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It doesn 't seem to matter what the weather is like, what time of year it is or where I am. I have never gotten used to sleeping outside. At first it felt like camping, it was warm and the park was nice, I was young and saw it as an adventure. As time went on however the cold reality of how I was living set in. My part time job didn’t produce enough money for me to afford a place to live and college was eating away my savings. I ended up couch surfing until I started to feel like a burden and that 's when I started sleeping outside. Not long after this decision I lost my job, since no one really wants a homeless college kid working for them. After I lost my job I withdrew from college, since I had no way to pay for it. All of sudden I was a twenty-something, jobless, homeless, college dropout. Every dream I had was dead, and the only goal I had was finding a place to sleep at night and food to eat. …show more content…
There are an estimated 578,424 homeless people sleeping on the streets in America on any given night (State of Homelessness). It seems to be a distant problem since most of us are not homeless, have never been homeless, or will ever be homeless. Yet the cold reality is that for many middle and lower class families they are all one paycheck away from homelessness. While my family is an upper middle class family in Idaho, we wouldn’t be able to continue to live in our house, or maintain the lifestyle we are used to if my father lost his job. Homelessness is not a far off nightmare, it is a reality that many people face or are trying to survive. In a well developed country such as America it is unacceptable that homelessness is still an issue. It is time to stop treating homeless people like they are a nuisance, and treat them as human beings who deserve the basic right of
I am writing to inform you of the current homeless situation in Australia and how we solve fix it.
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
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.
The amount of students who are or are in danger of becoming homeless has increase on our country over the years. Although society structured people to attend post-secondary school in order to receive a sustained career, there are some cases where college is simply too expensive. Many homeless students are not receiving a proper education due to these circumstances, which results of them dropping out. Because of this situation, there are different methods to combat students dropping out of college due to financial issues. However, increasing taxes and/or tuition would not benefit the situation without an increase of society’s knowledge and awareness in the topic.
Numerous of people believe only certain races are homeless, but it is certainly not true. Compared to seventy six of the general population, thirty nine percent of Non-Hispanic white individuals are homeless. Compared to eleven percent of the general population, forty two percent of African-Americans are homeless. Compared to nine percent of the general population, thirteen percent of Hispanics are homeless. Compared to one percent of the general population, four percent of the homeless are Native-American. Two percent of homeless were Asians (“facts”). Family rejection of sexual orientation and identity was the most frequently cited factor of the LGBT homelessness. Fifty percent of young people that are homeless say parents notified them to leave or knew they were leaving and did not care (“Eleven facts about homeless”). The Williams Institute, said “forty percent of the homeless youth served by agencies identifies as LGBT. Forty
The city in discussion is New Haven, CT, where there are a number of people identify themselves as being homeless, residing in the streets. In the meantime, the number of homeless people continues to rise. A homeless person is an individual without permanent housing who may live on the streets; stay in a shelter, single room occupancy facilities, abandoned building or vehicle; or in any other unstable or non-permanent situation. According to Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness, a count conducted in 2016 for the state of Connecticut counted, 3,911 people were in a homeless shelter or transitional housing on the night of the count. It represented an overall decrease of four percent statewide from the following year, however, there are a still a
This great nation of awesome power and abundant resources is losing the battle against homelessness. The casualties can be seen on the street corners of every city in American holding an ?I will work for food? sign. Homeless shelters and rescue missions are at full capacity. There is no room at the inn for the nation?s indigent. Anyone who has studied this issue understands that homelessness is a complex problem. Communities continue to struggle with this socio-economic problem while attempting to understand its causes and implement solutions. The public and private sectors of this country are making a difference in the lives of the homeless by addressing the issues of housing, poverty and education.
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.
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
Homelessness is a vast predicament in America and around the world. It is severely overlooked as people don’t really think of homelessness as real world problem. However, there have been ways that people have tried to fix the problem. They have come up with homeless shelters, emergency shelters, food banks and soup kitchens. These solutions have limitations though, which will hopefully come to an end.
According to the McKinney Act, A person is considered homeless who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence (National Coalition for the Homeless, 2006). There are facts and myths the troubles our displaced citizens, as a result of these beliefs the homeless youth population as has been stereotyped and/or ostracized based on their circumstances. We will explore these myths to alleviate the misbelief or misunderstanding of this exclusive population of communal and societal members. There is a misconception that the homeless youth are solely blamable for their own circumstance. The fact is many homeless individuals have survived as victims of violence, child abuse, natural disasters, deficiency in employment opportunities
There are countless laws today that subliminally discriminate against homeless people. One such law was passed in 2014 that made it illegal to sleep in public areas of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Philosopher Jeremy Waldron and author of the essay “Homelessness and the Issue of Freedom” would view this law as extremely unconstitutional and immoral. Waldron would argue that making it illegal to sleep somewhere takes away the homeless persons freedom to live. I agree with Waldron on the claim that outlawing sleeping in public spaces is unconstitutional because by doing so one is taking away the homeless persons only home. For those who do not have a place to sleep the streets are their only homes. The law banning sleeping in public spaces therefore discretely makes it illegal for homeless people to even exist.
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.
Countless throughout the streets of Jackson, MS there are homeless people asking for food, money, etc. and some people aid them and others walk away. However, does anyone ever see the other side of the equation? Driving down Gallatin St. one night I saw firsthand the “other side”. Because of this, the issue that my research will cover is homelessness. Homelessness is defined as a state in which individuals lack a fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence. Poverty, lack of affordable housing, declining wages, lost jobs, the economy, foreclosure, decreased assistance programs, domestic violence, substance abuse, mental illness, single parenthood, etc. are some of the causes of homelessness in America. Some of the proposed solutions are: affordable housing and homeless prevention programs. However, there needs to be less energy focused on providing temporary housing for those who are homeless, and more focus on providing permanent, affordable housing. Homelessness is an issue that should concern all of us. With a decrease in this situation it would clear up the amount of people walking around on the streets and everyone would feel more comfortable traveling at night. If someone is homeless, it is a common belief that they are more inclined to criminal activity; therefore less homelessness could equal less crime. Homelessness is not discriminatory and can happen to anyone at any time.
Homelessness is descriptive condition of someone without a permanent or regular dwelling. Homeless people most often are not in a position to acquire as well as maintain a safe, regular, and adequate housing. Being that one of the most fundamental human needs is shelter, it is important and health for every human to at least acquire one. Unfortunately, it is becoming rather a difficulty to own a home in the current century given the economic recessions frequently occurring in almost globally. Although the legal definitions for homelessness may vary from country to country, the central idea includes people whose primary nighttime residence could be a homeless shelter, a domestic violence shelter, cardboard boxes or ad hoc housing circumstances. They could also be people who take shelter at night in a private or public place that is not primarily designed or suitable for use as a regular sleeping housing for humans.