http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3J6byxk02I&feature=related
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article4305.htm
When many people think homeless, they think bums, drunks, and people that are just to lazy to work. Most of that is far from reality. By definition, a person who is homeless is an individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. Homelessness is without a doubt an on going problem that we face in our society. Lack of affordable housing, lack of available jobs, mental illness, and a small percentage who are fighting drug or alcohol dependence are among the causes here in the United States. The more I researched it the more eye dropping the numbers were to me. Here we are one of the richest countries in the world, and on a given year we have 3.5 million people experiencing homelessness. That is an alarming statistic to me that I feel like our society needs to work to fix. Creating more jobs will be a key issue that our new President will have to face over the next four years, but if he can fulfill his promise then we should be able to help fight the homelessness here in America.
What can we do to help fight this problem in our society?
1/22/09
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I agree that homelessness is a huge problem that we are facing in America today. Many of these same people are also hungry and struggling to hold a job. I think that there is a huge stereotype associated with homelessness but in reality a lot of these people do have a job, it’s just not always enough. Also a lot of these people are trying to support a family, not just themselves. This takes us back to the issue of minimum wage and if its possible for individuals to survive on the amount of money they are making. We have a lot of work as a county to do in order to solve this issue.
ReplyDeleteNo one on earth deserves to be homeless but i do disagree that homelessness is mainly to do with lack of jobs, and economic problems. This is a issue and does have a lot of effect on not only the homeless but also people who do have a home. Some individuals that live on the street have lost everything and have no other choice. And for the ones who are collecting money from strangers and purchasing alcohol/ drugs or cigarettes are not doing all they can do to make a better life for themselves. I realize not many can be supported from a minimum wage job but you gotta start somewhere. I think that shelters should hire some homeless people in hopes to getting them on the right track or other helping services like food shelters, or salvation armies.
ReplyDeleteHomelessness in America is a huge problem. Before reading this article I did not realize how out of hand homelessness has become in America. The article makes me sympathize with the people who have such hard lives. Some of the rules and regulations that states have implemented on homeless people are ridiculous. Homeless people may have no where else to sleep other than a park bench on a sleeping bag that they were given or bought with their few dollars. I think that the states are implementing these kinds of laws should be ashamed of themselves and instead of making the poor’s life even more miserable they should be working to help them.
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ReplyDeleteI definately agree that homelessness in America is a huge problem. I never realized that 3.5 million people in America were homeless. I think it is terrible that 39% of that 3.5 million are homeless children.I think our country is out trying to save the world, but forgetting that we have major issues going on at home. Children are the future, and we should definately work on helping these parents to make a better life for their children. I am not quite sure why cities would implement all these new laws. The laws are outrageous, where else are they suppose to go? I understand that it may not make your city look the best, but instead of exherting all the energy on making new laws to keep them down. Use that energy to help them better themselves. This way both sides win.
ReplyDeleteThere isn’t a week that goes by that I don’t see a homeless person. Sad, but true. I see them even on my walk home from school, and I’m ashamed to say it, but I actually get frightened of them. I guess it’s because you just never know who to trust these days. Whenever I do see a homeless person on the streets that asks for any spare change that I have on me I always think of that song, “What if he's an angel sent here from Heaven/And he's making certain that you're doing your best/To take the time to help one another/Brother are you going to pass that test/You can go on with your day to day/Trying to forget what you saw in his face/Knowing deep down it could have been his saving grace/What if he's an angel”. I know that sounds cheesy, but it just makes you wonder what people are begging for money for the right reasons. I think that in our society we can fix this problem of homeless people on the streets by possibly having some sort of fundraiser. I know that Yoplait has the yogurt tops that when you save them up and send them back, funding goes to the research and cure for breast cancer. If we could even do something like that, think of how many people we could get off the streets, just so they could have a place to be warm at night, and get a good night’s rest; which would push them in the right direction of getting a job.
ReplyDeleteAlthough we may not think about the homeless people during our day to day lives, we cannot ignore the statistics mentioned in this articles. It shocking to see that in a country where movie stars make millions per movie, yet we have children who are unable to go to school, eat nutritious meals, or even have a roof over their head. When I drive past a homeless person, I generally think "Well, they must have ruined their life to end up like this." But that thought process is outdated. With minimum wage being as low as it is, some of these homeless people might have tried to work, but found that even that low income could not sustain them. I think one of the solutions would be to actually increase minimum wage. Make it so that it these people can help themselves. This may not solve the problem entirely, but it could be a step in the right direction.
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