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American dream pursuit of happiness
American dream pursuit of happiness
Affects of homelessness
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Many people come to America in order to pursue the American dream. As of December 12, 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau, there were 322,320,945 people living in America. How many of those people have actually accomplished the American dream? Now let’s talk about New York, according to the Annual Disability Statistics Compendium, in 2015 NY had a population of 19,546,699. Recently, it seems as though that people who came to America for a better life and future are not getting what is expected. So many people are in the poverty line and many are homeless. In recent years, NYC has reached the highest levels in homelessness since the Great Depression in the 1930s. (Basic Facts About Homelessness: New York City) What exactly is …show more content…
Many people walk around homeless people with suspicion or disgust. They are afraid the person will steal from them or does not want to go near them because of their appearance. However, only some people think of how to help them and make sure there aren’t that many homeless people on the streets. There are many soup kitchens which provide people with a hot meal. This may not seem like a lot but it is. Now the homeless person does not have to beg for that one meal, commit crime for that one meal, or commit crime for that one meal. Places such as Presentation BVM soup kitchen, where I volunteered, provided people with a meal and sometimes food to take or donated clothes. I believe if there were more places like such then the crime rate would decrease. When the temperature drops, many homeless people die due to being inadequately dressed for the weather. If people donated clothes, the homeless would get a little protection form the harsh weather. There are community driven organizations such as midnight runs, which ST. John’s have, where volunteers go around at night and provide homeless people with basic essentials needed to survive, such as a blanket or shoes for the winter. I believe if people were a little more considerate there would be less homeless people and less deaths amongst homeless
These changes however will take time, and will not happen overnight. The church will need a reasonable amount of time before any results can be seen. However, although my proposal might suggest negative consequences it is still worth implementing because, it offers more positive than negative results. The costs to start the program are reasonable and in the end will help everyone within the community. People within the church will feel a sense of accomplishment for making a difference in an individual’s life, and those who were once homeless will have the courage to turn their lives around. I can personally remember a time when the youth group from my church and I went out to local parks and helped feed the homeless. After doing such a good deed, I felt blessed and happy that I could help someone who was in need of my assistance. Creating the program will have such a positive impact on the community and will change it for the
There are over 3.5 million homeless people in the US now. Also, a quarter of people living on the streets are severely mentally ill, and must be admitted to institutions, and have the capability to if they were given or knew they had a chance. The poverty level is constantly rising, and is forcing more and more people onto the streets. We can just sit around and hope someone else does it, or we can take action. Next time you walk by a homeless man or family, and before you make a judgement about them, just take a minute and think about how easy it could be for you.
Have you ever noticed that while you’re driving around Austin that the homeless have become a common casualty to exhibit. I know the first thing that comes to mind is, “How ridiculous, why don’t they just get a job!”It perfectly acceptable to wonder, whether your money would go towards feeding a starving stomach or a drug addiction, therefore your generosity would be put to better use through a charity foundation or simply by offering a meal. The reality is that the majority of people who are homeless are unable to work due to certain disabilities. In other words, the best response is compassion. There is only so far we can do as a community, the major change has to come from a superior source, which is why I propose that the City of Austin
The homeless have the ability to make the non-homeless feel threatened and unsafe (Marin.) “They are homeless, are strangers, alien and therefore a threat (Marin.)” The threat and danger that homeless pose to American society could easily be eradicated by shipping all of them to other countries. We would then no longer have to deal with them on a day to day basis.
Homelessness in the United States has been an important subject that the government needs to turn its attention to. There has been announced in the news that the number of the homeless people in many major cities in the United States has been increasing enormously. According to United States Interagency Council on Homelessness reported that there was an estimation of 83,170 individuals have experienced chronic homelessness on the streets of the United States’ streets and shelters on only a single night of January 2015, which is a small decrease of only 1% from the previous year (People Experiencing Chronic Homelessness, n.d.). The United States must consider this subject that most of the people underestimate it and not pay attention
In conclusion I think that our homeless problem could eventually be rooted out entirely if everyone were to take part in the care of their fellow neighbors. A few advertisements on the television and radio, a little push from our society's leaders and we would be off on the right track. That worked for the recycling program. Now we should try employing this idea for even better reasons and become a better society. I doubt that I will be around to see this idea in use all around the world, but I do hope that I can one day see it use here in New York. To assist all the homeless here in New York would be a very nice thing to see. The best part of it all would be to know what we, as a society, would be able to work together despite all the barriers created by racism and our native nature when it comes to other heritage's.
At any given time, approximately 600,000 homeless survive at the front door of America. They are sleeping in parks, living in cardboard boxes, sitting on street corners, and resting under bridges. Terrible hunger gnaws at their stomachs as they search for food. Society labels the homeless as useless and worthless, but they are not. They are children, grandmothers, grandfathers, mothers, and fathers that need a place to sleep, eat, and live. What does society do to help? Nothing. Society hurries home from work, shopping, and leisure, worrying about who will win the next football game. Society is not worried about where their next meal will come from, where they will sleep, or where they will be tomorrow. Although it is difficult for society not to feel discomfort at seeing homeless people, it is the homeless who pay for the way people feel about them. Alienation of the homeless in America is a direct result of injustice, health issues, and societal attitudes; however, solutions are available to society as they are obligated to all of their citizenry, including the homeless.
While Soup Kitchens are a way to feed the poor or homeless, it not a program that effectively helps the homeless onto their feet, it simply keeps them fed. (www.merriam-webster.com) These do help the unsheltered homeless population though. While there are shelters, not everyone has access to them or some even chose not to go. In the city of Los Angeles, there are about 27,000 homeless people who are unsheltered, that’s 1 in 378. There are various factors that cause homelessness; these include a decline in public assistance, domestic violence, drug and alcohol abuse, job loss, divorce, low wages, poverty, severe depression, physical disabilities or mental illnesses. From the year 2011 to 2012, the number of homeless people skyrocketed. In New York City alone, there are more homeless people in the year 2014 than there were in the recession of the 1980s. (www.studentsagainsthunger.org)
Homeless individuals are known for taking hand outs and they prefer to plead for money rather than to go work for it. People assume most of the the money that is given to homeless people they spend it on drugs and alcohol because of the fact that many homeless people have drug and alcohol addictions. It is not uncommon to come across homeless youth and older homeless population that are known to abuse substances like drugs and alcohol. Because of the fact that homeless people have substance abuse problems, they tend face illnesses and infections. Many hard working Americans ask themselves “why don’t homeless people just get jobs?” The assumption is they are just lazy and unmotivated. Homeless people choose to live the life they live. Everyone goes through problems but not all people take the path homeless people do. The problems homeless people face is not an excuse for them to be helped and maintained by other hard working people. Although homelessness might be a choice to some, no one knows the hardships these people have gone through. Some assume these people are just lazy but in reality a lot of these homeless people have jobs of their own, they just can’t afford housing and a decent life. Everyone has their own opinion on homeless people, but that does not change the fact that one should still serve the homeless. Not because homeless people need help but because we are
There are currently over 200 million people living on this earth with no place to call their home. England contains a very small percentage of this population, around .002%, while its capital, London, holds an even smaller amount. This small amount is not surprising, because the United Kingdom has a very encompassing Safety Net. This Safety Net is in place to help those who are or are about to become homeless. In fact the United Kingdom’s Safety Net is one of the most comprehensive in the world (“Homelessness Facts and Figures”). Unfortunately many people still end up homeless, over 6,000 in the city of London. Many, more fortunate people, strive to help those sleeping on the streets, whether on their own or through a charity like St. Mungo’s on Broadway. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there is an unfortunate amount of people who are not only apathetic, but cruel to the people left in a tough situation. These people, and all other people, are homeless too, searching to find a home in heaven. Humans are not
Although homelessness is widespread and almost next to the catastrophic global hunger problems, it can be brought under control and its effect reduced to a greater percentage. By simply tracking the root causes of low wages and the lack of affordable housing as well as improving other support systems like housing vouchers and health care, homelessness can be solved.
Homelessness is a subject that has inspired many to write poems, speeches, and even songs. However, there is more depth to homelessness than just a source for inspiration; this is an ongoing problem for many all over the world. The 40th president to the United States, Ronald Reagan, once said that "what we have found in this country, and maybe we're more aware of it now, is one problem that we've had, even in the best of times, and that is the people who are sleeping on the grates, the homeless, you might say, by choice."(Reagan). The president's expression is very powerful even today, implying that even in the best of times homelessness is one of the top issues in society. Notice how President Regan cleverly used the wording "by choice" at the end of the sentence, what did he mean to convey by this? Was he implying that those who are homeless are so by choice? Or that many individuals perceived homelessness to be a choice? Perhaps it was a way to raise awareness of the impending problems that can lead an individual to homelessness. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness and the National Coalition for the Homeless, there are three triggering factors that lead to homelessness, lack of affordable housing, unemployment, and health care ("Why Are People Homeless?"). Therefore, when exploring into more depth the determining reasons, considering the key roles that a home, money, and employment play in an individual’s life will facilitate a better understanding of the downward spiral towards homelessness.
The number of homeless people in America is outrageous, and it is only growing as people are getting unemployed. If everyone pitched in to help the homeless and instead discriminate by them, then the numbers of homeless people would decrease. Homeless people face difficulties trying to survive on the streets, life is not easy for them, and no one is as grateful as the
Quick question: if you came home after a long day of work to find your apartment gone, where would you go? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to not have a home? As I drive around my community, it seems as though there is more and more homeless each year. Families, teens, human beings, are left starving through the rainy winter nights and hot summer afternoons. What is the solution to this problem of homelessness in Oahu?
People should help the homeless by aiding them with healthcare, housing, and childcare. Homelessness is not a new trend and is growing more everyday. Homeless people should not be different from anyone else when it comes to getting a helping hand.