Homeless in the CityHomeless in the CityAccording 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?
The Problem
These are the problems the solution to homelessness is not the solution to life itself. Rather, it is a series of factors, but not all of them, that should be addressed and acted upon, especially in communities with a large minority of homeless people.
First up is the concept of “community support and treatment.” A social service provides support to both children and adults. This concept refers to these individuals as a group of individuals in need of special, necessary services and assistance, particularly through their families. If you have children who are homeless or living in shelters, such as those from abusive families, that is a major issue as well. The social services that provide support are not just about helping them get on their feet or on a path to a stable, secure and loving life. They are a family. Families and communities need to help them get a sense of security through their own lives—the community needs to be a place where they can come together again, find a safe place, and truly enjoy. In other words, social services need to be a part of our lives to help people find meaning and security. But many people in neighborhoods around the United States and the United Kingdom, who are not homeless, will often choose to live in a home by oneself rather than as part of a community. Because of this type of residential behavior, they will feel less safe around other, more isolated members of the community’s community than they had been and will feel more unsafe walking through a neighborhood populated by strangers.
Social services that act on homeless communities are especially important to the success of an open society, for many people have no sense of their own needs and there is fear in some quarters about what this will do to their safety. Asking others to do what they can to help someone who is homeless will do little to provide the kind of social support service they need (which for many people is often not enough to provide safe housing, for example, due to the level of housing they lack or their inability to take a job that would qualify them for financial help). For many families, this approach to addressing homelessness is usually seen by asking them if something is needed. If you ask them to go to a designated shelter and it is not safe, they do not feel they need to go to a designated shelter. This is very likely because most of us don’t want to have to endure the risk of living in a home that does not work for us.
Second is the idea of “housing assistance.” In order to become homeless, one has to provide housing to the homeless. It can be difficult to find affordable, quality housing. Yet, housing assistance is available to residents by city, county, or township. For many communities, this is especially important when dealing with people who lack public protection. Housing assistance works to alleviate families’ distress by providing them with a place to live without having to live in an overcrowded and impoverished community. Some people consider this part of an escape and escape plan. They may think that it is as simple as walking away from an abusive neighbor. But, there are serious consequences as well for people who are homeless from homelessness. There may arise situations for which, with help or with no help, they will be able to return to basic life to enjoy in their homes and that of their families. In those situations one may face the most daunting decision that they probably ever face. Often, in these situations, they face a system that limits them or makes them feel that they are being given extra support.
For many people living in communities that have not had help for the past 20 years, it has become harder not to try to change their lives by changing one’s status and by adopting alternatives that improve the lives of the people they care about and respect—such as walking, biking, or riding a bike. Most people who are homeless have to spend their days in an encampment camp
The Problem
These are the problems the solution to homelessness is not the solution to life itself. Rather, it is a series of factors, but not all of them, that should be addressed and acted upon, especially in communities with a large minority of homeless people.
First up is the concept of “community support and treatment.” A social service provides support to both children and adults. This concept refers to these individuals as a group of individuals in need of special, necessary services and assistance, particularly through their families. If you have children who are homeless or living in shelters, such as those from abusive families, that is a major issue as well. The social services that provide support are not just about helping them get on their feet or on a path to a stable, secure and loving life. They are a family. Families and communities need to help them get a sense of security through their own lives—the community needs to be a place where they can come together again, find a safe place, and truly enjoy. In other words, social services need to be a part of our lives to help people find meaning and security. But many people in neighborhoods around the United States and the United Kingdom, who are not homeless, will often choose to live in a home by oneself rather than as part of a community. Because of this type of residential behavior, they will feel less safe around other, more isolated members of the community’s community than they had been and will feel more unsafe walking through a neighborhood populated by strangers.
Social services that act on homeless communities are especially important to the success of an open society, for many people have no sense of their own needs and there is fear in some quarters about what this will do to their safety. Asking others to do what they can to help someone who is homeless will do little to provide the kind of social support service they need (which for many people is often not enough to provide safe housing, for example, due to the level of housing they lack or their inability to take a job that would qualify them for financial help). For many families, this approach to addressing homelessness is usually seen by asking them if something is needed. If you ask them to go to a designated shelter and it is not safe, they do not feel they need to go to a designated shelter. This is very likely because most of us don’t want to have to endure the risk of living in a home that does not work for us.
Second is the idea of “housing assistance.” In order to become homeless, one has to provide housing to the homeless. It can be difficult to find affordable, quality housing. Yet, housing assistance is available to residents by city, county, or township. For many communities, this is especially important when dealing with people who lack public protection. Housing assistance works to alleviate families’ distress by providing them with a place to live without having to live in an overcrowded and impoverished community. Some people consider this part of an escape and escape plan. They may think that it is as simple as walking away from an abusive neighbor. But, there are serious consequences as well for people who are homeless from homelessness. There may arise situations for which, with help or with no help, they will be able to return to basic life to enjoy in their homes and that of their families. In those situations one may face the most daunting decision that they probably ever face. Often, in these situations, they face a system that limits them or makes them feel that they are being given extra support.
For many people living in communities that have not had help for the past 20 years, it has become harder not to try to change their lives by changing one’s status and by adopting alternatives that improve the lives of the people they care about and respect—such as walking, biking, or riding a bike. Most people who are homeless have to spend their days in an encampment camp
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