As I sat on the sidewalk with him, shame overtook my heart. The glares from others passing by caused me to feel utterly uncomfortable but I continued to listen to his story. I knew what I had been called to do when I accepted this opportunity but never had I imagined it to be like this. It was eleven p.m. when my bus left for Chicago. As we drove along the interstate I positioned my headphones onto my head. I started the playlist that I had created especially for the trip. Trying to pass time, I rested my head against the window and watched the stars streak across the night sky. I soon drifted off to sleep and dreamt of the things that I would be doing in Chicago. After several hours of sleeping awkwardly in my seat I was awakened by the bus’ …show more content…
airbrakes. We had just crossed the Missouri state line and were pulling into a gas station to switch drivers. It was around two-thirty in the morning when we were back on the highway. I found myself once again watching the stars pass by. After an hour of staring into the night I finally convinced my mind into letting my worn out body go to sleep. The next 10 hours were a blur. I slept the entire drive and remembered only the occasional stop for food and a bathroom break. It wasn't until we reached the Chicago city limits that I was fully awake. I was astonished by the amount of graffiti. The vandalise art was like vines that had engulfed an abandoned building whole. After about two hours of driving through horrific traffic we reached our destination which was a small university in Chicago. I unloaded my bags into the tiny dorm room that I would call home for the next week. I was eager to start our week long immersion the next morning. I laid in my bed that evening staring at the ceiling, studying every detail and crack in the white plastered walls until I plunged into a deep sleep. The next morning, the loud screeching of my alarm woke me from my dreams. I turned it off as I sluggishly rolled out of bed. I began prepping all that I would take with me to the showers before we left to eat breakfast. After eating a measly bowl of cereal, myself and the other the guys made our way to the showers. When I arrived I turned the water on only to find that it was frigid. Once I was done washing my body under the icy stream of water I ran to the bench, grabbed my towel and wrapped it around my frozen core trying to get warm. I dressed and walked back to the dorms ready to make the most of my day. We loaded the vans and drove to the places where we would volunteer. My group was selected to work with children at By the Hand Club. This is a place where at-risk children receive additional educational opportunities and are submersed in a healthy environment. The moment I walked into the door I was swarmed by kids between the ages of five and twelve. I was delighted to have the opportunity to work with them but in the back of my mind I knew that I had only one week to make an impact in their lives. With the little time I had, I made a promise to myself that I would try to be the role model that they didn't have in their lives. For the next few days my group was immersed in all the struggles that go unseen in Chicago and the different cultures of those who live there. I was humbled by the sights that were shared with me but little did I know what I was going to feel the final day I was there. On my last morning in Chicago I was awoken by the same screeching of my alarm that I had actually learned to accept.
Instead of rolling out of bed I sprung to my feet and got ready knowing it was my last chance to make a difference. Our last few hours in Chicago we had to live as if we were homeless. Each person in our group was given two dollars and was supposed to live on that for the day. My group split up and took the train downtown where we were amongst the people of Chicago. When we got off the train my group walked for several blocks looking at all of the buildings and occasionally holding a conversation with a stranger. Around one in the afternoon we decided to pool our money together and buy things to make sandwiches. On our way to a Walgreens we walked past a man asking for money. I shamefully tried to avoid eye contact with him and proceeded to walk past him. When we reached the Walgreens we bought what we needed for lunch. On the way out one of the girls had the idea that we should give the man some of our food and the leftover money that we had. We gathered our lunch and walked back to where the man was sitting. When we got there I asked if we could have lunch with him. He said “yes” and we sat down next to him. I offered him a sandwich but he refused to eat until we had eaten first. I was rather surprised because I thought that he would accept my offer right away. I asked him “Are you sure?” and he responded “Yes, of course!” My group and I continued to visit with him about his life and the trials he was going through. As I was asking these questions I could feel the glares of other people as the walked by. Some gave looks of hatred while others pretended we didn't exist. Minutes before people viewed me as a normal person but the second I sat down next to this man, who was no different than anyone else, I was instantly treated like filth. He actually wasn't even homeless. He just couldn't find any work that day and told me that “It’s better to sit and
beg for money than to go out and steal. I just couldn't find any work this mornin’!” I felt ashamed because I had once been the people walking by this man. I was too quick to judge when I hadn’t even heard this man’s story. After an hour of talking to him I prayed with him and went back to the university. I loaded my luggage and began the long journey home. In the middle of the night I found myself once again looking out the window of the bus and staring at the stars. Instead of trying to make myself fall asleep I was thinking about the man I had lunch with earlier that day. Visiting with him made me realize how blessed I really was and how much of a hypocrite I had been before. When I accepted the opportunity to go to Chicago I planned on changing the city but the city changed me.
Homelessness is a problem that happens in many different countries around the world. Definitions of homelessness are defined in different meanings by different people. However, the Stewart B. McKinney Act defines a homeless person as “ one who lacks a fixed permanent nighttime residence or whose nighttime residence is a temporary shelter, welfare hotel, or any public or private place not designed as sleeping accommodations for human beings” (McNamara 1025). It is impossible to find out exactly the number of homeless; however, the researchers can do a study to estimate that number. Based on different statistics from different researchers, the homeless population in America has been increasing as “an alarming rate” (Markos and Lima). Therefore, even though America is one of the most powerful countries in the world, homelessness, which has many common causes, has always been a big problem in society.
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
According to Streetwise of Street News Services (2010), the first reported instances of homelessness dates as far back as 1640, in some of the larger cities in the original 13 colonies. At this time, there were wars being fought between settlers and Native Americans, and people were left with no shelter in both sides (Street News Service, 2010). Later, the industrial revolution caused more homelessness, industrial accidents left many former hard-working families with a dead provider, or with severe disabilities, and then the economy entered a recession in the same time period (Street News Service, 2010). Wars always left a large number of veterans homeless. Later, in 1927, there was an astronomical flood along the Mississippi River, across multiple state, leaving about 1.3 million people without a home (Street News Service, 2010). Natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco, the Asian tsunami in 2004, and the earthquake early this year in Japan are still a major cause of homelessness.
The Chicago Coalition for the Homeless estimates that between 2014 and 2015, 125,848 Chicagoans were homeless. 20,205 homeless students were identified by Chicago Public Schools. 98.1% of the students identified were 'children of color ', and 18.3% were diagnosed with disabilities or developmental delays. 54,638 students were identified throughout all of Illinois. People living in families comprise half of Chicago 's homeless population. 14% of Chicago 's homeless adults were employed.
The Homeless in America I never imagined that I would be homeless. " Although I have read this statement over and over again, the facts behind it remain astonishing. The facts are that there are millions of homeless people in America today. Many of these people had no choice but to become homeless. Economic problems such as being laid off work, or the rise in the cost of housing, have led people to live on the streets.
In Charles E. King’s “Homelessness in America”, he writes about the population of homeless people in America and the fact that children are part of the growing population of the homeless in America. Also, in “My Anger and Sadness Over Pesticides”, Cesar Chavez writes that pesticides have endangered the lives of farm workers and their families. In addition, in “The Gulf War is Still Being Fought”, Joelle Foshee writes that even though the gulf war has ended, a new war is still being fought and this new war is known as the “Gulf War Syndrome”. These are all injustices in America today. However, homelessness in America is the injustice I have chosen to address because the population of homeless people has grown higher due to insufficient help from the gove...
U.S Government is mainly responsible for the rise in homelessness in New York City; due to their previous negligence in providing an immediate solution and the aggravation of the issue due to certain policies that they placed. (Thesis)
Homelessness is not something that was created over night; it has existed for a long time; often we choose not to see the homeless, or bother with them, so we look the other way. Homelessness is not prejudice toward race, creed, or religion--it has no boundaries; all homeless people should not be stereotyped as being drug abusers or the mentally ill that have been released from mental hospitals. Homelessness is not a disease that a person can catch from bodily contact, but it certainly has afflicted many Americans. We need to find the cause of homelessness before we can find a solution. More money for more programs is the typical response, but we should look at what has already been instituted and reevaluate them.
The number of homeless citizens and government unwillingness to provide assistance proves to be a persistent problem in the world today. In Michigan alone, there are 86,189 people striving to live without a home (HMIS, 1,2016). With this glaring statistic being presented, this pervasive issue continues to plague the city; as there are very few initiatives being implemented to reduce the homeless population. Due to their situations, these victims often take up nomadic lifestyles in search of temporary shelters, consequently putting their health and well being at high risk when weather conditions are harsh or when they’ve entered unknown areas. Without the proper care and shelter, victims have no means of survival, which far too often, leads
Homelessness is a persistent problem everywhere. An area with numerous numbers of homeless people, is San Francisco, California. Homeless people are being pushed around on where they can stay. Citizens should be able to choose what they want. In the article, “San Francisco nudges homeless away from Super Bowl village.”, they talk about San Francisco city officers are telling homeless people that they need to leave because there is construction for the super bowl city, and other parties and events. These people are being told to go to a shelter set up by the city. Most of these people don’t want to go stay at a shelter for numerous reasons. One of the many reasons is that there is waste, urine, and many other substances all over the encampments.
In the article ¨San Francisco Nudges Homeless away from Super Bowl fan Village¨ by Alison Vekshin the author is talking about how many homeless people are being pushed away from the newly constructed Super Bowl City. In this newly built football field we will be seeing a performance by Alicia Keyes followed by a fireworks display. Well paid workers in San Francisco have inflated housing costs to some of the highest in the United States.This is one of the reasons why San Francisco has the eighth worst homeless rate in the nation. David Perry is a Super Bowl committee´s host he assures that there will more teams going out to help the homeless find a place to stay. San Francisco is committed to make the experience of the Super Bowl safe,clean
from one side of the country to another, most in a search for employment. According to Rubin (2007), “American cities have always had pockets of homelessness, the ‘skid row’ bums in neighborhoods like the Bowery in New York, West Madison in Chicago, the Tenderloin in San Francisco” which is where the homeless sought refuge and slept on the streets. The modern day homeless are no longer about ‘bums’, ‘wino’, and ‘hobos’ in skid row type areas. Homeless of today are comprised of children of all ages, families, and there are now as many women as men not previously seen in the United States.
Mother Teresa once said, “We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty.” Poverty and homelessness are two controversies that remain a nuisance in American society today. Both are the reasons for hundreds of thousands of people being out of the workforce. Today, the economy is at a standstill. Money is being spent inefficiently by the government on issues other than current unemployment and poverty, causing what seems to be a decline in jobs. As a result, the number of full time jobs created is at an all time low. In their place are part-time jobs being instituted. There are many different social, political, and economic factors
I went to the grocery store and got cases of water, bags of bread, and stuff to make the sandwiches. I had finished preparing the bags and each had granola bars, fruit, ham and cheese sandwiches, water, toothpaste, and other hygiene products. My dad and I had arrived outside the homeless shelter and were ready to pass the bags out as we saw the swarm of people. Hundreds maybe even thousands of people gathered sitting in what little shade there was. I knew we had a homeless problem, but not to this extent and the bags I had made were going to make little to no difference on the vast amount of people that had been sitting outside. I was a little disappointed at first to be completely honest because I was not prepared for that many people. If I would have known there would have been so many people I would have made more bags. We drove around the block planning on what we were going to do and saw some tents set up. My dad and I were curious as to what they were, so we got out the car and saw that these people had been giving people food and I walked up to them and asked if there was any way I could help them. These people in the tents were actually an organization called Open Arms Outreach and a few girls scouts. They gladly let us help and we brought a few cases of water and the bags I had made and helped pass them out. The organization Open Arms Outreach
You had to, I told myself, you had to. A hand slid across my back and landed on my shoulder causing me to flinch. His obnoxious voice boomed loudly into my ear, “She’s going to be fine. Don't act like your mother,” I stiffen. My father’s demeanor alone was dauntless and menacing, but here I sat conceited, narcissistic, big-headed, yet cowardly. There was something about the way he spoke that tugged at my heart, but it also made me feel whole. “Don’t get sympathetic now. You’re past that, remember? You’re the