Advocacy for Diverse Clientele
Introduction
The paper will provide a comprehensive analysis of a culturally diverse population of homeless men in Westside of Atlanta, Georgia. It is estimated that close to 12 per cent of Atlanta population is homeless. The paper will seek to outline the various ways that can be used to solve the problem of homelessness in Georgia. It will also state the advocacy policies, programs and services that can be implemented to promote equitable and responsive access to the needs of the homeless men in Westside of Atlanta, Georgia. The local authorities are required to implement appropriate public polices to ensure that homeless persons in Georgia are treated fairly. Most of the homeless persons in Georgia have faced the difficulty of accessing resources and other essential needs in the society (Sue & Sue, 2012). Most important, individual, couple, group or community strategies would be appropriate in handling the problems facing the homeless men in Georgia. For instance, community initiatives and programs have facilitated helpful programs reducing the problems facing the homeless persons in the community (Edwards, 2013). Therefore, the paper will provide a detailed analysis of the problem of homelessness in Westside of Atlanta, Georgia as well as outlining the advocacy policies necessary to resolve the social problem.
Advocacy Methods
In order to handle the problem of homelessness in Georgia, there is need to adopt an influential advocacy method. The method of policy monitoring and public accountability is the most suitable approach in dealing with problem of homelessness in Georgia. The policy-related efforts seek to observe and monitor the implementation and effectiveness of the existing policies. In Westside in Georgia, the human rights groups form the advocacy groups who contribute to improving the policy implementation and effectiveness. The approach seeks to ensure that the public policy targets are met under the expected performance. The human rights groups could also set up a baseline study to monitor the performing of the policies existing on improving housing in Georgia. In the state of Georgia, there are already relevant policies aimed at improving the housing. Thus, the method of policy monitoring and public accountability perform relevant research to campaign for decisions targeted at the public interest (Sue & Sue, 2012). In the selection of the methodology, the criteria for citizen involvement and other civil and human rights groups were considered. Therefore, the policy monitoring and public accountability is appropriate in advocating for improved housing in Georgia.
Institutional and Social Barriers
Institutional and social barriers in Georgia have affected the access to various services and equity by the homeless people. First, social exclusion is a major social issue that had led to the barriers for the homeless persons accessing their needs. People who do not have homes in Georgia have been excluded from the community. Social exclusion can be easily identified as most of the homeless persons in Georgia live far from the rest population. For instance, there are areas recognized for homeless people in Westside Georgia. Most important, the Asians and Africans have been left homeless due to their skin color. This indicates the increased levels of social and ethnic exclusion in the community.
The legal institutions have also impeded access to homes for the homeless people in Georgia. For instance, the lack of proper documentation or prior convictions and police warrants could hinder person from securing permanent houses. The legal and institutional barriers relating to documentation affects the access to home ownership to the homeless persons (Sue & Sue, 2012). The Medicare programs do not also cover the homeless persons in Georgia. The lack of Medicaid coverage and legal documentation limits the homeless people in Georgia receiving quality healthcare in the U.S. The institutional and social barriers of social exclusion and inability to access Medicaid program and home ownership have been identified due to their adverse effects on the lives of the homeless people in Georgia.
Impact of Local, State, and National Public Policies on the Quality and Accessibility of Clinical Mental Health Services
Among the homeless people in Georgia, it is difficult to maintain the increased cases of mental health conditions. The local, state and national public policies have a significant impact on the quality and accessibility of the clinical mental health services. According to Trainor (2010), the public mental service depends on the national policies responsible for funding. Thus, the national budget should allocate adequate resources to the local and state authorizes to manage the mental health conditions. Many states have passed many regulations that influence the access of mental health services to all persons. The regulations sought to reduce the price of the mental health care to all persons. The state and local policies have increased the accessibility of mental health services to all persons in Georgia. However, the quality of the mental health care is questionable considering the inadequacy of health professionals and other relevant medical resources such as drugs. Therefore, the local, state and national public policies have enhanced the access to the clinical mental health care, but the quality of the health care is wanting.
Advocacy Strategies for Diverse Populations
The individual, family and community strategies are significant in dealing with the diverse populations. According to Trainor (2010), the homeless people are not excluded from the community, but their individual problems causes separation from the society. Individual strategies of homeless persons include personal efforts and focus resolves the homeless problems. The multicultural perspective is appropriate in understanding the cultural aspects and societies. The attitudes and beliefs of the people are appropriate in learning and designing of the intervention programs.
The family interventions relevant in handling the homeless problems and diverse natures include creating improved family relationships and parenting. The natural settings of the families require appropriate collaboration and integration of the family members. The collaboration of efforts facilitates improved motivation to resolve the family problems including family problems. Additionally, the community strategies are appropriate in resolving the homeless issue on Georgia. Community programs including community building programs and assessment programs could help in dealing with diverse populations (Edwards, 2013). The community assessment seeks to identify the main problem in the society in order to suggest better involvement approaches. Therefore, the individual, family, and community initiatives are necessary in dealing with the diverse population problems.
Strategies to Promote Client Understanding and Access to Community Resources
In order to encourage client understanding and access to community resources, it is important to improve communication. Effective communication is appropriate in informing the homeless persons on how to deal with the various cultural problems. Effective communication assists in developing appropriate skills improving the client understanding. Second, practical assistance is an appropriate strategy necessary in helping the clients to access community resources. To access community resources, the homeless persons should be familiar with the processes (Trainor, 2010). Thus, practical assistance strategy creates awareness and information on the community resources. The strategies of effective communication and practical assistance are selected due to their ability to provide adequate information on the community resourced and various programs.
References
Edwards, A. (2013). Learning from diversity: the strategic dilemmas of community-based crime control1. Crime Control Community, 2(2), 140.
Sue, D. W., & Sue, D. (2012). Counseling the culturally diverse: Theory and practice. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.
Trainor, A. A. (2010). Diverse approaches to parent advocacy during special education home—school interactions identification and use of cultural and social capital. Remedial and Special Education, 31(1), 34-47.