Poverty
Liz’s Strengths, Needs, and Obstacles
Liz faces some strengths, needs, and obstacles in her life. Liz’s strength includes resilience and forgiveness. Even though she experiences tough and troubled times, she still holds to the idea that one day she will change her life through determination and education. By forgiving her parents for neglecting her, Liz manages to acquire some inner peace that pushes her through her vision. Liz needs basic amenities, such as food and accommodation. Liz and her sister go for days without food and squelch the hunger by consuming toothpaste, ice cubes and even ChapStick. Liz’s family lives in an apartment populated by drug dealers and other addicts, and its odour can be smelled from afar because it was never cleaned. Eventually, Liz became homeless and begins to live the streets (Melnad, 2013). The obstacles in Liz’s life are lack of money and her parents. Liz has a deep longing for education, but she does not have the funds to do so. Her parents are drug addicts who use all they have on the drugs and not to help her thrive academically.
Actions of Social Workers
Both the biblical and social work values present guidelines regarding the actions of social workers. Concerning social work values, social workers have a role in making referrals to link individuals and families to needed resources (Berg-Weger, 2019). For example, in the film Homeless to Harvard, social workers link Liz to the Child Welfare. Social workers also have a role in advocating for the rights of the needy person in society. According to Biblical values, social work entails working caring, curing, and changing the society to address issues of vulnerable populations and the poor. These actions resonate from Holy Scriptures such as Proverbs 14:21 and 1 Peter 4:10 emphasize on the inherent worth of all human beings as they are creating in God’s image.
References
Berg-Weger, M. (2019). Values and ethics in social work practice. Social Work and Social Welfare: An Invitation, 216–263. doi: 10.4324/9780429466687-5
Melnad, K. (2013, December 26). Homeless to Harvard Full Movie [Video]. YouTube.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGe3u5rLGQc&feature=youtu.be
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