Homeless in the City

Homeless in the City

According to the government, “homelessness” is defined as a wide variety of things and involves many people. Although homelessness involves many people, not everyone wants to help or willingly volunteer their time to helping those in need. I know you have heard that line before; “Help those in need,” but try to look at this issue in a different light after you read these next few pages of information. After you think about the statement with a new viewpoint, your reaction and thoughts on the issue may not be cast in a negative shadow.

My question is for the homeless people of the nation. What is causing homelessness? I want to know what would help them thrive in life and what we can do, right now, that can help them immensely in their struggle to begin and maintain a happy, productive, meaningful life. Everyone deserves happiness, but it is sometimes hard to discover. It is heartbreaking that some people are able to eat steak and lobster every night, while others have to consider eating dog food; literally dog food. The following conversation is between a blogger and a homeless person that was willing to answer a few questions about her homelessness: The question was, “Is there an experience you would like to share about being on the streets to try and convey the reality of the situation to others? If so, go ahead.” The response was, “I was so hungry once, dog food smelt tasty!!! The only thing that stopped me eating it was that I probably would have been sick…and I couldn’t afford to be..so the pain of being hungry won over.” Could you ever imagine being so hungry that dog food was a part of your list of meal options? I’m going to ask you to be sympathetic for a few moments and shift your point of view.

Some believe that most homeless people would prefer to escape and ignore responsibility rather than fix their social and economic problems. Sure, I believe that there are a number of homeless people in the nation that fall under this category, but not everyone is the same. We need to stop stereotyping and judging before we offer help. I know that is hard because we are conditioned to do so. We have been told to not speak to strangers, to trust no one, to protect ourselves. We have been told that the homeless are lazy, beggars, moochers, worthless, irresponsible, drunk, and scavengers. Before you believe what you have been told, think if you were being judged based on something that you had little control over. What if you were disabled? What if you were living at the poverty level or below and could not get a job? What if you had been turned down time after time for an interview because you did not have a shower to bathe in? What if you had no family to offer you a helping, non-judgmental hand?

I am personally affected by poverty and homelessness. It is a constant worry for me because my mother has been homeless and is currently between