Riverton Case Study

Human development across the lifespan encompasses changes in humankind's physical,
psychological, and cognitive aspects. The changes that occur in the human psychosocial life may
expose them to some issues that may deteriorate their well-being in the community. These issues
may include; disability, spirituality, and some mental illnesses limiting their participation in the
community's social, economic, and political spheres. Mental health issues have raised
community concerns due to the increasing wage gaps that deter the members from meeting their
daily basic needs (Rogers, 2019, pg. 300). This paper aims to analyze the impending problem
associated with mental health and homelessness in the community and use appropriate theory to
bring adaptive interventions to solve the problem.

Firstly, as a community social worker, I believe that mental health issues are susceptible and
thus require collective community participation to control. Riverton has been at the forefront of
reports from the media platforms on matters surrounding the psychological well-being of
residents. The increasing wage gaps in the economy have resulted in homelessness as individuals
cannot maintain economic standards. Furthermore, the growing wage gaps expose the members
to thoughts and emotional dissatisfaction, thus resorting to homelessness. In addition, reports
show that almost 60% of the homeless families are exposed to drug and substance abuse which
further threatens their health standards (Chapin, 2017, pg. 10). The story beyond doubt is that
homelessness itself is a very exposing factor to mental illness within the community

Riverton area records increasing rates of drug and substance addiction and depression which
are some of the core problems that inhibit mental well-being. The disparities between men and

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women regarding access to education have led to increased wage gaps in the community. In this
case, women are most affected as their enrollment in education is lower than their male
counterparts. High wage bills are a clear reflection that the question at hand is whether the local
members are in a position of affording the cost of housing within their areas. The individuals in
the country are unable to meet the increasing cost of housing, thus resulting into increase rates of
homelessness (Chapin et al. 2020, pg. 15). The center stage for development encompasses social,
political, economic, and environmental growth. The inability of the individuals to access the
housing resources doesn’t reflect a positive social effect but rather exposes the society to further
social problems that may arise due to homelessness within the community.

Access to improved housing should be a fundamental right of every individual, as shelter is
one of the basic needs for individuals. Conflict theory denotes that social inequalities within the
community can result in homelessness as individuals tend to survive. The approach provides a
content plane for social development, which I believe will be important in discussing the root
causes of homelessness within the Riverton Community. Stakeholder participation is critical in
this event as it may provide a collective approach that involves everyone in identifying
formidable solutions to problems affecting the community (Chapin, 2017, pg. 15). According to
Karl Marx, the feature of capitalism was a conflict that, in this event, resulted in increasing wage
gaps in the community. The subordinates, in this case, are the less fortunate groups who find it
hard to meet their daily basic needs and thus become polarized against the superordinate groups
in the community.

The scarcity of resources within the community may increase stress on the available ones. As
a result, the conflict may become more intense, leading the members to change the status quo

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within the community. I would involve the key stakeholders in the community, the families,
health care providers, and social workers, among others, as they are some of the important actors
in community development. For instance, the families and social workers can use the conflict
theory in alleviating the increased cost of access to health care services for the vulnerable groups
within the community. These stakeholders can develop alternative strategies for adopting such
surges within the community to prevent such problems from occurring in the community.

Other stakeholders, I'd include the church leaders and other local leaders who can work hand
in hand in identifying the available spaces to accommodate the victims of homel