This week’s readings all corresponded to the social services area of the nonprofit sector. The main topic of conversation was housing, or lack thereof. The articles pointed out that many families are in danger of losing their homes or living in extremely uncomfortable conditions if they do not receive some kind of assistance like that provided by programs such as the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, MAAC (Maximizing Access to Advance our Communities), and affordable housing in the Langley Park area. While these programs have supplied considerable aid, there are some programs for families and people in need that are simply not as effective. For instance, the failure of Fort Greene homeless shelter in New York City to provide inhabitants with heated and sanitary living conditions is a sad realization of the fact that not all social work is created equal.
As stated in Nonprofit Nation, many who receive the services provided by the government or by nonprofits are, “stigmatized by society and have problems other Americans would rather not know about” (81). I think this is the reason why issues like those that exist in the Fort Greene homeless shelter are repeatedly ignored. Many think of people who receive welfare, are homeless, or are unemployed as too lazy to do what they need to change their situation. However, the issue is much more complicated than that. How can one prosper if they were never given the opportunities or the tools to do so? Yes, there are many people who are in bad situations because they have made bad choices, but that is not a sufficient enough reason to place every person in the US who lives in poverty under this same umbrella of laziness and poor choices. It is important to remember that the impoverished are people with the same human needs and desires as the rest of us, thus we must remain critical of social services so that institutions like Fort Greene homeless shelter cannot slip below the radar and get away with providing sub-par care to people who are desperately in need of food, shelter, and warmth. When Lyndon B. Johnson launched his War on Poverty, I do not think that these half-hearted solutions are what he had in mind for a great American society. Providing food and shelter are important aspects of aid, however, programs that integrate job training and related services can be much more beneficial in the long term. Doing so will undoubtedly cost money, but for every person who obtains the means to support themselves, there is one less person dependant on government or nonprofit assistance.
Although the article about “Redeeming Value” by Diane Dietz does not deal specifically with the issue of housing, I wanted to bring it into my discussion because I found the article to be especially interesting. I think it is very cool that Terry McDonald does nonprofit differently, and with much more entrepreneurial skill: “All this makes St. Vinnie’s unlike most social service agencies that operate strictly on donations. Half of St. Vinnie’s income is business revenues — and it strives to go further down the road to profitability for the benefit of its stockholders, who are: “The poor, the low income people of this community”’. I think that McDonalds’s approach to business and “turning trash into treasure” is admirably innovative because it has big implications for a sustainable business future. He has some very progressive ideas, especially regarding the reuse and repurposing of old, thrown out materials. McDonald's success shows that not all successful business relies on the exploitation of both people and the environment. He serves as an example for those who want to work in the nonprofit sector, but are worried about having to live paycheck to paycheck; its possible to run both an environmentally and socially responsible business, while also managing to make a comfortable living, it just takes some serious drive and innovation. The nonprofit I am doing for my scavenger hunt assignment has a similar approach to nonprofit that St.Vincent DePaul's does. The organization is Ecotrust and is based in Portland. As stated on their website, through what they call "reliable prosperity," they address "the fundamental needs of people -- and the ecosystems that sustain them-- is the starting point for a different kind of economic prosperity that can endure generation after generation".Their website is very informational, giving a both background on the organization and its members, as well as descriptions of their different initiatives. I suggest checking it out! http://www.ecotrust.org/
The video I included is one I found that shows several clips of LBJ carrying out his goal to make it impossible to continue to ignore the American paradox of poverty in the midst of plenty. It also demonstrates the power of prominent figures in society to educate and empower people.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting that you think that there should be a return to the Great Society in todays culture. I feel that the trajectory of providing social services has moved more towards privatized non-profits and away from government. I wonder if this implies that you think that social service should be more governmental oriented as it was in the Johnson era. The problem is structurally retrofitting how social services are provided so there is more government oversight -- many people are opposed to this today. However, I think this could be a great solution in terms of providing health care. I feel that health-care reform is completely necessary, and that it should be a publicly provided good. The problem is convincing the half of America that are opposed to it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that most people shun homeless people or people on welfare because they feel that they are lazy. I also agree that if they were given an opportunity through some form of aid it would get them out of the situation they are in. Some people today think that providing welfare is fiscally irresponsible. I think that sometimes it's just the opposite. Poor people can often be too sick or injured to contribute to the economy and it can therefore be fiscally responsible to provide equitable healthcare so they can put back into the economy.
I think you're right on why people are ignored in getting help because of the stereotypes of being lazy or not working hard enough to change their situation. I agree that not everyone gets a equal opportunity to start life and how some start off worse than others. I feel that some organization should provide food and shelter, while others should provide job training and other social services but the responsibility shouldn't be for one to provide it all. Also people need to learn for themselves how to provide and improve their situation, by not relying on the government or nonprofits to help them out. I see the problem as people not having the courage or the will to act, so that they can figure out how to get out of the poverty situation. I really enjoy the video and show how the Great Society programs help so many people and improve the lives of every American.
ReplyDeleteI also commented on Grace's post that we [at least the American people] NEED to reform the current mental health system. I completely agree that merely "providing food and shelter are important aspects of aid, however, programs that integrate job training and related services can be much more beneficial in the long term." As the proverb goes, "Give a man to fish and he will eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime." In order for this saying to become a reality, people must be given the means, via psychiatric help, shelter, legal assistance, etc. so they can be given work and an income, not hand outs. However, we can only help those who want to help themselves, and the public must not allow a pseduo-totalitarian nanny state waste money and make people even more dependent than they already are. If more nonprofits developed innovative means to administer services and rake in funding like St. Vinny's Terry McDonald, we would all be better off. Federally funded organizations must think like private sector entrepreneurs in order to sustain and improve ventures in the public one.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was interesting how the video showed how welfare grew overtime to become what it has today. I didn't know that the civil rights act included provisions to reduce poverty. However, this would make sense, since it is oriented towards creating fairness. It was interesting how the video showed the college grants that allowed many to go to school who would not otherwise.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that affordable housing is a major problem as there is a lack of mixed housing. It seems that the cheaper housing options are located farthest from the city leading to problems such as congestion through increased cross-regional traffic.
I thought it was interesting that you mentioned that businesses may have to exploit workers to make a profit. It seems that in our capitalist economy the amount of competition makes for what economist Stieglitz would call the race to the bottom. The solution seems to regulate and I believe this should start with the federal government to create equal standards. Perhaps greater supranational organizations should engage in greater multilateralism as the economy has become largely globalization.