Lack of resources for people with Developmental disabilities

Problem-Based Learning English Worksheet

Directions: Please fill out the following worksheet and turn it into Canvas by the required date. Use this worksheet as a tool to help you brainstorm for subsequent papers.

Name:
Course: English 111-F31
Date: 7 October 2020

Tasks Questions to consider: Your Response:
1. Define a current issue or real world problem
What topic do you want to focus on that affects your audience/
community? Discuss the prevalence of the issue and qualify its relevance using credible evidence to make your case.
Justify the problem. Many homeless residents in Fredericksburg do not have a safe place to sleep at night. There are few areas where unsheltered homeless people can peacefully and safely sleep at night. According to a survey conducted by the Fredericksburg Regional Continuum of Care on January 24, 2019, 221 people were homeless in the Fredericksburg area (qtd. In Uphaus).

2. Identify Strategies Brainstorm multiple approaches for solving the problem that apply within the context. A public parking lot used for a non 24hour business could be used as an overnight camp for the homeless.

A small plot of land in a central part of Fredericksburg could be bought and used as a campground for the homeless community.

Local motels could rent out empty rooms for a cheaper price for homeless residents to accommodate their budget.

3. Propose Solutions

Choose the solution(s) that best address the problem raised. If local motels provided affordable prices for the homeless that would provide homeless residents with a safe and peaceful place to sleep at night. This is safe because they have their own room with a door and lock on it, and it is peaceful because it keeps homeless residents away from places where other residents could be alarmed by their presence.
4. Evaluate Multiple Potential Solutions What are the strengths and weaknesses of your proposed solutions listed in #3? Are these solution(s) logical and/or practical? I believe this solution is practical because budget motels tend to struggle to make ends meet due to lack of customers. If prices were cut specifically for the homeless I believe the homeless residents of Fredericksburg would take advantage of it as it would be much safer to sleep in a room with a lock rather than on the streets. This increase in customers would likely make motel owner more profit.
What are the weaknesses in this solution?
5. Evaluate Impact of Selected Solution(s) What is the impact of your selected solutions? (Your response may include history of problem, review of logic/reasoning, and feasibility of solution.)
The impact of my selected solution would be seen in multiple different areas. The number of homeless people being arrested at night for being intoxicated in public, sleeping in public, or any form of public indecency would likely decrease. Providing the homeless with affordable day to day housing can also help in these homeless people getting jobs, with money left over they could purchase soap and bathe using the shower provided in the motel room. Being clean can contribute tremendously to landing a job interview. This solution would also help keep the local homeless population safe, sleeping on the streets at night is dangerous and provides many opportunities to be harmed or have your things stolen from you. With a door and a lock on it the homeless people could sleep safely and peacefully.
6. Reflect on Problem-Solving Process

What additional resources or steps are needed to implement your proposed solution successfully? How will you measure the success of your proposed solution(s)? Additional steps needed to implement my solution would be to get multiple motels on board throughout the county; this provides not only competition and likely even lower prices. It also provides more opportunities for homeless people without transportation to be able to take advantage of the affordable rooms. Additional resources needed would be affordable hygienic products and simple snack foods and drinks readily available inside these motels.

While this example is an example of a good first draft, there are areas left unexplored.

For example: Item #4: No evidence provided that “budget motels tend to struggle to make ends meet.”
Another weakness: From the motel owner’s point of view: what impact will the homeless population have on the motel’s other paying guests? Who will be responsible for the payment of damages in the rooms, should they occur?
Put yourself in the motel owner’s position: what are reasonable and logical concerns that you may have concerning your business – before you agree to renting your rooms at a lower price to homeless folks?
Another thing to consider: as the motel owner – why wouldn’t I simply lower my rates to other groups, other than the homeless population? In other words, what’s in it for me?

Other questions to be addressed: Who will pay for these rooms? Logically, even at a reduced price, homeless people have little money. In section 5, it reads, “with money left over they could purchase soap…” What is “money left over”? “Left over” from what?