horrible homelessness crisis over the last years. In 2021 Venice Beach dedicated five million dollars to clean up homeless encampments that were created. With cities of tents lining the boardwalk and the beach, the people of Venice Beach demanded action be taken. And all but a year later the homeless and tent cities have returned back to the beach. Californias are tired of the return of homeless people and are demanding reasons why. Based on careful analysis it is clear that California has an increasing homelessness population because of rapid price increases, a growing mental health crisis, and ineffective political action.

In March 2020 the world was introduced to the worst virus pandemic in the last two

In the 1980s under the Reagan administration there was a disengagement from the health care and facilities that provide care and help for the mentally ill. In 1980 the Mental Health Systems Act was passed providing state and federal grants to community mental health centers. The following president though, Ronald Reagan, continuously fought Congress to retract those grants and most other parts of the Mental Health Systems Act. In 1981 the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act erased nearly all benefits from the Mental Health Systems Act passed just a year prior. In history, affordable housing or mental health help policies were usually disinvested throughout time. This has led up to now, where “California accounts for 30% of the nation's homeless population” (Bluth). California is facing a homelessness crisis like no other state having about a third of the whole nation's homeless population. But the less apparent problem is the issue of the homeless and mental health issues. Mental health issues are usually not diagnosed or treated with the homeless. With no healthcare they are not able to get the diagnosis and treatment they need. Los Angeles county has it very bad with “about 25% of homeless adults … had a severe mental illness such as schizophrenia” (Bluth). When people aren't treated for their illnesses they spiral into a cycle of poor quality of life. Most of these people don't even know they need help and

Elected officials tried and failed over and over again over that time to eradicate the homeless crisis in California. But the problem is not just as simple as people who are unsheltered and don't have a home. These people are sick and their actions of drug addiction or having a mental illness put them in the homeless situation that they are in and they need help. California took a “Housing First” approach for the solution on homelessness. They believe that the only issue that homeless people have is not having shelter and if they provide that to them, their situation will be solved. But that is very obviously not the case as evident in the “47.1 percent rise in unsheltered homeless” (Steeb) pre-covid under the “Housing First” plan. The problem is not only that the homeless don't have a house, the issue is the individual that is homeless has an issue with mental health or addiction and needs help. Mental illness and addiction are two of the biggest factors contributing to why an individual is homeless but that is not being looked at by the officials that are failing to help. The approach is visibly not working but California officials are still insisting on using the “Housing First” approach authorizing “spending an additional $14 billion” (Steeb) towards the approach. The solution that is very obviously not helping the situation at all but