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I used to volunteer at our Church kitchen by cooking food and serving poor folks. My main task was to serve folks and make sure that they have enough on their plates. Whenever people would come for more food, I would always hear me aunts discussed their dislike towards the homeless population because their issues could have been solved if they weren’t lazy to look for a job. As a young teen, I internalized these stigma about homeless people because I wasn’t well educated on social issues and I was just plain ignorant. I used to blame homeless people for making me spend four hours of my time on a Saturday to cook for them. As a result, I never engaged myself in conversations with homeless folks. It was not until I got to Santa Cruz that I became …show more content…
While America prides itself as the most giving nation in the world, the idea behind different charities often juxtaposes this ideology. This idea of paternalism has been the practice for most food organizations in order to help the greater community. The idea that a server knows best When I volunteered at the St. Francis Catholic Soup Kitchen, I already had an idea about the work that they do based on the readings that I have done, but I was not sure if the turnout would be the same as the article that I have read about paternalism. St. Francis Catholic Soup Kitchen has been serving the poor for over 25 years. The organization was founded by Father Peter Carota with the purpose of not only feeding, clothing, and sheltering the poor, but to heal their brokenness through Christ. In their mission statement on their website, it claims: The Kitchen responds to spiritual and physical needs with food, clothing showers and assorted other services. A prayerful atmosphere is created by our volunteers so that the poor and homeless can pause and refresh from the stressful life of living on the streets or in abject
... a dinner meal can become a luxury. Soup kitchens sometimes become overcrowded and unable to serve everyone in need. As a result, malnutrition is not uncommon among these underprivileged families.
Principally, to a homeless person, if there was only one thing they hated, it would be pity. The only way society at this point knows how to deal with the homeless is by pitying them. They take the individuals and they put them in a group basically labeled “displaced”, then it is expected that it is up to the state to help them. Many say they try, but because homelessness deals on such a personal level, many don’t get helped because they are grouped. On the personal level, when one sees a homeless person, many, if not most people, shy away thinking that “someone else will help them”. In most cases, they are ignored. Because everyone is thinking this way, not many local homeless people get assistance. In this country, homelessness is one of the last issues to be thought of, which is why the homeless population is now flooding into small cities and towns. Homelessness should be combatted one person at a time and not as a group. I agree that everyone needs to pitch in and help rehumanize these lifeless souls, and with everyone’s help, it can be done on a personal level.
They provide food to over 46 million people in need through their network of 200 food banks. They also work diligently on raising awareness by partnering with high-profile celebrities to create effective public service announcements. Though they are doing an amazing job tackling the hunger issue and spreading knowledge regarding hunger in America, there are two areas that may require adjustments.
The homeless population is growing in America. There are more and more Americans living in boxes, sleeping on park benches and panhandling on the streets each day. These people tend to make us, the non-homeless, feel uncomfortable and unsafe. They are also placing increasing stress on the nation's economy. In short, the homeless are a burden on the rest of society. There needs to be action taken against them. "I shall now humbly propose my own thoughts, which I hope will not be liable to the least objection (Swift.)" I propose that all of the homeless be relocated to foreign third world countries. They can then be hired in American factories producing shoes, automobiles and other various goods at less than one dollar per hour.
Have you ever thought about the possibilities of becoming homeless? I think about that almost every day; I try to comprehend and picture in my head the life as someone that lives on or off the streets of New York. New York isn’t one of the cleanest places in the United States, but it sure has one of the highest percentage rates in the U.S. for homeless people. In the 21st century, people raised in the U.S. are not taught about the struggles of homelessness and what they have to go through to survive; most people don’t plan on becoming homeless and became homeless due to the fluctuation in the market and various other problems. Also not only the homeless, but people in depth (people struggling to pay bills or drug addicts) and other people suffering also has to survive.
What Jonathan Walters is so clearly observing is the need for men and women in all areas of life (education, government, psychology, medicine, etc) to become active in solving the issue….together. The church is undoubtedly filled with people of influence in all of the aforementioned areas and yet the church body is failing to obey fundamental Biblical commands that deal with social justice. The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., famously once said "it is appalling that the most segregated hour of Christian America is eleven o'clock on Sunday morning”…and while he was referring to racial segregation, his comment holds true in terms of classism and social segregation. If we are to ever see an end to homelessness, the Church must become proactive, missional and obedient to the teachings of Jesus.
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.
One reason for my ignorance on homelessness is my modest exposure to homeless people. I have really never had close contact to homeless or have never done much service work for the homeless. Many people in my family do work with homeless and low-income families. I have heard their stories and I have a little knowledge from what my family has told me. If people, including myself, did more to get involved, we would have more knowledge about the homeless and other poverty-stricken families.
Doug O’Brien, director of public policy and research at Chicago-based Second Harvest, says “’we’ve seen a real shift in who we serve. A decade ago, there were almost always homeless, single men and chronic substance abusers. Now we have children and working families at soup kitchens’” (Koch). These families that are feeling the effects of food insecurity will not be the only ones affected by it, but all of America.
Who exactly is a homeless person? A homeless person is someone without permanent housing who could be living in the streets; or be staying in a shelter; abounded vehicle or building. There are more than 600,000 people in the United States which are homeless on a given night according to the government. There is exactly 610,042 homeless people in the United States. Who exactly are the homeless? Homeless to most of us would be inconceivable. Why is that, because we have no idea what it’s like to not have a home and have to move from one location to another?
The official mission statement for the House of Compassion is “Called by our faith in Jesus Christ to act in love, the House of Compassion responds to the needs of our neighbors and advocates justice and dignity for all” (Frohwein, 2013). While on earth so much of Jesus ministry was focused on healing, feeding, clothing, and lifting up the marginalized. He feed and healed people before he professed to them that he was the Bread of Life and the Messiah. This is way it is important that we too are willing to feed and clot...
This project conducted by Donley and Jackson took in 30 homeless men in the area and interviewed them individually to see how they downplay being homeless and if it is possible to feel welcome in certain communities (2011). The homeless interviewed said to want to have a clean appearance and want to fit it in but it is difficult especially in urban areas were gentrification is taking place. Furthermore, limited resources in those urban areas makes it difficult for the poor to have a clean appearance. All the men interview said they were well aware that their homeless status kept them alienated from the rest of the population. Many mention that they tried downplaying their homeless status in order not to get arrested for petty crimes, for example, dumpster diving or simply sitting on the sidewalks (2011). The stigmatization on homeless people give them an impression that they are worthless and to the eyes of the outsiders they are generalized as worthless as well. This research was short-term yet gave a great insight on not only how the homeless view themselves but how they believe other view them. They acknowledge that once a community is renovated it becomes more difficult to fit in and things like sitting in a side walk may cause you jail time (gentrification and “zero tolerance). The questions were simple which made interviewers express themselves more
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
As I said earlier, one of the problem among homeless population is lack of of access to healthcare. Many homeless people were not even aware of their health problems and some of them did not even care. As a public health nurse, being aware of your surrounding and understanding the need of the people is helpful in order to provide better care. Homeless population are very vulnerable and they need a lot support from the people. I had fun doing this volunteer and it made me happy hearing homeless people say thank you for our effort in feeding
The population of Los Angeles continues to grow each day because people perceive that the opportunities will improve their economic and social well-being. Most of them get good jobs manufacturing, business and the government giving them the ability to provide for themselves and their children. Those who are not lucky enough do not realise their goals and depend on the government and the society for basic needs. The effort of the city and the government to house the homeless cannot take the pressure of the rising number of the homeless without the support of the society. Los Angeles in the United State’s largest urban and has the highest number of homeless people making the task of housing its population next to impossible without participation