HOW TO DECREASE HOMELESS PEOPLE

At present, many people from various regions are heading to the city in hopes of finding a better job and life. However, the very high level of competition and standard of living in the city means that not everyone can survive to live in peace and well-being in the city. Then, many people without expertise and ability cannot get a job easily in the city. Even though the high cost of living in the city makes them inevitably have to have income. As a result, if they don’t have work and income, they cannot support themselves and live under poverty. Badan Pusat Statistik (BPS) recorded the poverty rate in Indonesia in September 2019 was 9.22%. BPS head Suhariyanto explained that the percentage of poor people were equal to 24.97 million people. Poverty is a potential source of someone being homeless (Johnsen & Watts, 2017). According to the 2000 Census, 1.6% of Indonesia's populations are homeless (BPS, 2000). Furthermore, based on the 2010 Census, around 28,364 people were homeless in Jakarta (BPS, 2010). As we knew, Jakarta is the biggest urban city in Indonesia (Vioya, 2010). Poverty, especially homelessness, results many problems, for them or other people. There are various kinds of problems that occur in homelessness, they are, health and hygiene problems, mental illness, and the potential for criminal.

Figure 1. Urbanization (source: ariniwulandaris.blogspot.com)

Figure 2. Poverty, the other of the magnificent city (source: foreignpolicy.com)

Figure 3. Homelessness in the street (source: theage.com.au)

Due to not having a home, homeless people are vulnerable to health problems. According to Golden (1999), “Homeless people are at much higher risk for infectious disease, premature death, acute illness, and chronic health problems than the general population. They are also at higher risk for suicide, mental health problems and drug or alcohol addiction”. In addition, homelessness is also potentially affected by infectious disease and communicable diseases, due to poor hygiene. Homeless people are also vulnerable to malnutrition, thus causing the various chronic diseases. Difficult and uncomfortable living conditions also make homeless people easily stress and cannot sleep well. And the experiencing trauma possibility due to violence and mistreatment where they live. This can cause mental disorders. The most common mental disorders suffered by homelessness are schizophrenia, affective disorders such as depression, bipolar depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, and personality disorders. 

 

Figure 4. Homeless person need a job (Source: carreerandrecovery.org)

The second problem that arises is the potential for criminal. According to Zapf (1996), homeless people are more likely to have a criminal record was 93% compared to those who are not homeless was 82%. There are four reasons underlying the number of homeless people who have the potential to commit criminal acts based on Hewitt (1994) and Fischer (1992). First, for many homeless people, criminal activity may be one of the only ways to survive. Second, there are the habitual criminals who may suffer from chronic deviant behaviour, antisocial personalities and drug disorders. Third, there is evidence of homeless people who manipulate police into making an arrest in order to obtain “temporary asylum” in jail. Fourth, there are the homeless who display inappropriate or bizarre behaviour that lands them in a correctional institution rather than in more appropriate systems of socio-economic treatment or institutionalization.

From those problems, can be solved by reducing the number of homeless. Perhaps some solutions are taken to reduce the number of homeless people are the Government be able to provide welfare in various regions in Indonesia so that no one has to go to the city to seek for work. Providing education and job training to form people who have the abilities and expertises, so that they can easily get a job or build their own business. In addition, for people who have become homeless can be solved by providing some house or hostelry and giving employment opportunities, as Daly (1996) stated "Combining affordable housing with appropriate services including help in finding work has successfully succeeded in helping people get off the streets and rebuild their lives ". Then, to treat them from problems that have occurred on the streets be able to give health services, psychological counseling services, grant protection and supervision for them

In conclusion, although homelessness cannot be completely eliminated, it can be reduced. For those solutions to work, different people need to get involved. The government be able to do prevention by providing welfare in various areas so that not many people go to the city to find work to sufficient their needs. The government can also work with companies to provide work training. And to reduce the number of homeless people who are already on the streets, can be done by providing adequate housing, employment opportunities, also providing health services, psychological consultations, and grant protection for them. These solutions will definitely get results, but it may take a long time to solve the problems. In addition, all people in the world  must care and help if they have the abilities to make no homelessness anymore.

References:

 

Ariniwulandaris.blogspot.com. (2015/ December 26). Fenomena Urbanisasi di Indonesia. Accessed on 19^th of June 2020 from http://ariniwulandaris.blogspot.com/2015/12/fenomena-urbanisasi-di-indonesia.html

BPS. (2000). Penduduk Indonesia Hasil Sensus Penduduk 2000 Seri RBL1.1. Jakarta: Badan Pusat Statistik.

BPS. (2010). Sensus Penduduk 2010. Accessed on 16^th of June 2020 from https://sp2010.bps.go.id/index.php/site?id=31&wilayah=DKI-Jakarta

BPS. (2019). Statistik Indonesia Statistical Yearbook of Indonesia 2019. Jakarta: Badan Pusat Statistik.

Carreerandrecovery.org. (2019/ June 19). Can Homeless People Get Jobs. Accessed on 19^th of June 2020 from https://www.careerandrecovery.org/can-homeless-people-get-jobs/

Daly, Gerald. (1996). Homeless, Policies, Strategies, and Lives on the Street. London: Routledge.

Fischer, Pamela J. (1992). Criminal Behavior and Victimization among Homeless People. Published in Homelessness: A Prevention-Oriented Approach. Jahiel Rene I., ed. Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press.

Foreignpolicy.com. (2019/ May 17). For the Poor, Falling Poverty Numbers Aren’t Always Good News. Accessed on 19^th of June 2020 from https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/05/17/for-the-poor-falling-poverty-numbers-arent-always-good-news/

Golden, Anne, William H. Currie, Elizabeth Greaves and John Latimer. (1999). Report of the Mayor’s Homelessness Action Task Force: Taking Responsibility for Homelessness: An Action Plan for Toronto. City of Toronto.

Hewitt, Ann J. (1994). Homelessness and the Criminal Justice System in Canada: A Literature Review. Ottawa: Department of Justice Canada.

Johnsen, Sarah, Watts, Beth. (2017). Homelessness and Poverty: Reviewing the Links. A Report for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation Anti-Poverty Programme

Theage.com.au. (2017/ January 19). I won't bundle up and ship out homeless people: Melbourne lord mayor Robert Doyle. Accessed on 19^th of June 2020 from https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/i-wont-bundle-up-and-ship-out-homeless-people-melbourne-lord-mayor-robert-doyle-20170118-gttthu.html

Vioya, Arrauda. (2010). Tahapan Perkembangan Kawasan Metropolitan Jakarta. Jurnal Perencanaan Wilayah dan Kota, Vol. 21 No. 3, Desember 2010, hlm 215 – 226

Zapf, Patricia, Ronald Roesch, and Stephen D. Hart. (1996). An Examination of the Relationship of Homelessness to Mental Disorder, Criminal Behaviour, and Health Care in a Pretrial Jail Population. Can J Psychiatry 41(7): 435–440.