Social Problems and Homelessness in Savannah, Georgia
Savannah hosts diverse cultural, racial and sexual groups, as well as people of different social status, rates of income etc. As soon as it is in human nature to form communities, the majority of these groups occupy specific territories of the city. Those, which are less socially protected, like homeless, sexual or racial minorities, are thoroughly monitored by the relevant governmental structures.
Considering homeless, there is still a great variety of those living below the poverty line and not able to earn for renting a flat. These mostly include individuals, who lost their home due to alcohol addiction or other negative habits, but there are also those people, which are not able to find work because of the old age or for some other reasons. In 2013, there were about 344 homeless veterans recorded in Savannah (Hilaski, 2013). Therefore, homeless are a significant part of the population, and many of them need help and protection.
However, not all of the homeless wish to integrate back into society. They are most commonly camping along the Truman Parkway, Louisville road, Garden City, under the bridges etc. (Hilaski, 2013). Avoiding employment and limitations on alcohol and drug use, they rarely contact with authorities or whoever. Thus, these camps seem to be somehow isolated from the society.
The problem of homelessness is of great importance in Savannah, a soon as the authorities are not fully capable of providing the whole population with housing. There are about 20 camps, with approximately 1000 homeless living there (“Homeless”). The general homeless population is several times larger, so the scales of the problem are rather significant.
In Savannah, the Chatham Savannah Authority for the Homeless and Housing Authority are responsible for dealing with this serious issue. The Homeless Authority is working-out a pilot program, which aims to provide veterans with micro-housing, using a low-cost approach to building micro-homes, while the Housing Authority performs to provide the homeless with services first, such as medical care (“Homelessness”). Thus, when combined, these two approaches are used to reduce the rates of homelessness.
Another group, which gathers much attention of the society, is sexual minorities. In Savannah, there is no specific enclaves, where gay and lesbian live, however, there are several communities with a great variety of them. The representatives of these groups have specific restaurants, night clubs and celebrations, like the August gay pride, which offers different performances and parties (“The Gay”). These events attract more and more people each year.
There are many areas, fully inhabited by African American families or Latin American families, which have a set of differences. The first mainly live in the areas of West Gwinnet Street, Feeley Avenue, Carver Village, Tatumsville etc. (“Races in Savannah”). In these areas, the amount of families which live below the poverty level is mostly higher than 50%, besides, an average income is the one of a working-class family. Considering the second group, there are several areas with small Hispanic households near the Stiles Avenue, Laurel Grove Cemetery …
