How Can One Help the Homeless?

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How Can One Help the Homeless? The most common thing that comes to mind when someone mentions living in the United States is the “American Dream”. This dream including a family living in a house with a white picket fence around it. The grass is nice and green and everything seems simple and dandy; however, this is rarely seen. In cities there are often people on the street corners holding up signs that say “will work for food”, or something along those lines. The people holding these signs are apart of the growing population of homeless. Shelters that help the homeless are full and running out of resources. This may seem like a simple matter, at first glance, but it is actually quite complex. Communities are continuously struggling with dealing with the many homeless citizens and trying to understand the cause so that solutions can be implemented. Solutions for homelessness are being brought about, publically and privately, by addressing the issues of housing, low-income, and education. Instead of helping, there are certain areas of the United States that are trying to make homelessness illegal. Merchants, vendors, and business owners view the homeless as a threat and believe that they “intimidat[e] customers with ‘aggressive panhandling’.” Along with intimidation, the homeless also have the potential to cause damage to businesses, not meaning to of course. Not only are the homeless being blamed, but the shelters that help them; there have been complaints that with the increasing number of shelters, the number of homeless raises as well (A Dream). Contradictory to these beliefs homeless shelters are actually helping, like they are designed to do. Ministries, such as the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions (AGRM), are dedicate... ... middle of paper ... ... n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. . Franklin, D. Homelessness is a Housing Problem. Health February 15, 1992. Helping People Off the Streets: Real Solutions to Urban Homelessness. Center for Poverty Solutions. June 25, 2000 http://www.ctrforpovertysolutions.org/public/campus.htm. Hess, Robert. Helping People Off the Streets. USA Today Magazine Jan.18, 2000. Karinshak, Carole. Teaching Homeless Adults. Adult Learning Sep 28, 1996. Mejeur, Jeanne . "State Minimum Wages | 2014 Minimum Wage by State." State Minimum Wages | 2014 Minimum Wage by State. N.p., 14 Apr. 2014. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. . Shinn, Marybeth. Housing is Best Cure for Homelessness. New York Amsterdam News 12 Nov 6, 1998.

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