Homelessness: The life you never want 22 out of 10,000 people are homeless in America. On a given night, an estimated 672,000 people experience homelessness, 42% of those 672,000 people are unsheltered while 58% of them abide in a homeless shelter. The number of homeless families with children has increased significantly over the past decade. Families with children are among the fastest growing segments of the homeless population. Together they are approximately 40% of all people who are homeless. Rural areas contain the largest group of homeless families which consist of single mothers, and children. While normal middle class citizens stroll by wearing new clothes and shoes without even appreciating them, homeless people sit in an alley and pray to wear those clean clothes and new shoes.
The one category that most people assume all homeless fall into is who people call “bums”. These are usually men in their 40s or 50s who sit around all day and do nothing. They don’t try and help themselves or others. They make up a very small group in fact, about 4% of all homeless.
Drugs are everywhere on the streets. It is estimated that 20% of all people living on the streets use drugs daily. Drugs as cocaine, Marijuana, heroin, and not to mention alcohol. AIDS often spreads like wildfire among people who share un-sterilized needles, and once a person contracts HIV, they become a statistic in the disabled category.
People who have homes rarely think, nor can comprehend what terrible things that the homeless have to go through. They live in abandoned buildings, cars, allies, on park benches, subway stations. They eat bits of old bread, expired cheese, chicken bones. It is so terrible to imagine a life like that. Here we are (families) complaining over eggs that were overcooked while the homeless would do anything to have those overcooked eggs.
I have realized that there seem to be two main elements in saving a homeless person. The government needs to help homeless people get back on their feet. They need to make sure also that homeless people don’t abuse systems such as social security and housing. Also, the homeless need to get up on their own two feet, for themselves. Finding jobs, such as selling “Homeless Newspapers” seems to be a common first step. A vendor gets the papers for free or low cost, sells them for something like a dollar and keeps 55 cents, or a little more than half, for each sold. The homeless can then use this money to pay for food, shelter, and etcetera. Many shelters exist whose primary goal is to help the homeless get a job and home. They offer computer teachers, landscapers, welders, and other types of craft that can be used in society today. So if the government is willing to help get the homeless roused into the wanting of a better life, and they wish to follow through, then I think we could find a better, faster way to end the nation’s problem of homelessness. We see them as a crowd, one entity; we call them the homeless, as if it identifies who they are. What most forget is that they are also people. These “people” with social disabilities or financial problems are abandoned by society and become homeless on the streets. And although many believe they don’t owe anyone help, a little generosity could go a long way on the road to lowering homeless numbers around the world. In many cases the homeless people in our country are treated as total outcasts. Many of these people have severe mental disorders. Some are victims of an economy that has failed them. One may ask how such harsh situations exist in such an advanced society. With all the money and programs created to help people it seems ridiculous that this behavior exists. In a society where people have so much how is it possible that there are still people that have so little. The homeless are humans, no different than anyone else. They have rights and privileges just as any other citizen. As fellow humans we are obligated to help those in need. The