Solutionary Project Essay Outline

ESSAY:
I. Introduction
a. Main Topic:
i. This solutionary project dives into the social issue of homelessness in the
United States, in particular, the state of Hawai’i. My partners, Ho’opili
DeSilva and Haley Agbayani and I have investigated the factors that
contribute to the homeless problem across the nation and in Hawai’i
through research and interviews with individuals who work directly with
those struggling to provide for themselves and/or their families.
b. Thesis: Homelessness is a social issue present across the United States and in
the state of Hawaii. Homelessness is due to a variety of reasons some including
socio-economic structure, environmental or social forces, and an individual’s
circumstances.
II. Combined Risk Factors: Socio-economic structure, social forces, individual
environmental circumstances.
a. Homelessness is the result of combined risk factors influenced by socio-
economic structure, social forces and an individual’s environmental
circumstances.
i. Elaborating on previous claims, the author states that “homelessness is a
complex social problem with a variety of underlying economic and social
factors such as poverty, lack of affordable housing, uncertain physical
and mental health, addictions, and community and family breakdown.”
(Mago et. al)
1. Social problem with underlying economic and social factors
2. Poverty, lack of affordable housing, individual physical and mental
health, addictions, community, family situations
ii. “These factors, in varying combinations, contribute to duration, frequency,
and type of homelessness.” (Mago et. al)
1. Duration, frequency, type of homelessness
iii. “To be fully homeless is to live without shelter; however, many [still]
experience partial homelessness that can include uncertain, temporary,
or sub-standard shelter.” (Mago et. al)
1. Partial homelessness
III. Defining Homelessness
a. It is difficult to collectively understand and define who makes up the homeless
population.
i. “Poor people move in and out of a state of homelessness.” (Altman)
1. States of homelessness & the importance of acknowledging states
of homelessness.
ii. “Government surveys tabulate everything from annual population
estimates to the unemployment rate. But they focus on people in
households and, in some limited cases, homeless shelters. They miss the
200,000 or more people who live outdoors” (Van Dam). 
1. Collect data about the homeless population.
iii. “[they] are a diverse and varied group in terms of age, ethnicity, family
circumstances, and health problems. Moreover, the characteristics of the
homeless population differ dramatically from one community to another”
(Altman et al.). 
1. To emphasize the difference between people who encounter
homelessness and their characteristics.
IV. Difficulty in establishing policies
a. Due to how difficult it is to define homelessness, establishing policies in order to
manage this social issue is challenging.
i. Homelessness in Hawai'i
1. Brings the conversation back to homelessness in Hawai'i in order
to show the personal relationship between me and my solutionary
project.
a. Nagourney elaborates that, “while homeless people have
largely vanished from the areas that were the focus of the
crackdown, many have just gone elsewhere, into the
dense greenery up Diamond Head Road, to out-of-the-way
alleys and remote corners of public parks.” (Nagourney)
b. Upon interview, “homeless men and women displayed a
mastery of the intricacies of state and city laws, of how
some sidewalks are covered and others are not and of
how beaches open at 5 a.m., allowing a few hours to sleep
before it gets too hot.” (Nagourney)
 c. “Homelessness has reached every community in the island
— in areas where you didn’t see them five years ago,” he
said. “If you are just enforcing and moving people from
location to location you are not really reducing or solving
the problem. It’s just making it someone else’s problems.
It’s not like they can leave the state.” (Nagourney)
V. Conclusion
a. The causes of homelessness are abundant and always unique to every
individual. A combination of socio-economic risk factors makes it difficult to
provide permanent and lasting aid to many individuals and families who are
homeless.
b. No way to analyze and accurately count those experiencing homelessness, it is
difficult to provide complete and thorough plans of action to decrease the
population of homeless
c. Complex issue and it is crucial to find solutions quickly.
d. Treats for the Streets: educate others about homelessness and its effect on
society today as well as to aid and compassion to those who are a part of the
large homeless population in the state of Hawai'i.  
PROJECT:
Treats for the Streets – Solutionary Project Plan
Due to current circumstances with COVID-19 we currently cannot carry through with
this project
My group plans to bake normal-sized cookies from about 5-7 tubs (80 ounces each) of the
Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. We plan on placing Hershey's Kisses in
the center of half of the cookies; the other half will be normal. On the standard 18 by 13-inch
pan, we will be baking about 12-15 cookies at a time. As for brownies, we will be using
around 10 boxes of the Betty Crocker Milk Chocolate brownie mix, baking in an 8 by 8-inch
square baking pan and will be cutting it as big as one normally is. That would be about 16
brownies per baking pan. Similar to the cookies, we will be adding M&Ms to half of the
brownies, while the other half is normal. Once we've finished baking, we’ll move onto
packaging. We will be selling these baked goods by quantity. Therefore, all will be placed
into the same size cellophane bags and pastry boxes but with different quantities. The small
would include around 2 cookies, the medium would include around 4, and the large would
include around 6 cookies. For the brownies, the small would include around 2 brownies, the
medium would include 3, and the large would include around 4 brownies. (Quantity may
change over time).
Once we’ve sold baked goods, we will now be focusing on gathering shoeboxes and buying
toiletries and canned goods/snacks. One shoebox may include toothbrushes (Pack of 4),
toothpaste (2), canned goods (6), socks (3), wet wipes (1), menstrual products (1 pack),
non-perishables, or a first aid kid (1). For now, we plan on distributing 10 of these
shoeboxes to homeless families. Once we run out of shoeboxes, we will create more and
continue on with the cycle. If we run out of money, we will bake more cookies and brownies
and sell them.
We will not only promote the sale of our baked goods but also give people an opportunity to
donate canned foods and toiletries that we will incorporate into our donation to organizations
that help homeless in Hawaii like Hawaii Food Bank, IHS, Family Promise, and Project
Hawaii.
A portion of the money that we earn will go to a foundation or organization that helps to feed
and shelter the homeless of Hawaii. The rest of the money will go towards funding shoebox
care packages that we will fill with basic toiletries for homeless families, and men and
women on the streets of Hawaii.