I demand an end to homelessness and a new approach to solving the issue in Charlotte!

Issues:

Chronic Homeless with new members added to the homeless population every other day, despite the myriad housing projects that have been sponsored by the government

• In my research, partly defined as the particular Lack of focus from governmental programs and non-profits on the causes of homelessness, such as societal perception, clean clothing, psychological re-integration, etc. but rather, the government and most non profits tend to only focus on curing the symptoms, essentially creating a constant incentive for those being supported to continue to “depend on the state for housing,” not forgetting to mention that it will have the effect over time at producing more homeless citizens as economic times get worse, as one can always expect them to do. 

Lack of attempt by government to raise and inspire talented community members to create sustainable businesses and talented creatives, whom can not only create value and solve problems in the community, but who can also either turn a profit and repay the state, or continue a joint venture with the state.

• In my research, it is partially defined as the Lack of attention on government to provide to the arts in general, let alone at-risk youth creatives, turning more and more aspiring creatives such as rappers, clothing designers, and painters to other ways of making enough money to actualize and fully express their music, clothing and paintings respectively.

Lack of government to successfully utilize synergy from within its own community to solve common problems such as traffic, homelessness, and in some instances, to save a potential life from a life-long incarceration, via the considering and ultimate integration of, the private, public, and non-profit sectors as one functioning arm of as many policies as the community needs to have, or at least until such an initiative can solve the problem that demanded a policy in the first place.


Goals: Can a lack of available clothing for the homeless, a lack of available fabric materials for clothing designers, and the strategic re-use of clothing and scrap fabric materials that are abandoned by donation based resale stores create multiple products for each actor, without every having the need for a single dime of investment? Can this synergistic business model be petitioned to the local charlotte government, as the most cost effective way to complex problems of clothing the homeless, and providing aid to at risk creative youths?

• We the undersigned seek to end the lack of availability of clean, appropriately fitted clothing, clean showers for the general homeless population in Charlotte, and demand the creation of a chance to work in society once more for the homeless, via the utilization of government incentives and grants to employ talented members of the community to either create sustainable business models, or non-profits, aimed at ending societal problems such as Homelessness, while simultaneously cutting reoccurring sunk costs such as chronic homelessness. 

• We the undersigned seek to end the lack of access to the necessary raw materials that at risk creative youths need access to, but that cant afford it, causing them to turn to other purposes by which to define themselves, which amongst the less fortunate typically concerns crime, for reasons of need and either a lack of, or inability to carry out, a purpose.

• In particular, we the undersigned seek to be inspired by the market place, especially in areas where the private and public intersect, such as the non-profit sector, to create a private-state joint venture incentive program targeted at solving homelessness in the community.

Solutions: Ultimately, via this incentive program, we would like to be the flagship example, whereby we would:

1. Embrace synergy between the public private and non-profit
2.     Isolate the lack of access to clean, appropriate clothing for the typical homeless member’s range of needs, such as weathering the elements, applying for a job, or even going on a date – any hindrance to each homeless members ability to re-assimilate, which is always just a roof over their head. 
3.      Utilize fast-fashion trends leading to an increasing amount of supply donations, all of which are often resold, or destroyed because they cannot be resold, by ultimately sourcing from churches, clothing companies, neighborhoods, clothing restores, and factories to donate fabric to the cause of clothing the homeless and encouraging the arts, in exchange for a tax incentive and governmental recognition.
4.     Furthermore, we the undersigned would like government support in washing the clothing via local commercial washing centers, which would take form in publicity and tax incentives for the local businesses, should agree to wash the donations in bulk. 
5.     Once clean, the clothing would be sorted by members of the homeless community who can be paid a small wage and a portion of the payment on their housing to the state, should they wish to continue to stay in state-based housing past 1 year. These same members can also be utilized as outreach members for the homeless community, both working with designers and members of the community to solve all of their aesthetic needs, both in clothing and societal perception of acceptable fashion.
6.     The at risk youth Designers would then implement insights of the tactical, societal, and professional obstacles faced by the homeless community, as it pertains to ability for them to take pride in their aesthetic, the ability for them to weather cold winters and hot days, and the ability for them to dress well for a job interview, into their designs.
7.      Following the creation of the first line of utilitarian, low cost fashion for the Homeless community, the state could present and promote the initiative via all known state communicative means to raise awareness of the approach to solving the chronic homeless, as well as to change the perception of the condition.
8.      This cycle of production, and the quantities of each, will be decided by available resource, sound business principles, and demand.
9.      Donations would be made, and clothing could be marketed and sold online to willing citizens who are interested in the fashion designs, or to members from other states that just want to clothe the homeless in their own communities.
10.     Ultimately, any profit gained, or donation received, would go into growing the reach and strength of services, the paying of the local employees, and the returning of the initial money invested by the government in the venture, back to the people over the first ten years of operation until it is standalone or sustainable.
11.     Furthermore, it is far more beneficial for the government’s interests, to solve multiple problems with one investment, which requires nothing more than allowing the homelessness to work off the rent for their homes, than it is to have housed over 2,000 homeless over the past several years, fail to bring the homeless numbers under 1,000, and fail to have any concrete track for reintroduction of a homeless member back into society. 

Personal Cause:

   My personal objective for bringing this call to action is for the completion of my Senior Project, however, the expected results and the ideas are still ready to be reaped and utilized by myself and many other members of the community who have yet to be presented with such an opportunity.

     As a online high-school student, a full-time employee, and a signed runway and print model, my passion has always not just been in fashion, but in all facets of the industry; the business mechanisms, the journey and struggle of its members to and for recognition; its utilization of aesthetic to present, change, and influence perception; and in its creatiion of marketing in the presentation of the product alone.

      Moreover, having an understanding of how all of these pieces move and interact, particularly in how the different agents of the industry collaborate to solve and create a product for another, or rather trade for trade style working, to ultimately create the same product, just under the competition of the marketplace. Thus, these same principles when backed instead by the wide array of versatile incentive and grant structure offered by the government could be used to encourage the creation of sustainable and profit generating initiatives by various members of the local community, in all capacities and roles.

    Should you find my consulting necessary in the application of this, along with the idea generating of other similar profit generating solutions of community problems, I would be happy to and eager represent the city of charlotte in introducing a new phase of public, private, and non-profit synergy in solving community issues.