Week Fourteen

Thesis:
Homelessness is a significant problem in major cities across the country, and despite our best efforts, remains an issue.


Old paragraph:
Unfortunately, despite all their good intentions, programs from different departments and even within the same wings of the same departments sometimes overlap one another, and waste money and effort on providing duplicate services for some and no service for others. Some of these problems are cause by issues as silly as being unable to agree on the definition of 'homeless,' and what services those that are homeless or varying degrees of homeless qualify for. This has not only affects what services can be offered, but also what data can be collected in surveys. For example, if multiple departments sponsor multiple surveys and statistical reports that investigate identical or similar material, then there is no winning situation. If they agree with each other completely, then there was a huge waste of money. If they disagree on every point, then the survey or investigation must be redone by an independent third party, so as to not skew the results, which in the end wastes more money and time. If they agree on some things and disagree on others, then both scenarios come true, and money is still wasted, instead of being spent helping the homeless. This is why the Government Accountability Office is recommending a joint committee between HHS, HUD, and the Department of Education, which would be responsible for coordinating the three and making sure all resources are wisely distributed.


New paragraph:
Unfortunately, despite all their good intentions, programs from different departments sometimes overlap one another, wasting money and effort on providing duplicate services for some and no service for others. Some of these problems are caused by issues as silly as being unable to agree on the definition of ‘homeless,’ and what services those that are homeless qualify for. This has not only affected what services can be offered, but also what data can be collected in surveys. For example, if multiple departments sponsor multiple surveys that investigate identical or similar data trends, then there is no winning situation. If they agree with each other completely, then there was a huge waste of money. If they disagree on every point, then the survey or investigation must be redone by an independent third party, so as to not skew the results, which in the end wastes more money and time. If they agree on some things and disagree on others, then both scenarios come true, and money is still wasted, instead of being spent helping the homeless. That is why the Government Accountability Office is recommending a joint committee between HHS, HUD, and the Department of Education, which would be responsible for coordinating the three and making sure all resources are wisely distributed (Cackley).