FORMAL POLICY ANALYSIS 1

Homelessness

Kamryn M. Mattison

University of South Carolina

SOWK 322

Popa Mabe
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FORMAL POLICY ANALYSIS

Social Problem Analysis

Homelessness is considered a social problem as well as a public health issue (Tsai et al.,

2017). People struggling to find jobs and provide for their families can be some causes of the

problem. Homelessness is when someone cannot afford or find housing; it is also described as

any situation where a person has unstable, unsafe, or inadequate living circumstances (Office of

the High Commissioner, 2023). The description of “homelessness” varies depending on the

organization, agency, or researcher and on factors such as language, culture, affected

populations, and the purpose of the definition (Office of the High Commissioner, 2023). Most

definitions have one commonality, which is that they include those who sleep in the streets, in

temporary residences, or insecure housing arrangements (Office of the High Commissioner,

2023). According to one of the most common policies to combat this social problem, the

McKinney Vento Act, homelessness is defined as an individual or family who does not have a

stable, safe, or adequate residency; an individual or family living in a place that is not

traditionally created for people to sleep in; an individual or family that lives in a temporary

residence or shelter; an individual or family who may eventually lose their housing due to low-

income.

Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, there was an increase in homelessness of around 27

thousand people experiencing the issue; as of 2020, there were 580,000 people experiencing

homelessness in the United States (Kapadia, 2022). In 2020, an assessment by the United States

Department of Housing and Urban Development found that the majority of those experiencing

homelessness are made up of Indigenous persons and people of color. More specifically,

households run by women of color are those most often to be found experiencing homelessness

(Kapadia, 2022). This assessment found that 39% of all people without homes identify as
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African American or black; furthermore, black and African Americans who are part of families

with kids make up 53% of all people experiencing homelessness (Kapadia, 2022). Hispanics and

other non-white groups make up another 28% of all people experiencing homelessness combined

(Kapadia, 2022). Homelessness is thought to have a connection with mental illness, unfavorable

childhood circumstances, and substance abuse, all of which minority and P.O.C. groups are more

prone to have to deal with because of their lack of access to helpful services regarding those

problems (Tsai et al., 2017). By 2025, it is expected that homelessness will grow by 49%

(Kapadia, 2022).

It is up to each state to address the problems of homelessness because, coming from a

critical approach, homelessness is a form of oppression that needs to be handled. Low-income

families and individuals are forced to suffer on the streets or struggle to find stable living

arrangements. This is due to the lack of affordable housing; furthermore, unhoused people are

unable to find jobs because they do not have a permanent address to put on applications, which

keeps them in a constant cycle of homelessness because they cannot make any money to support

themselves. This means that the homeless population is being discriminated against when trying

to find jobs, and low-income families and individuals are not given the opportunity to keep their

residences because it cost too much money, which eventually forces them to move out onto the

street or into temporary shelters. The homeless population is being treated unequally and their

rights to life, health, water, sanitation, security, and freedom from cruel/degrading inhuman

treatment have been compromised (Office of the High Commissioner, 2023).

Conceptual Framework

The federal government has a variety of policies in place to address homelessness and

low-income housing; one of these policies includes federal housing assistance programs, most of
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which are controlled by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (McCarty et al.

2014). Different programs under this policy are designed to help specific populations and deal

with certain social problems. McKinney-Vento programs were set up by HUD to aid people

experiencing homelessness and those threatened with becoming homeless (Berg 2017). The

McKinney-Vento programs work to help this population by supplying support programs and

other relief, including subsidies on rent, short-term and permanent shelter, and transitional

housing (Berg 2017). Questions to consider about these programs could be: what social factors

impact how the McKinney-Vento programs help those it is intended for? How are students

experiencing homelessness covered under the McKinney-Vento programs? The unit of analysis is

performance or examining how these programs have impacted the homeless population/the

success of the policy (O’Conner and Netting 2008).

To answer these questions, it is best to think about the intersectionality approach to

social problems. This framework came from the argument that, when thinking about

discrimination and prejudice, people are not seen as their whole identity, but as either one social

identity or another (Rogers 2019). Intersectionality theory uses ideas from feminism and Critical

Race theory; the main claim of the framework is that some people have more than one social

identity that plays a role in how they are oppressed, marginalized, or discriminated

against/disadvantaged (Rogers 2019). The intersectionality framework resonates with me

because it uses the other frameworks of policy analysis to explain its ideas and assessments;

furthermore, it allows one to understand the complexity of identities and how different factors

play a part in social problems, which is also why this would be the best option to examine the

McKinney-Vento programs. Intersectionality explains the factors that could lead to certain

situations, like homelessness, and it could also explain why some people experiencing
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homelessness have a better chance of receiving aid than others based on what combination of

social identities both people have. A strength of the Intersectionality theory is that it provides a

vast look at how different factors play a role in social injustice; a limitation of this theory is that

it is always changing and can be hard to apply to different problems and issues (Rogers 2019).

Furthermore, the progressive framework would help answer these questions because it

provides insight into why one factor (being homeless) is not the only component of how policies

(McKinney-Vento programs) affect the homeless population. This framework takes on the idea

that oppression will only end through conflict (O’Conner and Netting 2008). This is the other

framework that should be used to answer these questions because it does not look at the world as

orderly or can that it can be controlled (if either of these were true regarding homelessness, there

would be no one experiencing the issue.) Many people, if not everyone, believe that

homelessness should be nonexistent, and with the aid of the government, it would be if everyone

got the same benefits and possibilities; different factors (race, age, etc) have different forms of

oppression that play into being homeless, so “class” and income is not the only determinate of

whether someone is homeless or not. Conflict must happen so that people can see the wrong in

the discrimination and oppression of people experiencing homelessness while considering their

other identities. A strength of the progressive framework is that it looks at the world more

realistically; a limitation is that it does not define what type of conflict must happen for change

(does it have to be physical?).

Plan For Parts 3 and 4

For the next parts of this project, I will not be using the rational choice framework.

Questions that could be included are: who benefits most from McKinney-Vento programs? Does
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race or age play a part in how these programs impact certain people? How successful have these

programs been in aiding the homeless population?

Policy Descriptive Analysis

McKinney-Vento programs are homeless assistance programs that were created in 1987

due to the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (Berg 2017). Programs included under this

act include the Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) and the Continuum of Care (CofC) (Berg

2017). The ESG program is currently funded by 20% of HUD’s homeless assistance grants; this

program has a goal of limiting homelessness and providing reliable housing by supplying

renovation services, administering emergency shelters, assisting with rent and utilities, being an

aid in the housing search, and providing other resources (Berg 2017). The goal of the Coc

McKinney-Vento program is to decrease the amount of time people experience homelessness and

the number of those who [re]experience homelessness, as well as to provide more supportive and

rapid re-housing for families and individuals (Berg 2017). There are some other programs

covered under the McKinney-Vento Act whose goals are to reduce homelessness as well;

however, the ESG and CoC programs are the main ones administered by HUD. The goals of

McKinney-Vento programs relate to homelessness because they are set up to address the problem

directly. These programs give those experiencing homelessness, or at risk of it, housing (not just

normal shelters) and resources that help them stay out of homelessness.

To be eligible for McKinney-Vento programs, one must be experiencing or at risk of

experiencing homelessness (Berg 2017). People “at risk” would be a family or individual who

makes below 30% of the median income in their area and is losing their housing or are in

unreliable and dangerous living conditions (Berg 2017). The McKinney-Vento programs use

selective eligibility criteria, as benefits are based on income and are only given to those in need.
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Furthermore, these programs provide optimal benefits that enhance choice; with the help of the

policy’s benefit and having proper houses, people have more choices in their lives because they

don’t have to worry about having a place to sleep and can put more effort into other things (jobs,

family, etc.). Lastly, McKinney-Vento programs are funded publicly and centrally because the

two main programs are funded by HUD, which is a federal agency (Berg 2017).

Policy Evaluation

The McKinney-Vento programs have led to a decrease in homelessness because they

annually provide [temporary] housing for around 400,000 people experiencing homelessness and

permanent housing for about 500,000 people who were formerly homeless. However, despite the

number of individuals and families who have been helped, students experiencing homelessness

are disadvantaged under the act (Mitchell, 2022). Students experiencing homelessness not being

properly taken care of is an example of an unintended consequence where there is an exclusion

of students.

Each school district is responsible for identifying the number of students experiencing

homelessness in their area; teachers are those who are given this responsibility (USAFacts,

2023). In many cases, it is hard for teachers to recognize these students, especially in recent

years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic (USAFacts, 2023). It is also the responsibility of

school districts to apply for grants to support and provide resources to the students experiencing

homelessness; when districts do not efficiently apply for these grants, students are not able to

receive help (USAFacts, 2023). Whether a district receives a McKinney-Vento grant after

requesting it also depends on the number of students identified as homeless and on the amount of

funding available (USAFacts, 2023). Therefore, without teachers taking the initiative or proper

documentation, many students experiencing homelessness do not get the help that they need
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FORMAL POLICY ANALYSIS

(USAFacts, 2023). Students experiencing homelessness not receiving the resources and guidance

given under the McKinney-Vento programs lead to lower graduation rates in the homeless

community; the effect of homelessness on students and their education leads to other long-term

difficulties and disadvantages (USAFacts, 2023). The systematic exclusion of students under the

McKinney-Vento Act is due to the difficulty of identifying students experiencing homelessness,

lack of record keeping, and poor communication between teachers and homeless liaisons

(USAFacts, 2023).

Overall, the McKinney-Vento policies align with social work values because it requires

service; the organizations that provide housing and resources to those experiencing homelessness

are full of people who are there to provide service and help to people who need it. The people

and organizations that provide resources are not looking for large compensations or gaining

something from helping these people. Furthermore, the McKinney-Vento programs square with

the value of “dignity and worth of a person” because it requires respecting and recognizing

individuals in the homeless population. The goals of these programs are in place to help people

reach their full potential, so it is seeing one’s worth and understanding that they are people who

can succeed as well. On the other hand, when it comes to students experiencing homelessness,

the McKinney-Vento policies do not show a lot of integrity in that there are not enough people

taking responsibility for making sure that the programs can be effective for the students who

need them. McKinney-Vento programs promote social justice because they have the goal of

helping the homeless population reclaim their rights to life, health, water, sanitation, security, and

freedom from cruel/degrading inhuman treatment (Office of the High Commissioner, 2023).
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References

Berg, S. (2017). Homeless assistance: McKinney-Vento homeless assistance programs

Kapadia, F. (2022). Ending Homelessness and Advancing Health Equity: A Public Health of

Consequence, March 2022. American Journal of Public Health 112, no. 3, 372-373.

McCarty, M., Perl, L., & Jones, K. (2014, April). Overview of federal housing assistance

programs and policy. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.

Mitchell, M. (2022). Homeless assistance: McKinney-Vento homeless assistance programs.

O'Connor, M. K., & Netting, F. E. (2008). Teaching policy analysis as research: Consideration

and extension of options. Journal of Social Work Education, 44(3), 159-172.

Office of the High Commissioner, U. N. (2023). Homelessness and human rights. OHCHR.

Retrieved March 27, 2023, from

https://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-housing/homelessness-and-human-rights

Rogers, A.T. (2019). Human Behavior in the Social Environment (5th ed.). New York:

Routledge.

Tsai, J., O'Toole, T., & Kearney, L. K. (2017). Homelessness as a public mental health and social

problem: New knowledge and solutions. Psychological Services, 14(2), 113–117.

USAFacts. (2023, January 27). What can mckinney-vento act data reveal about youth

homelessness? USAFacts. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from

https://usafacts.org/articles/what-can-mckinney-vento-act-data-reveal-about-youth-

homelessness/