People in Miami, FL Need Urgent Help
Miami, FL is an urban community with rather dense population rates. The family houses by which the community infrastructure is represented heavily are mostly well-kept and in good condition, yet the health issues are getting out of hand. Particularly, the problem of homelessness, the problems associated with HIV/AIDS, the health concerns related to obesity need to be listed among the key priorities.
Despite the efforts of the local authorities, homelessness remains a major problem. Thus, homeless people are the key vulnerable population and the focus of the study. People that do not have anywhere to live are exposed to a range of health threats, which makes them extremely vulnerable to outside factors.
The analysis of the options for helping homeless people is the purpose of this study. As a result, the quality of life in the community will increase. There are several resources in Miami, FL, that can be used to address health issues among homeless people. Shelters and employment options must be created to assist homeless people in Miami, FL.
Vulnerable Population Overview: Homeless People and Others
As stressed above, the homeless face the greatest threat in Miami, FL. Their propensity to search for help in shelters and social services to get food, medical assistance and a place to sleep shows that they are aware of the threats that they face. Nevertheless, the unsanitary conditions in which they live and the lack of awareness about the current health concerns make them extremely vulnerable. Additionally, middle-aged people, in general, suffer from the lack of accessibility of healthcare services in Miami, FL. The identified issue is especially real for the obese citizens of Miami, FL. The unwillingness of the said populations to use the suggested services makes them very vulnerable and exposed to an array of threats.
Homelessness has been affected greatly by the economic challenges, and obesity levels have recently been increased because of the sedentary lifestyle among Miami, FL citizens (Kalesnikaite & Garcia-Zamor, 2014). As a result, the problem has been growing over the past few years. Thus, it needs to be addressed before it gets out of hand.
Strengths, Risk Factors, and/or Barriers: Promoting Health in the Community
Strengths
The fact that the problem is widely recognized in Miami, FL, and that a range of programs have been launched to manage it is an obvious strength. For instance, the Homeless Trust and the Chapman Partnership offer vast opportunities for homeless people (Homeless Trust, 2017; Chapman Partnership, 2017). Similarly, the obesity-associated problems stem from people’s lack of knowledge about the threat. Therefore, the current awareness levels and the search for the solution are the key strengths.
Risk Factors
The economic challenges are the key risk factors triggering the rise in homelessness levels among the citizens of Miami, FL (Kalesnikaite & Garcia-Zamor, 2014). The lack of available healthcare options for people with few to none financial resources is another risk factor. Obesity, in turn, is predetermined by the lack of awareness along with the unwillingness to change the current lifestyle.
Barriers
Homeless people also show the unwillingness to use the healthcare services offered to them. Thus, the lack of enthusiasm is the main cause of the rise in health problems among the homeless in Miami, FL. The same can be said about the obese citizens of Miami, FL. The people with excess weight fail to recognize the problem and use the services that are offered to them. Consequently, financial and educational barriers are key obstacles (Kalesnikaite & Garcia-Zamor, 2014).
Community Resources and Their Availability: An Overview
Healthcare for Homeless Veterans (U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, 2017) is one of the best-known programs for meeting the needs of homeless people. Launched by the local authorities, it has been delivering the services needed by the target group for years. The resource is perfectly adequate since it provides extensive support to the target group. However, the organization tends to focus only on veterans, overlooking younger demographics.
Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust (2017) and the Chapman Partnership (2017) mentioned above also provide sufficient services for people that need shelter. However, the quality of the services delivered by these organizations has been questioned (Teproff, 2016). Thus, significant improvements are strongly advised.
Community Health Problem Diagnosis: Why Miami Is Not Safe
Although obesity remains an admittedly topical issue in Miami, homelessness has a significantly higher toll on the citizens. Therefore, it needs better management. By building a more compelling program aimed at assisting the homeless, a community health nurse could ostensibly impact the problem significantly, as suggested in the Healthy People 2020 objectives. The identified goal aligns with the ECИЗ-10 objective, i.e., to “increase the quality, availability, and effectiveness of educational and community-based programs” (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2017).
Summary: Problems and Their Priority
Homelessness and obesity remain two primary concerns for the citizens of Miami, FL. Despite the endeavors of the local authorities, homeless people remain unwilling to use the suggested healthcare services. Similarly, obesity levels are not reduced because of the absence of enthusiasm among overweight people. The priority of homelessness is extremely high since it causes a massive drop in the citizens’ quality of life. Therefore, a program aimed at raising awareness and cooperation among the community members is required.
References
Chapman Partnership. (2017). Programs and services. Web.
Homeless Trust. (2017). Ready to volunteer? Web.
Kalesnikaite, V., & Garcia-Zamor, J. C. (2014). The sustainable development of Miami: Tackling the homeless problem. Current Urban Studies, 2(3), 188-197. Web.
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2017). Educational and community-based programs. Web.
Teproff, C. (2016). Miami homeless shelter battling bed bugs. Miami Herald. Web.
U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. (2017). Homeless veterans. Web.