Misconceptions About Homelessness

My friends and I left the restaurant, laughing. It was getting dark and the city was beautifully lit. We smiled and chatted as we walked through downtown. Suddenly my eyes fell on a young woman arranging her sleeping quarters in the middle of the sidewalk. She looked barely older than me - she could have easily been a college student. The girl sat down and pulled a few dirty blankets over her body, preparing for the night’s sleep. I was staggered by the similarities between the two of us. Her face stuck in my memory as I got home and climbed into my comfortable bunk bed. People my age weren’t supposed to be homeless, were they? Where was her family, her connections? Why would she be on the streets? Were there more people like her or was she an anomaly? I realized I knew nothing about homelessness and had instead been subconsciously analyzing it with my own preconceptions as a basis. But I wasn’t the only one allowing myself to remain so misinformed. Research shows there are almost ubiquitous misconceptions concerning homelessness and the stigma against it, especially when it comes to the demographics of the homeless population, the amount of crimes
What are the true reasons for homelessness and how long does it normally last? Citizens are blinded by the illusion that homelessness is always a result of laziness and always the fault of the homeless person, which often acts as the basis for further misconceptions. Many people believe some homeless people actually prefer to be homeless because it’s less stressful than “real life,” and that’s why they are not doing everything in their capability to elevate their condition. With that comes another misconception: it is easy to get out of homelessness, and homeless people are lazy because they don’t work and instead live off government