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COUN 6785: Social Change in Action:

Prevention, Consultation, and Advocacy

Social Change Portfolio

Chasity Bilzing

Introduction: Addressing the Homeless Population in Oahu, Hawaii

The state of Hawaii is a place that many people dream of visiting in a lifetime. The luscious scenery and picturesque beaches seen in photos of Hawaii are a vision that many people that have never visited think about when planning a vacation. Where this information about the islands is very true, it does not paint a picture of what the islanders call “the real Hawaii”. Those that live here are able to experience first hand the not so glorious aspects about life in Hawaii and one of the biggest concerns of the community being that a majority of the population is suffering from living in poverty Due to the high numbers of individuals living in the community living at or below the poverty level, the homeless population continues to grow in the state. This portfolio specifically addresses communities living in poverty as well as the homeless population of Oahu, Hawaii.

Part 1: Scopes and Consequences

The growing population of the homeless community in Oahu, Hawaii sparks a major concern in the mental health community that could be dramatically changed with a prevention program aimed at addressing direct concerns with those individuals that are homeless in the community. The island of paradise is one that does not lack scenery and tranquility for many vacationers, however those living in the community struggle in various financial areas as well as lack the mental health support that many need in order to be successful living the rich island lifestyle. Research on the homeless population in Oahu states that Hawaii has the highest number of homeless population per capita in the nation (Engfer, 2017). Compared to a national average of 19 homeless individuals per 10,000; Hawaii’s homeless population is 45 to every 10,000 (Engfer, 2017). When looking at the data compared to the national average as well as the geological size of the state in comparison to others, the homeless community should be a major concern for the state as well as the rest of the nation. The direct consequences of the homeless community is that mental health concerns as well as addiction concerns can lead to high levels of crime, exposure to disease, or even suicide (Engfer,2017). It also puts children and youth at further risk of developing many of the same issues and increases the risk of teen runaways in the area (Engfer, 2017).

Homelessness in Oahu, Hawaii can be addressed by putting in place a prevention program aimed directly at mental health awareness and services in the community.

Part 2: Social- Ecological Model

In order to configure if this plan is suitable for the community as well as obtainable, risk and protective factors should be evaluated in order to determine various levels of awareness. The Social-Ecological Model helps to identify risk and protective factors at five different levels that include individual, peer, family, school, and community/culture (Swearer & Hymel, 2015). Applying the Social-Ecological Model to address a prevention program for homelessness in Hawaii that is aimed directly at mental health awareness and services in the community will help to determine the need for social change on this topic in the community.

Individual- Risk factors that can lead to homelessness in the community are age, childhood trauma, substance use, and mental health issues. Many reports on those found homeless in Hawaii have one or all of these risk factors that could place an individual at risk for becoming homeless on an individual level. Protective factors include receiving services for mental illnesses and substance abuse, an absence of substance use, as well as developed coping skills.

Peer- Risk factors that involve peers that could contribute to homelessness in this community include: having negative peer influence, being involved with other peers that are homeless, lack of social skills and antisocial behaviors. Peer influence begins to weigh heavily on an individual's life choices beginning in early adolescence and therefore could either positively and negatively influence choices that lead to homelessness (Tyler & Ray, 2019). Protective factors include having close peers that positively influence the individual and having developed social skills and confidence that aids in decision making.

Family- Risk factors that involve the family include: having family members that were previously or currently homeless, experience abuse and/or violence,financial stress and poverty and dealing with divorce and separation. In Hawaii, family influence is the most important factor in the decision making process and life choices of an individual. In most cases, individuals that experience one or more of these risk factors are more than likely to be put at higher risk of becoming homeless (Tyler & Ray, 2019). Protective factors include financial stability, living with both parents present, and no experiences with abuse and violence in the family.

School- Risk factors that involve school include: no graduating high school/dropping out and a lack in quality of education based on low standards of learning as well as financial stress (Tanabe & Mobley, 2011). The school systems in Hawaii have some of the highest numbers of teen dropouts as well as a low standard of education in the state(Tanabe & Mobley, 2011) . The quality of education is low due to many of the state living below poverty and lack of funding for school systems. Protective factors include: successful graduation from high school and investment in higher education/vocational programs post graduation.

Community/Culture: Risk factors that involve community and culture include: living in an area of poverty, housing availability, and employment difficulties. As stated previously, Hawaii has some of the highest numbers of those individuals living in poverty in our country making housing unaffordable to many (Engfer, 2017). Many of the state thrives financially from local and family businesses due to cultural responsibility and tradition (Engfer,2017). Protective factors include: living above the poverty line, being employed, and having access to affordable housing.

Part 3: Theories of Prevention

Tackling and properly addressing homelessness in Hawaii is a major issue that includes many different pieces to discuss in order to find an overall solution. Since homelessness in the state has been an ongoing issue for so many years there may not be one solution that can address the issue. Solution-focused therapy was designed to push clients to solve problems that were currently existing so that they may move forward in life (Franklin, Zhang, Froerer, & Johnson, 2017). With Solution-Focused Therapy, the cause of the problem is relevant however, not necessary in finding a solution for the current problem (Franklin, Zhang, Froerer, & Johnson, 2017). Through various types of research on the topic of homelessness in Hawaii, the causation behind the problem is different in each individual and family however, little research supports a solution-focused method in order to drive change in this area specifically. Solution-Focused therapy seems appropriate in this situation to focus on ways to solve the rise in homelessness and not on homelessness itself.

Researchers in Waikiki, Hawaii did a study on homelessness in youth using a solution-focused method. Participants were placed in a group setting where they worked to move past the reasoning behind what made them homeless and refocus on ways to move forward from their current situation (Walker, 2008). Solution-Focused techniques such as goal-setting and focusing on the strengths of others were used to guide participants in finding ways to get out of their current situation (Walker, 2008). The same type of approach could be very useful when working with the homeless population in Hawaii. Since homelessness is so widespread, the use of grouping individuals that have similarities in their situation can help focus on the needs of the community. During group techniques such as goal setting, focusing on strengths, and miracle questioning can be applied and results recorded in a series of 12 weeks.

Part 4: Diversity and Ethical Considerations

Hawaii is full of a diverse population of people that have decided to call Hawaii home. These people come from all walks of life, age rage, from all over various parts of the world. The same is true about the homeless population in the state. Being homeless is simply a way of life for many that live here (Engfer, 2017). Many individuals find living a simple life holds true to the original culture of the island. Due to this, the demographics of different populations that are homeless is also diverse (Engfer, 2017). Although very diverse and difficult to pinpoint, the homeless adolescent and youth population is a common theme that is continuously looked at in various studies over time. Ethical considerations when working with the homeless youth population need to be considered when looking into ways to solve homelessness on the island. When working with youth, professionals should be aware that consent is necessary from a parent or legal guardian before proceeding with treatment or studies or any type (Tyler & Ray, 2019). Obtaining consent is not all the time easily obtained since many parents are not available or unwilling for their children to participate or be questioned about anything (Tyler & Ray, 2019). Many of the homeless population of children tend to also be runaways. Many of the youth that have been found homeless is due to underlying factors such as childhood trauma, abuse, or simply always have been raised homeless from birth (Tyler & Ray, 2019). These factors are essential when forming a plan to better help the population since many of the homeless population have been found to be children and adolescents.

Part 5: Advocacy

As professional counselors advocate for target groups it is imperative to become aware of multicultural and social barriers that may be present at various levels. The Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies (MSJCC) was formed to ensure that professionals are thinking of all aspects of how their work can affect individuals and groups across all levels and to ensure that counselors adhere to guidelines to provide counsel and information that is well-rounded and researched (MSJCC, 2015). Various barriers are examined in addressing homelessness in the state of Hawaii to better understand how to best address the problem.

Institutional: When looking into school systems and organizations in Hawaii a major barrier to addressing social change towards homelessness would be the state's value and funding of the education that many students are receiving or not receiving. The funding for many extracurricular and informative programs are not available in the budget for schools and therefore would have a difficult time providing programs and support for addressing mental health concerns or students as well as addressing their needs due to homelessness (Swearer & Hymel, 2015). If the state cannot provide funding or support for needed mental health concerns, a barrier would present itself in further this social change proposal. Professionals could advocate easily in the school systems by volunteering their time to speak with different groups about mental health and homelessness and how it can affect children.

Community: When looking at community barriers to change, values and social norms should be held important to professionals advocating for change (MSJCC, 2015). As stated previously, in many cases of homelessness, the individual has grown up always being homeless and is considered a traditional way of life on the island. Although being homeless puts many adolescents at risk for additional challenges in life, it is a traditional and cultural norm that is very sensitive to the communities that have always been homeless (Engfer, 2017). Pushing for change is this area could unintentionally upset community members based on cultural values and community norms and traditions.

Public Policy: Many of Hawaii’s public policies dealing with the homeless population try to be as open as possible in addressing the fact that homelessness is a major problem in the state. The Hawaii Homelessness Initiative has been created in the last five years to place major focus and funding on creating support for the homeless community and formulating policies that address these needs of the state (City and County of Honolulu, 2019). Although there had been a decrease in the amount of homeless individuals in the state, the numbers still continue to be higher than other states. One action that may advocate for further public policy is for professionals to present themselves and advocate on the state level to further input and address the specific needs of the community.

References

City and County of Honolulu (2019). Approaches to Homelessness. Retrieved from: http://www.honolulu.gov/housing/homelessness/ohou-what.html

Engfer, K. (2017). Homeless in Paradise: A Phenomenological Study of Psychological Dynamics with the Homeless on Oahu. Journal of Ethnographic & Qualitative Research, 12(2), 142–156

Franklin, C., Zhang, A., Froerer, A., & Johnson, S. (2017). Solution focused brief therapy: A systematic review and meta‐summary of process research. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 43(1), 16–30. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1111/jmft.12193

Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies. (2015). Retrieved from: https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/competencies/multicultural-and-social-justice-counseling-competencies.pdf?sfvrsn=20

Swearer, S. M., & Hymel, S. (2015). Understanding the psychology of bullying: Moving toward a social-ecological diathesis–stress model. American Psychologist, 70(4), 344-353.

Tanabe, C. S., & Mobley, I. H. (2011). The Forgotten Students: The Implications of Federal Homeless Education Policy for Children in Hawaii. Brigham Young University Education & Law Journal, 2011(1), 51–74.

Tyler, K. A., & Ray, C. M. (2019). Risk and protective factors for substance use among youth experiencing homelessness. Children and Youth Services Review, 107. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.104548

Walker, L. (2008). Waikiki Youth Circles: Homeless youth learn goal setting skills. Journal of Family Psychotherapy, 19(1), 85–91. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1080/08975350801904213